The Recreation HQ was at the 2012 National Conference on
Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution last week in Tucson,
Arizona. I was invited by the Center
for Collaborative Policy (CCP) to give a presentation on Avoiding Litigation:
Lessons Learned from USFS Travel Management Planning.
As you may remember, CCP has been the facilitator for a
number of OHV recreation planning efforts including the 2002/2003 CA Route
Inventory and Designation Process, the 2001/2002 CA OHV Sound Working Group, and
the 2005 FS Travel Management Rule. Some
of you have participated in those sessions.
I wrote the following Op Ed on the conference last week with
my key takeaways being “Leadership” and “Relationships” as important foundation
blocks for successful collaboration between agencies, local government, and
user groups.
Amador Op Ed – May 29, 2012 (a good read I hope)http://www.sharetrails.org/story/2012/05/29/leadership-and-relationships-key-tenets-ecr-2012
It is my view that planning efforts based on the dry lab
of routes overseen by a non-engaged Deciding Officer (usually the Forest
Supervisor) are doomed to fail.
Many of you who read this blog know about those successes
and failures. Hopefully, we are entering
a new era where agency staff is not simply going through the motions so they
can check the “completion box” on their form.
Travel and other plans created
without Deciding Officer involvement – including field review - during the
pre-scoping phase are a receipt for litigation and/or judgment in the court of
public opinion.
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