Collaboration and
Multi-party Monitoring
Stewardship Contracting
Training Workshop
Karen Steer, Sustainable Northwest
Marcus Kauffman, Watershed Research and Training Center
Topics
What is collaboration?
What is required in stewardship
contracting and why?
Key aspects of collaboration (LOPIM)
Multi-party monitoring (what and how)
Discussion
Collaboration: a definition
Collaboration:
Working together to solve problems or seize
opportunities
has broad-based participation that is open,
transparent and inclusive
enhances understanding, encourages solutions,
and develop common objectives
Collaboration vs. Traditional
Decision Making
Is outcome and solution-based vs. process
Build mutual understanding of problems
Incorporate a broad set of values
Proactive rather than reactive
Identifies and shares resources
NEPA and Collaboration:
Different, yet Complementary
NEPA
Collaboration
 Formal NEPA process begins
with proposed action.
Scoping (CE, EA, EIS)
 Proactive: Before any
action is proposed
Pre-scoping
Comment on EA or DEIS
 Multi-party Monitoring
process designed up-front
Administrative Appeal
 Community involvement in
non-NEPA decisions
 Inclusion of regulatory
agencies in the pre-NEPA
process with local
collaborative groups.
Collaboration: What is required?
Project Development

61.1a “Projects shall be developed collaboratively with
communities.

Line officer shall seek to involve the public

Local unit should seek early involvement of stakeholders

Stewardship projects should have considerable local
support.”
Defining local
 60.42c.7: “District Rangers shall
make a determination of the local
community appropriate to the
project and in collaboration with
interested parties.”
Why is collaboration part of
Stewardship Contracting?
Stewardship contracting is a tool to help meet
the needs of rural communities.
 Environmental,
social, economic
Collaboration is a process that is used to ensure
that community needs are heard, understood,
and can be addressed.
How does collaboration help
meet community needs?
Collaboration is social process to:
 Define community needs
 Find common ground
 Build trust and promote learning
 Take action
 Promote accountability
Community-based collaborative
groups
Work on multiple issues that cross sectors
Diverse stakeholders
Combination of government and nongovernmental
Focus on problem-solving
Meeting Community Needs:
Some examples
Buck Stewardship
 Integrating restoration, local employment and monitoring
Metolius
 Forum for learning, providing community voice, finding
common ground
Siuslaw
 Integrating restoration of private and public lands,
supporting 25 jobs, providing community voice
Collaborative Process:
Key Phases
Learning
Operating
Planning Design and Selection
Implementation
Multi-party Monitoring
Federal Advisory Committee Act
(FACA)
If your group is:
 Managed by non-federal entity
 Selected by non-federal entity
 Provides information or opinions to the federal agency
 Deals with many issues or general matters
 Has no ‘selfish advantage’ to be gained
You probably don’t need to worry about FACA
Learning
What are the challenges/opportunities and
community needs
 Start with the end in mind
Are there shared issues? Can we collaborate?
Is there a collaborative group? Or is there a need
to form one?
 Community-based nonprofit
 RAC
 Watershed Councils
 Others
Operations
Roles
Facilitator
Member
Convenor
Information provider
Perspectives
Hi. I’m a
contractor. I want
contracts for local
firms
I’m a ballerina…
As County
Commissioner I
want to see jobs
created and
businesses started.
and a woodworker! I
hope that when wood
is removed from
restorative thinning
that it can go to local
processing
I work for a local
environmental
group. My role is to
make sure that fish
habitat and soils are
improved
I’m a soil
scientist. I
provide data on
techniques for
improving soil
fertility
Operations, continued
Decision-making
Decision-making within Group can work by
 Consensus,
Majority, Hybrid
Agency does not vote
Overall decision-making authority is still agency
Information sharing, outreach and
communication
Within and outside the group
Planning, Design and Selection
Identify projects that will meet
group’s goals and outcomes
 Identify local community
Assess existing resource conditions
and available data
Planning, continued
Explore project ideas with agency team, key
leaders, collaborative group
Define decision-space with collaborative group
Implementation
NEPA decision completed…now how will the project
be implemented?
Develop and package contracts
Seek technical assistance, if necessary
Identify funding and partnership opportunities
Multi-Party Monitoring
A definition
A process to engage diverse groups to ensure
projects are meetings their objectives and
expectations of the public.
Multi-Party Monitoring:
What is Required?
Handbook section 68
 Monitoring is an important part of stewardship
contracting
 It is not appropriate to conduct project monitoring
through stewardship contracts or agreements with
revenue received from a stewardship contract
 Multi-party monitoring of individual project is
encouraged but not required
Programmatic multi-party monitoring
 We don’t know what it will look like yet
Types of Monitoring
Implementation
Effectiveness
Third-party
Multi-party (also called All Party or
Collaborative monitoring)
Multi-party Monitoring:
Getting Started
Who Monitors?
Members of the collaborative
Other stakeholders
Multi-party Monitoring:
What does it entail?
Identify project objectives
Ecological, Social, Economic
Determine monitoring methods
Identify existing data and gaps
Gather data, collect information
Evaluate results
Present findings and
recommendations
 Ask for input
 Promotion: field tours, etc
How does Collaboration work in
Stewardship Contracting?
Learning and Operations
Ecological, Social, Economic goals/outcomes
Project:
Planning Selection & Design  NEPA  Contract
Dev.) Implementation
Multi-party Monitoring:
Who, What, How, etc..
Collaboration and MPM:
It’s not my job!
 Select internal project team
 Leadership support is
needed
It takes too much time!
 Reduces appeals & litigation
It takes too much money!
 Costs diminish over time
 Not collaborating has high
social costs
 Partners can bring money
and resources to projects
Collaboration violates
FACA!
 No, it doesn’t…just follow
the rules
Public meetings are
sufficient for collaboration
 No, NEPA and collaboration
are different and can be
complementary
Lessons from the Pilots:
Collaborate early and often
Community and partners want to be
involved in something positive and
worthwhile
Reach out to community and partners
early
 Ex: Antelope and Siuslaw
Be prepared for mutual learning and
education
Be transparent and maintain positive
community and regional relationships
Lessons from Pilot Projects:
Project Selection and Design
Start small and increase in scale and complexity
Bring contracting officers and regulatory agencies
into the process early
Stewardship contracting is new for contractors too
 Understand local capacity
 Consider providing training in new contract formats
Maintain your sense of humor…
it will help you work through
difficult times
For information and assistance:
Sustainable Northwest
Maia Enzer and Karen Steer: 503.221.6911
menzer@sustaianblenorthwest.org
ksteer@sustainablenorthwest.org
Watershed Research and Training Center
Marcus Kauffman: 541.346.0661
marcusk@uoregon.edu
Ecosystem Workforce Program
Cassandra Moseley: 541.346.4545
cmoseley@uoregon.edu
Flathead Economic Policy Center
Carol Daly: 406.892.8155
cdaly1@centurytel.net
Civil Rights Compliance

“The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all
its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family
status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s
TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil
Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is
an equal opportunity employer.