 Snep Assignment SUMMARY
CURRENT PAGE: 
 
|
|
SUMMARY The Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project is drawing to a close, though it is not complete at the time of this writing; nonetheless, some preliminary conclusions can be drawn about the efficacy of the adaptive process employed. First, most scientists, including those who were initially skeptical of interaction with the public, found the public involvement process both instructive and valuable. Many scientists were influenced in a variety of ways by public interaction, and near project end virtually all scientists were positive about exchanges with the public. The ease with which the public involvement team was able to draw scientists to public meetings toward the end of the project compared with the beginning is evidence of this. Further evidence is the nature of exchanges at public sessions: scientist interaction with the public shifted from being didactic and somewhat defensive in early sessions to explanatory and encouraging of mutual exploration of complex issues in the later sessions. Secondly, though it is impossible to pinpoint specific public ideas that influenced scientists work, it is clear that public involvement influenced the work of the team. Numerous times in SNEP team meetings, a scientist would reference a public comment to reinforce a point or make clear that the issue under discussion must be addressed to respond to public concern. The focus on institutions in SNEP, which emerged late in the project, was driven by a small number of scientists on the team as well as by continued comments and questions in public sessions. Designing a fuels-reduction strategy was reinforced by public comment and interaction with the Quincy Library Group, which had done considerable thinking on its own on this subject. Identification of areas of late successional old growth and determination of community capacity could not have been done without the help of numerous agency and local experts, respectively. The scientific assessments may not have been changed dramatically through public involvement, but interaction with the public often influenced how data were presented and conclusions drawn and, perhaps most profoundly, influenced the development of scenarios. Thirdly, the adaptive process itself had a significant effect on the involved public, in both their perceptions of the science project itself and their relationships with one another. Individuals who initially felt the project was a waste of time later expressed a genuine concern that the best possible science be used to address the complex social and resource issues in the Sierra Nevada. There was general acknowledgment that much needed to be learned and that scientists were essential in facilitating this learning process. Virtually all participants appreciated being a part of the process and praised the openness of the scientists in listening to their viewpoints. Perhaps most importantly, people who had long been sitting on opposite sides of issues agreed that resolution of complex resource management issues would be achieved only with them working together and not against one another. There appeared to be broad agreement among these participants to continue the dialogue begun in this adaptive process. Summary of Public Interactions
General public and key contact meetings or workshops: 
 
|