Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition
Mission Statement
Mission:
To demonstrate the ability of a diverse group of stakeholders to define common ground by implementing projects on natural resource issues, including community protection, forest and watershed restoration, public safety, forest health and community economic vitality.
Stakeholders:
Our Stakeholders Coalition is comprised of the community of loggers, mill owners, environmentalists, business owners, local governments, educators, fire management personnel and citizens at large.
Objectives:
• To focus on natural resource issues including timber, restoration, wilderness and economic and
ecosystem sustainability.
• To identify those acres on the Kootenai National Forest which provide viable opportunities for
conservation, active management, and the investment in industry capacity while meeting our
collaborative objectives.
• To recommend the implementation of fuel reduction projects and to demonstrate innovative approaches
to forestry and use the success of projects as a model to address other natural resource issues as
identified by the stakeholder group.
• To educate ourselves, and to develop and implement educational opportunities for the general public,
regarding these issues and offer assistance and leadership to others who share our interest in finding
common ground on natural resource issues.
Operating Guidelines:
• We believe that early and continuous involvement through an authentic exchange of ideas reduces the
likelihood of projects being challenged. It is imperative that early involvement begins at the project
concept and design phases.
• Our focus is on treating acres within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) because:
» The protection of human life and property is a high priority.
» Building trust and broad community support in these WUI projects will help us move towards other natural resource issues and projects on the forest landscape.
Our Commitment:
We will use our best creative thinking, through a collaborative process, to support resource management
projects to meet social, economic and environmental objectives.
• Our "collaborative projects" do not prevent any party from taking different or opposing stands on projects that we have not brought within our circle.
• This is not an "all or nothing" proposition for any interests; it is an attempt to find common ground.
• Collaboration is about working together on the real issues that are preventing progress on projects that
will mutually benefit the participants and their interests. Collaboration is about building trust and respect for each other.
• The Coalition will consult and collaborate with corporations, Federal and State agencies and local
government on appropriate issues and seek their assistance when needed.
• The Coalition is committed to follow the Protocol for determining level of support.Rules of Conduct:
The Coalition insists that its members adhere to the following rules of conduct when involved in any aspect of Coalition activities or when it might appear that they are involved in Coalition activities.
• If you cannot go along with this commitment to problem solving, then you are not welcome at this table.
• We encourage open and honest discussion of all forest and community development issues.
• We will not resort to disrespectful or confrontational dialogue.
• We will not use the Coalition as a forum to "soapbox" or "rant" about one's interests or position on a topic.
• We will respect and comply with the behavior directions given by the facilitator, including honoring a
request for removal from the premises if necessary.
• We will use a good faith effort to resolve differences through a peaceful process.
Protocol for determining level of
Kootenai Forest Stakeholders Coalition (KFSC)
support for a project
Background/Context: III-J of our MOU with the Kootenai National Forest (KNF) states the following:
“Provide the Forest Service with a written statement articulating the level of support the Coalition has for a
project prior to the forest service signing the decision document.”The objective of the provision of a written statement is to prevent later misunderstandings between the KNF and KFSC regarding actions that may be taken, both publicly and privately in response to the approval or disapproval of a project.
The objective of this draft KFSC protocol is to provide a clear definition of the implications of various levels of support KFSC may ultimately determine for a given project.
What this protocol does NOT attempt to do is address how the coalition will conduct internal processes
leading to a final determination regarding support for a project. It is assumed that the KFSC will make every effort to achieve full consensus, and that a project may be voted on, tabled, and revisited any number of times before the attempt to reach consensus is superceded by a popular vote. Level of support is preliminary and based on current information pending review by project team of Record of Decision (ROD)
| Board Vote | Support Level | Member commitment |
| Consensus w/o Reservation Pending review of ROD (All members vote for approval without recorded reservations) High No members (or organizations represented by members) |
High | No members (or organizations represented by members) will appeal/litigate or support outside challenges. All members will express support for the project* and work to resolve any issues raised later by non-coalition entities if the opportunity arises. |
| Consensus w/ Reservation Pending review of ROD. (All members vote for approval but some have their reservations recorded in meeting minutes) |
Medium | No members (or organizations represented by members) will appeal/litigate or support outside challenges. Members who had reservations recorded may express those reservations* if the opportunity arises; however, all members agree that any statements expressing reservations about the decision will not be directed at the collaborative process itself. |
| No Consensus, but majority-vote approval Pending review of ROD. (Some members have such strong reservations that they vote against approval; reasons are recorded in minutes) |
Low | Members (or organizations represented by members) reserve the right to appeal/litigate or support outside challenges and will notify the Coalition in writing of such intent. Members who voted against approval reserve the right to express their reasons for voting against approval* and may actively pursue opportunities to do so; however, all members agree that any statements expressing reservations about the decision will not be directed at the collaborative process itself. |
| Majority vote disapproval Pending review of ROD |
None | Coalition will inform KNF that the coalition does not support the project and recommend the KNF drop the proposal. All members reserve the right to express their reasons for voting recommendation to drop the proposal* and may actively pursue opportunities to do so; however, all members agree that any statements expressing reservations about the decision will not be directed at the collaborative process itself. |