Collaboration on State Trust Lands

When deciding when to collaborate…	• Identify all stakeholders and determine if those who are necessary for a successful outcome are interested in participating and if their participation is legally appropriate. • Assess the situation and the incentives facing potential participants when deciding whether or not to invest time and resources in collaborative planning. • Secure support and resources from trust land agency decision makers for the collaborative planning effort.
To set up a successful process…	• Define the collaborative planning process and specifically relate it to agency decision making. • Determine whether other legal processes are ongoing or if other legal constraints exist and assess how these factors will affect the process. • Identify process objectives and create ground rules as a group at the outset of the collaborative effort.
To determine who will participate…	• Involve representatives of all affected interests, document how they were selected and establish procedures to adjust membership composition. • Clearly define interests and responsibilities for each participant involved in the process. • Hold representatives accountable for their responsibility to their interest group. • Include local public officials.
To organize the process…	• Take advantage of various legal tools to structure the collaborative group. • Set and adhere to a timeline and deadlines, recognizing that collaborative processes often require more time than initially thought. • Consider allowing parties to jointly select and fund a professional, neutral and knowledgeable facilitator.
To create a decision-making structure…	• Distinguish between decision-making power and decision-making authority and clarify how power is shared in the process. • Agree on a clearly-defined decision rule and specify voting procedures at the outset of the collaborative process. • Consider using minority reports or decision matrices to make difficult decisions.
To help participants work together…	• Encourage relationship-building through formal and informal activities to help the collaborative group overcome stereotypes and foster trust and cooperation. • Identify unstated interests as early as possible to ensure transparency and avoid miscommunication leading to impasses. • Communicate frequently with the trust land decision makers if they do not have a seat at the table. • Update the public periodically about the collaborative process and encourage public comment.
To share information…	• Reserve meeting time to learn about the trust mandate and other legal constraints; do not assume that this information is commonly understood. • Determine from the outset what scientific information is necessary and work to acquire it before moving forward. • Use subcommittees or task forces to research scientific and technical issues for the larger group. • Request legal or policy clarification from the state attorney general or agency officials when needed.
When implementing agreements…	• Focus at the outset on creating a final written agreement that will satisfy the trust mandate. • Create measures of success in the final agreement. • Create an implementation structure that builds on the relationships established during the collaborative process.