This meeting sounds right up our alley. Unfortunately I only found out a few days ago via their email, and have a conflict. Here’s a description:
About the “Putting ‘the Public’ in Public Lands” Summit – Americans often take for granted that the term “public lands” presumes that all citizens should have claims to the benefits of lands held by governments, and an inherent right to play a role in their use and management. In reality, the mechanisms through which constituents and interest groups can feed into public lands decisions are not often well understood, are not static, and are not consistent across jurisdictions. In some ways, Colorado is at the forefront in valuing and attending to a variety public land uses: a “multiple use ethic” is a core part of the state’s identity, which land managers, citizens, and public officials strive to reflect.
The Putting ‘the Public’ in Public Lands Summit will provide an occasion to take stock of current frameworks that guide public involvement in decisions, including:
What is the current landscape of laws and regulations, and how could recent developments alter opportunities for consideration of stakeholder input in decisions?
How are various interests or values “weighted” in decisions, and is this prioritization transparent?
Where can we uncover intersecting interests and balance between public lands uses, such as grazing, timber production, mineral development, recreation, and conservation?
How can decisions incorporate tribal interests and perspectives to result in more defensible and just outcomes for places that we now call “public lands” and impacted communities?Participants will include state, federal, and tribal land managers; state, local, and tribal officials and leaders; representatives from agriculture, mining, energy, ranching and forestry industries; outdoor recreation business and user groups; hunters and anglers; economic development organizations; and conservation groups, in addition to experts in related fields drawn from CU and other institutions. Space will be reserved for the interested general public and students to attend.
Here’s the agenda, you’ll note many interesting and knowledgeable people. I would like to hear what they have to say. My count, sorry to say, is .21 female to male ratio of speakers. I would greatly appreciate it if someone (or more than one) would attend, and write up their observations (and try to get powerpoints, if available) for us.