Elkhorn Mountains Cooperative Management Area
Location:
Montana
What lessons can be drawn?
Those involved with the management of the Elkhorn ecosystem stress that this type of cooperative management will have to occur more in the future. "It's not even an option," Weldon said, "its just necessary. We have to [cooperate] to do our jobs properly." Good agreed that this is "...the wave of the future. We have fewer dollars and fewer people in our agencies now, and it's not going to get any better." Asked what advice he had for others trying to do similar things, Good said: "You must have total commitment to managing for the good of the resources and not the good of the agency." When asked the same question, Korn pointed out that "the devil is in the details" and that it is essential to work out procedural details at the start and as you go along so that as much time and energy as possible can go towards accomplishing projects over time.
Canfield felt that similar management goals were also necessary, as well as a contiguous land base. One of Canfield's major pieces of advice to those involved in collaborative efforts is to "Hang in there. It takes time to work out all the bugs. This is not something you work out in a couple of weeks: it's a commitment that takes years and years to bring to fruition." In addition, Canfield emphasized the importance of having the right people: "to be successful, you need to have people who are involved and committed to making it work." All individuals interviewed noted the importance of having a coordinator specifically designated to coordinate the agencies' activities. Canfield feels it is necessary to have someone with some sense of longevity in order to "maintain the flow and the enthusiasm this kind of project needs despite staff turnover and changes. It has been important to have a few of us involved over the long term."
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.
|
