Elkhorn Mountains Cooperative Management Area

Location:

Montana

Case description (read more)

The Elkhorn Mountains Cooperative Management Area was created in August 1992 by the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. As primary landowners and wildlife managers in the area, these three agencies realized that holistic and consistent management of the mountain range would be impossible with each agency working independently and toward different goals for the land. The agencies signed an innovative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) calling for interagency cooperation and communication in order to realize substantive management goals for the entire 250,000 acre project area.

What is fostering progress? (read more)

• Dedication and Commitment: There were people throughout the agencies dedicated to the idea and willing to work towards its realization.
• An Effective Memorandum of Understanding: The cooperative agreement's MOU formalizes the process and serves as a model for working across administrative boundaries.
• Ownership: A sense of ownership and responsibility for effective management of the entire region.
• Continuity: Many of the same people have been involved in the management of the Elkhorns since the project's inception, which has helped build trust and good working relationships among the players.

What challenges were faced and how were they overcome? (read more)

• Personalities and ego: Initially, the challenges to success were primarily human elements: turf, ego and personalities.
• Differing agency mandates: Each of the three agencies have different mandates for managing the land and its resources, so it remains difficult to satisfy everyone when decisions and plans are being made.
• Limited resources: Tightening budgets and shrinking staff numbers has meant that even high priority projects are not always completed.
• Differing needs and capacities: The Forest Service had larger staff and budgets and was more easily able to begin projects before the BLM was able to be on board, which sometimes created tension among the agencies.

What lessons can be drawn? (read more)

• Designate a coordinator: A coordinator specifically designated to coordinate the agencies' activities has been critical to forward progress. In the case of the Elkhorns, it has been particularly beneficial to have the same person for over 12 years in order to "maintain the flow and the enthusiasm this kind of project needs despite staffs turnover and changes."
• Conserve staff and financial resources: Many players felt that cooperative management of this type will have to occur more in the future due to fewer dollars allocated and fewer staff members working in the field.
• Manage for the resource: Partners must be committed to managing for the good of the resources over the good of the agency.
• Commitment: Projects like this require an ongoing commitment and continuity.

Learn more about related lessons from a broader set of partnerships

• How collaboration can benefit all parties involved
• Why developing an MOU fosters interaction between agencies
• How projects can be sustained over time

Contact information at the Forest Service

 

Related Links

• Helena National Forest Yearly Update
• North Elkhorns Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
• Elkhorn Mountains: Past Present and Future Projects Summary
• Due to the success of the Bighorn sheep reintroduction project, officials have created a Bighorn season: "Bighorn season a first in Elkhorn Mountains" posted on Montanaforum.com

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.