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by Mika Pringle Tolson |
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| Environmental issues and disputes often involve many stakeholders such as private citizens, businesses, government agencies and public interest groups. When these disputes reach the point of litigation, they become expensive for all parties involved and it is difficult to reach a resolution that will work. The results are generally clear winners and losers. Beth Greenwood, J.D., the Director of the Center for Common Ground at UC Davis University Extension hopes to change that. "I really wanted to see if there were other ways of solving problems and conflicts between people than through litigation and the traditional legal system." The Center for Common Ground was founded in 1991 by a group of various professionals at UC Davis who wanted to find solutions to complex policy issues and disputes. From the very beginning, the Center became involved in some large-scale environmental problem areas, such as the Malibu Creek Watershed in the Santa Monica Mountains. "Our original thought was that we’d be called in to resolve disputes, but what really happened was that we began to be called to help people before disputes arose", Greenwood explains. The focus changed from intervention to dispute prevention. "We found that an important part of our work was to define processes that people could use to prevent disputes from arising. We wanted to know how to engage people in dialogue, sort out the issues of concern, identify their goals, and create a common vision before there’s a dispute." In response to the new direction, in 1997, the TSR&TP provided funding for the Center to hold workshops and to develop a handbook on how to use collaborative problem solving. The handbook provides basic models that can be applied to almost any problem, but the focus is on environmental and land use disputes. These issues have been battlegrounds for years, as illustrated by the numerous lawsuits between environmental groups, business interests, and government agencies. Greenwood elaborates, "I always felt that there was a need for people at the local level because they’re the ones who often get involved in environmental disputes, and they are called on to come up with a solution. So we’ve developed this handbook to help." In addition to providing material for workshops, the handbook will be distributed to local officials throughout California for use in public policy disputes. Preliminary reviews by the California State Association of Cities (CSAC) have been highly favorable and there are plans for the Center for Common Ground to hold workshops using the handbook for all newly elected local officials. Greenwood hopes the Center’s efforts will facilitate communication and problem-solving to keep issues out of the courts and save precious time and public funds. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the handbook, please contact Beth Greenwood at (530) 757-8694. |
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