Coalition for Unified Recreation in the Eastern Sierra

Location

California's Eastern Sierras

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome?

Many individuals, both within and outside of the Forest Service, were concerned about CURES' motives and intentions. Environmentalists, especially, saw CURES as a thinly veiled attempt by pro-development and pro-tourism interests to lure greater numbers of people to the Eastern Sierra. They were concerned that the Coalition would cater to businesses and chambers of commerce in the region. Some Forest Service employees also shared these apprehensions. These fears, though still present, have been alleviated by the work of Upham and other CURES participants to stress concepts such as sustainability and carrying capacities as priorities on CURES' agenda. Upham, and others active in the process, have been vigilant to ensure that no participant's concerns get lost in the dialogue. By taking on and completing smaller, less controversial projects, the Coalition has managed to build a track record of success that overshadows the areas of disagreement.

A "fear of taking risks" within the Forest Service and a lack of policies of allowing non-agency entities to be central in the planning process, proved an initial barrier to the success of CURES. CURES represents a new approach to problem-solving and, as such, was unknown and threatening. Drawing other parties into a process that has traditionally been controlled solely by the Forest Service was uncomfortable to many personnel; as Upham said, "we may feel that we are giving away power or authority." The success of CURES has served to dispel some of these concerns.

Finally, involvement in CURES requires a time commitment that is difficult to fulfill given existing workloads. Increasingly, CURES is being identified as the main forum for recreation projects and issues. Within the USFS, there is resistance to this additional time demand. Upham mentioned the common sentiment among Forest Service personnel: "how can we take on something new-the other work doesn't go away." Representatives of environmental organizations and local businesses face this same time problem, but like the Forest Service, have thus far remained committed to the process. Upham noted, "Everyone has more meetings and less time, but we seem to have gotten around that."

This site was developed by the Ecosystem Management Initiative through a partnership with the US Forest Service and the US Department of Interior. Read more.