Collaboration in Natural Resource Decisions
FOR/EVST 473 -- 3 credits
Who should take this course?
Any student interested in improving their future effectiveness as a manager via the acquisition of problem solving and negotiation skills. If you are thinking about working for the Forest Service, National Park Service, BLM, or state agencies like Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, this course is for you. Instruction is aimed at junior and seniors interested in planning, public lands policy, and environmental management. Graduate students can receive graduate credit when they take the class and produce an extra research paper. The course is currently required for students in the Nature-based Tourism Option of the Recreation Management Major.
Why is this class important?
Modern managers must be able to manage people, especially the diverse body of citizens who care deeply about public lands decisions. This course allows students to understand the competing human demands on natural resources while providing the skills and tools to guide fair, abiding, science-based land use decisions.
What will I learn?
- How to organize collaborative meetings and guide open, respectful deliberations on contentious natural resource issues;
- The major social and economic dynamics affecting natural resource conflicts and the evolution of public participation in natural resource decisions;
- Techniques to allow people to understand competing interests and tools to help groups set priorities on potential courses of action; and
- How to assess a situation and understand when multi-party decision processes can be effective.
Who teaches the class?
The instructor for the course is Jim Burchfield, Associate Dean in the College of Forestry and Conservation. He brings to the classroom extensive experience as a field forester, social scientist, and convener and facilitator of collaborative groups throughout Montana.
How do I succeed in the class?
There are a diverse set of readings that cover public lands governance, negotiation, and case studies of collaborative processes. Each student will participate briefly outside of class in a local planning or advisory body to get first hand experience in multi-party decision-making processes. There are two short papers assigned, two quizzes, and a final exam.