People Working with People Toward Riparian Understanding Janice Staats National Riparian Service Team

Burro Creek, AZ Bureau of Land Management

Riparian restoration will not happen by regulation, changes in the law, more money, or any of the normal bureaucratic approaches. It will only occur through the integration of ecological, economic, and social factors, and participation of affected interests.

What is Creeks & Communities? Multi-party approach for all lands where interest exists in improving riparian condition Created in 1996 by BLM and USFS with other agencies and cooperating partners Mission: Achieving Healthy Streams (and wetlands) Through Bringing People Together

 Present principals and practices  Share lessons learned from Creeks & Communities

Principles & Practices Network Natural resources and social science

Bring affected interests together to build working relationships and create learning environments Public meetings, kitchen table discussions, potlucks Principles & Practices

Deliver the message that function builds values in these dynamic systems

Principles & Practices Help people develop and implement their own solutions – socially practical – financially practical – for those required to make them work

Lessons Learned Awareness building for all Plus, need for in- depth professional level training and work experiences to develop expertise

Lessons Learned Work with the willing You will stay plenty busy Over time, more people will become willing

Lessons Learned Celebrate when current management is allowing improvement even though habitat attributes are not fully developed yet Streams and their associated riparian areas can fix themselves, but it takes time and cycles of floods and droughts

Lessons Learned The rancher said to the riparian specialists – “How the heck do my cows hurt fish?” The landowner said to the riparian specialists – “My stream looks better than it did 20 years ago? What in the world do you want?”

Lessons Learned Human nature to want to DO something…… – “The faster the fix, the higher the risk, the greater the cost.” Wayne Elmore

Lessons Learned Professional disagreements - what to do?

Lessons Learned Facilitation

Lessons Learned Leadership and persistence are required – "Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up. Never give up. Never give up. Never give up." Winston Churchill

Take Home Message There’s more than one to do it, but sometimes consistency is not a bad thing either. Perl motto Accelerate cooperative riparian restoration and management