Administration

Scope of SNEP

Technical Framework

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Summary

FACA

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The Approach

The Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (SNEP) approach to public participation was based on adaptive principles. The Science Team encouraged active involvement of a diverse array of Sierra stakeholders to promote the broadest exchange of ideas and to promote a mutual learning process between scientists and the public. Specifically, SNEP public involvement was designed to be inclusive and participatory. It was also iterative, as it successively sought and responded to input from participants through a dynamic exchange. The approach was based on the premise that broad public involvement would improve SNEPs understanding of the Sierra Nevada and factors contributing to economic and social well-being, as well as assist in the development and refinement of scenarios for the Sierra Nevada.
The teams approach required both active participation from a diverse public and a willingness on the part of scientists to listen to the public and openly discuss different views. By interspersing periods of creative interaction with the public and focused consolidation and refinement among the scientists, the Science Team was able to adapt to new ideas and information provided by the public as well as inform the public of its progress. This productive interplay allowed SNEP to develop an assessment that combined the rigor of a scientific approach with the grounded knowledge and practicality afforded by public input.

Participation

To ensure an inclusive process, the SNEP team focused on three distinct types of public groups: key contacts, collaborative place-based groups, and the general public. The public involvement strategy included activities for each of these groups because they brought unique skills and knowledge to the SNEP assessment process.
The charter for SNEP recommended that the team rely on a group of key contacts to help accomplish project objectives. The initial key contact group consisted of individuals who had participated in previous planning and evaluations of the Sierra Nevada (e.g., Sierra Summit Steering Committee, Sierra Nevada Research Planning Team). Additional individuals were added to the group as the team identified regions or areas of interest that were not represented. Members of the key contact group generally had considerable knowledge of and experience with Sierra Nevada issues. The key contacts group totaled approximately seventy individuals representing various interest groups and scientific or other perspectives within the communities of interest of the Sierra Ne- vada.
Early in the public involvement process, a subset of key contacts were self-selected as a work group to advise the SNEP team on public involvement strategies. The key contact work group consisted of about a dozen people who assisted the team with planning public meetings during the final year of the project. Groups with a diversity of interests were represented in the work group, including recreation groups, public agencies, the timber industry, and the environmental community.
Place-based collaborative groups, which focus efforts in communities placed in the Sierra, were selected as focal points for SNEPs local public participation activities. These groups were selected because they represented a diversity of perspectives and a high level of general understanding of natural resource issues. Additionally, the team felt these groups could effectively contribute local and regional knowledge and act as catalysts for local public involvement. Collaborative place-based groups can be broadly defined as bioregional, community, or watershed-based groups with diverse interest representation that meet to discuss local resource management and well-being issues.
SNEP sought collaborative groups in three regions based on variations in resource-dependence, economies, development pressures, and other variables: the northern Sierra, the west-central Sierra, and the east-central Sierra. Only two groups were chosen, however: the Quincy Library Group in the northern Sierra and the Coalition for Unified Recreation in the Eastern Sierra (CURES) in the east-central Sierra. A high level of conflict and the absence of a collaborative group with broad enough interest representation prevented SNEP from working with a place-based group in the west-central Sierra.
The general public includes all other individuals not specifically included in the key contact or place-based groups. Although limited resources constrained SNEPs work with the public, working relationships with both the key contacts and the place-based groups helped to draw and focus general public interest and participation. Three meetings were held to which the general public was invited.