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A Brief History, Principles, and MissionMay 7, 1998The Arizona Common Ground Roundtable is a recently constituted group that grew out of a dialogue between The Nature Conservancy and three ranching families in Arizona. In September 1997, at the request of The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR) program at University of Arizona's Udall Center convened and facilitated the initial dialogue. The purpose of the dialogue was to improve communication and discover areas of mutual interest between the ranching and environmentalist communities. An early consensus was reached within this small group that the increasingly rancorous public debate and the wave of current lawsuits over grazing have diverted attention from a much greater threat: the landscape fragmentation that occurs when ranches are sold for real estate development. Indeed, the participants agreed that landscape fragmentation represents the major threat to: preservation of critical habitat for native flora and fauna; the stability of rural communities; and the open spaces of the rural Southwest that are so widely valued by residents and visitors alike. The participants arrived at this common ground by sharing their direct experiences around the table, and by reviewing documented case studies of several areas in the state where rapid landscape fragmentation is occurring. They concluded that what has been neither well-understood nor well-publicized is the vital connection between preservation of rural open space and the continued viability of large ranch units. Ranch units in Arizona are often comprised of a mosaic of land tenure situations--private holdings which are contiguous with state and federal lands on which the rancher holds grazing leases. Loss of any of these three types of grazing areas threatens the viability of the ranch unit, and therefore increases the pressure for sale of private holdings for higher density development--landscape fragmentation--as ranchers are forced to sell out. This group began to look for creative solutions for the prevention of landscape fragmentation that will not polarize environmentalists, ranchers, and other interest groups. In February, 1998, a number of additional members of the ranching and environmental communities, as well as scientists and researchers from the three state universities and Prescott College, participated in a two-day retreat. Its purpose was to identify additional areas of common concern and to establish an agenda for future collaboration. Participation in what is now called the Arizona Common Ground Roundtable continues to expand and reach out to other participants interested in collaborative discussions. The Roundtable meets every other month at different locations around the state. Operations. A representative core working group manages the Roundtable's collaborative efforts. Staff from the Udall Center's ECR program continue to support the Roundtable through their convening and neutral facilitation role. A University of Arizona/Community Partnership Grant provides financial assistance for coordination, meeting expenses, and group activities. Process Principles. The Roundtable operates from a set of guiding principles for conducting even-handed discussions amongst disparate interests:
Shared Mission. A central mission of achieving a "shared sustainable landscape" has emerged from the ongoing discussions. The participants see that attention to both ecosystem and economic health in rural areas is vital to sustaining Arizona's rural communities and the sensitive arid environment of the Southwest. The Roundtable seeks to foster substantive discussions from which tangible improvements in public policy and on-the-ground implementation can emerge. Another priority is educating the larger public on the vital connection between the preservation of rural open space and the continued viability of large ranch units. By including environmentalists, ranchers, and researchers in the ongoing discussions, the Roundtable hopes to serve as a vehicle for moving public debate from polarized positions to a more complex and dispassionate understanding of the policies and processes that are fueling landscape fragmentation trends in Arizona. In addition, the Roundtable wants to discover and develop principles for collaborative policy change that can realize the vision of a shared sustainable landscape. Action Principles. The Roundtable provides a continuing dynamic forum where people can share their perspectives and voice concerns. This entails assuring open dialogue and continuing to invite new participants into the discussion over time. Rather than supporting specific policy proposals or initiatives, the Roundtable favors the identification and development of principles for guiding policy change, so that its process of open discussion and participation can be maintained effectively in a less politicized atmosphere. To that end, background papers are being developed by the group which explain the issues that must be substantively addressed by policy reform in order to achieve a shared sustainable landscape. It is an additional goal of the Roundtable to promote a broader understanding of the complexity and interrelatedness of the issues involved in the pursuit of a shared sustainable landscape. A program of public education through workshop and conference venues will be developed to achieve this goal. Finally, it is anticipated that an action agenda will unfold through the joint participation of all.
--adopted by the Core Working Group (Bill Branan, Jim and Sue Chilton, Les Corey, Andy Laurenzi, Jack and Mandy Metzger, Dennis and Deb Moroney, Tom Sheridan, Jim Walsh, with Mette Brogden and Kirk Emerson), May 7, 1998. For
further information contact:
Mette Brogden The
University of Arizona
Phone (520) 884-4393 * The Udall Center acts as a neutral convener and facilitator of the Arizona Commonground Roundtable. As part of this support role, the Center is temporarily hosting this web site. |