Communication between Policy Makers, Managers, and RME Scientists

- Question driven monitoring is a start, but not good enough - Who is asking the question, and do they matter? - How are they going to answer the question w/ the monitoring data? - What will result from the question’s answer? - Question driven monitoring is a start, but not good enough - Who is asking the question, and do they matter? - How are they going to answer the question w/ the monitoring data? - What will result from the question’s answer? Beyond Monitoring for Monitoring’s Sake

What are the priorities?

What are the spatial scales?

Policy/management and RME timelines may conflict.

Put more R into RM&E

Entropy! Solution: Identify leadership Constant attention Clarify roles and responsibilities of all participants (e.g. watershed councils, state agencies, federal agencies, etc.) Solution: Identify leadership Constant attention Clarify roles and responsibilities of all participants (e.g. watershed councils, state agencies, federal agencies, etc.) Monitoring Dept.

Bean counting trumps analysis Solutions: Provide adequate staff and resources for analysis and synthesis Clear description of interim products and timelines Require periodic synthesis document Peer review Solutions: Provide adequate staff and resources for analysis and synthesis Clear description of interim products and timelines Require periodic synthesis document Peer review

People do not share well Solutions Well funded and well thought out data management and information systems Merge protocols when possible Coordinate funding Solutions Well funded and well thought out data management and information systems Merge protocols when possible Coordinate funding

Policy makers are from Mars, RME practitioners are from Venus Solutions: Couples counseling Policy makers should not assume that RME staff understand their needs or that adequate data are being collected for decision support RME staff should not assume that policy makers understand the utility and limitations of the data Solutions: Couples counseling Policy makers should not assume that RME staff understand their needs or that adequate data are being collected for decision support RME staff should not assume that policy makers understand the utility and limitations of the data Decision Makers Monitoring Staff