PROCESS FOUNDATION AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORTS
DCR believes that an effective public process is a critical component to fulfilling our stewardship mission, which has led us to sponsor and convene the Forest Futures Visioning Process.
Recognizing that such public processes can be significantly enhanced through professional support and expertise, DCR has also committed agency resources toward engaging public collaboration and technical/policy analysis consultative services.
DCR – Sponsor and Convener
As the sponsor and convener, DCR determines the goals and objectives of this process and how the outcomes will be used. The agency is also responsible for securing the endorsement of leadership and engaging participants; planning and organizing the process with MODR, and allocating sufficient resources to see the process through to conclusion.
Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution & Public Collaboration – Neutral Forum
DCR has contracted with the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution and Public Collaboration (MODR) at the University of Massachusetts Boston to act as a neutral forum. MODR brings more than 20 years of experience in leading public collaborations. As such, it will ensure that the collaborative structures and processes are developed and conducted in an unbiased environment suitable for discussion and deliberation. MODR has developed a design for the public process and will act as facilitators throughout its implementation.
MODR Facilitators – The Facilitation Team
A team of MODR facilitators, using best practices from the public collaboration field, will serve as independent process managers and be accountable to DCR and all other participants for ensuring effective communication and implementation of the public participation process. The facilitators will conduct meetings impartially according to jointly agreed-upon rules, and refrain from acting as advocates on any substantive or procedural issue.
The members of the MODR facilitation team, each bringing to this project a depth of prior relevant experience, are: Bill Logue, who has facilitated environmental matters, including national estuary programs, and public processes regarding off-highway vehicle use on DCR lands; John Goodrich, who facilitated a process involving private forest lands in Maine; and Deputy Director of MODR Loraine Della Porta, who has led a wide range of public involvement/participation processes.
Technical Coordinator
DCR has contracted with consultant and policy analyst Tom Walker to provide technical support to a key component of the process, the Technical Steering Committee.
Tom has over 25 years of experience working on a wide array of environmental and natural resources issues.
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