There are a number of reasons why CURES has been successful. From conception through development, the Coalition enjoyed the full support of the Inyo National Forest Supervisor, a strong advocate of partnership approaches to problem-solving. He was willing to free up the relatively small amount of money needed for CURES administration, as well as to make it a work priority for relevant Forest Service personnel. Marin's willingness to support CURES, both philosophically and practically, has been critical to the program's longevity.
Upham's prior skill with facilitation and focus on common interests of the participants throughout the process was also important to successful coalition-building. She assisted in guiding the group through more acrimonious debates, reminding participants of their common goals. She continues to facilitate many of the meetings and spends approximately fifty percent of her time on CURES administration and associated projects.
The coalition has also benefited from efforts to retain adequate representation of key stakeholders. Chris Plakos, a representative from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the current chair of CURES, noted, "We named positions we wanted filled…If someone leaves, we find someone else to represent that constituency." He also observed that "you can't have everyone - we didn't want to get to the point that we were so huge and cumbersome that we couldn't get anything done - but you can get good cross representation."
In addition to funding for administration, CURES has been successful at procuring project funds. One source has been rural development funds allocated through the National Farm Bill. Some forests include counties that qualify for these funds; in many cases, these funds have been channeled through CURES. CURES has also been able to secure project-specific grant funding from agencies such as CALTRANS (California Department of Transportation). As noted above, agencies have responded favorably to funding projects that involve partnerships among different entities. This funding has allowed CURES to complete a number of projects, which Plakos notes has helped the group work together, because "people like to see things happen."
One way the group has helped address the differences between environmental representatives and local business representatives is to create a special "Balancing Task Force," charged with looking at the broad economic and environmental issues facing the Eastern Sierra. Upham noted that the task force sponsors forums to "get people together to learn about issues and be able to discuss them in a non-combative sort of way."
One overall reason that CURES may be successful is that all the parties involved have incentives to work together. Chris Plakos, the current chair of CURES notes that the Eastern Sierra area is "an extremely isolated community…tied together by one two-lane highway. Because of this isolation, we have to work together, even when there are competing interests." CURES has provided many of the participants a mechanism for working together to ensure that their interests are met. Shrinking budgets have provided federal agencies with incentives to participate, since CURES allows agencies to share costs and obtain grant funding. Upham noted, "With downsizing comes recognition that we've got to pool our resources, not duplicate efforts, and share whatever we can." Especially when CURES first formed, local businesses saw it as an important way to repair the economic damage caused by a protracted drought. Environmental groups sought to participate to have a voice shaping the future development of the area. In short, as Upham put it, when the Forest Service approached local groups to seek their involvement, "these groups saw it as vital to their interests to participate."
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