National Partnership Meeting:
"Creating A Collaborative Culture"

Dale Penny, President and CEO of the Student Conservation Association, speaks in front of the Tallac Historic Site.

Representatives from the Forest Service and partner organizations joined together for a week of training, collaboration and networking at the 3rd Annual Forest Service National Partnership Meeting, June 5th – 9th. This year’s event was held in beautiful Lake Tahoe, California, and attracted approximately 60 participants from across the Nation.

Partnership networking and collaboration/partnership training were at the heart of the event. The meeting opened with a networking session that covered a range of important topics, including Partnership Accountability Measures; Integrating Partnership into Regional Strategic Plans; and Training Needs and Development. Panels on the second day included presenters from both the Forest Service and partner organizations who shared their expertise and gave voice to the need for greater collaboration in public land management.

Sally Collins, USFS Associate Chief, offers her thoughts on collaboration.

Notable presenters included: Brian O’Neill, Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service; Bill Possiel, President, National Forest Foundation and Kaaron Jorgen, M.Ed., Ph.D., Executive Officer, Canyon Country Partnership. Speaker Sally Collins, Associate Chief of the US Forest Service, summed it up well when she said, “Success is when our communities invite us to the table.”

Evening activities included a session with filmmaker Patrice O’Neill and her PBS film The Fire Next Time. Patrice spent two years developing the documentary in Montana’s Flathead Valley profiling a divided group of Montana citizens dealing with very contentious conflicts: growth, the environment and the power of talk radio.

Participants also got to preview the new courses on collaboration and partnerships and offer feedback. The trainings are being developed for Forest Service field employees, but some modules are applicable to partners as well. The modules are designed so that trainers can adapt them to their own situations and make them relevant to local needs.

“I found the event very inspiring,” said Jan Engert, Director of the National Partnership Office and host of past Annual Partnership Meetings. “There was more focus on creating a collaborative culture in organizations this year, and great participation from the panel members. I appreciate their willingness to share their knowledge and successes.”

Panel members (from left): Bill Possiel, National Forest Foundation; Kaaron Jorgen, Canyon Country Partnership; Bernie Weingardt, US Forest Service; and Brian O’Neill, National Park Service.

Forest Service Partnership Coordinator Frank Mosbacher (left) discusses collaboration with Sally Collins and Bernie Weingardt.

Brian O’Neill on the panel.