Building partnerships to address conservation and management of western Michigan's natural resources

Western Michigan's inventory of natural resources includes Great Lakes sand dunes; grasslands; forests; wetlands; lakes, rivers, and streams; shorelines and riparian habitats; and unique farmland. All of these environmental assets are under continuous threat of fragmentation and development, and numerous efforts have been undertaken to protect them. Many of these local and regional efforts include some level of stakeholder involvement. Collaboration between scientists and local decision makers to address complex environmental-policy problems is not new, and emphasis on stakeholder communication and participation in watershed management and policy development has been increasing. We examined the differences in tackling natural resource management issues through community and academic partnerships at the local and regional levels from the views of 3 researcher participants in 2 case studies. We used the engagement framework outlined in van Kerkhoff and Lebel (2006) as context for a discussion of 2 case studies. The 1st involved a hybrid integration funders and participation facilitators approach to stormwater management in the Spring Lake Watershed. The 2nd involved a translation specialists approach to valuing ecosystem services in a 7-county region that incorporated a negotiation lobby groups component in a parcel-level demonstration. These case studies highlight the challenges associated with each of these approaches and describe the partnerships that resulted from these efforts.