Projects (Completed 2000+)

Here are projects that were completed from 2000 onwards. For more information about any of these projects, please email us!

Abrams/Opequon TMDL Implementation Plan Consensus Building

Securing agreement and additional funding of $3,500 to provide facilitation assistance to the Abrams/Opequon TMDL Implementation Steering Committee in Winchester and Frederick County (Virginia), a partnership with Virginia Tech and West Virginia University. That work has included helping plan and facilitate meetings of the 20-person Abrams/Opequon TMDL Steering Committee on March 22, 2005; May 11; Sept. 15.; November 15; and Jan. 22 2006. It also has included planning and conducting three public workshops averaging approximately 40 participants each in conjunction with the Abrams/Opequon Steering Committee on.June 13; July 7; and Aug. 4.

The Abrams/Opequon TMDL implementation plan is in final draft form that will be reviewed at the final Steering Committee meeting scheduled for early April, followed by at least one more public meeting before the plan is completed in May.

TMDL Implementation Plan, Va Tech & DEQ web sites

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Coastal Assessment

IEN conducted Virginia's second (1997) and fourth (2005) 309 assessment of Virginia's coastal resources. The assessment covers changes over the past five years in coastal resource management, resource characterization, threats, and opportunities for state programs to improve protection of coastal resources.

Coastal Assessment: Link to DEQ page

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Page County Watershed Planning

Page County's watershed planning group began meeting Sept. 22, 2005, after nearly a whole year of preparation. The work will continue throughJune 2006 and we will be searching for additional resources to continue beyond the grant. Work included helping plan and facilitate the initial meetings of the Page County Watershed Planning Group: a March 4-5 watershed dialogue in Page County as a kickoff to their watershed planning effort ; a community meeting for approximately 25 people on June 8, 2005 to brainstorm needs and goals for watershed protection in Page County; planning and designing meetings on Sept. 22, Oct. 13, Nov. 10, Jan. 12, Feb. 12. The next meeting is scheduled for early april. The group has produced working documents for education, ordinances, sub-watershed planning, and policy.

White paper; planning documents

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The Revitalization of Money Point: Restoration and Community Building on an Industrialized River

Brownfields redevelopment and river remediation at Money Point, a 330-acre, heavily contaminated site on the Elizabeth River in Virginia. IEN's role integrates project design, facilitation of multi-stakeholder consensus building, community involvement, and land-use planning, resulting in a draft consensus-based plan produced by IEN on behalf of a stakeholder group representing industry, community groups, and local, state, and federal agencies.

The work conducted up to March 31, 2006 under this grant has included the following:

o Six planning visits to the Hampton Roads area, during which we identified issues and participants and designed a process with Elizabeth River Project (ERP) staff and various key stakeholders;

o Approximately 60 calls with stakeholders to explain the revitalization process and invite their participation, resulting in a Task Force of approximately three dozen participants (the Task Force has “open” membership so that a few members come and go);

o Dozens of individual and conference calls with project partners and participants;

o Recruitment of additional funds ($15,000 grant), including a visit to Richmond, from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to hire an architect to support the revitalization effort;

o Planning and facilitating the first six full meetings of the Money Point Revitalization Task Force on January 13, March 17, May 10, July 19, Dec. 7 2005 and March 2 2006, with the next planned for July, in Chesapeake, Virginia.

o Planning and conducting three community meetings in conjunction with the Task Force meetings. The first meeting, a dinner with approximately one dozen community leaders, introduced the project and the Transitions framework. The second meeting, following the May 10 Task Force meeting, included a dinner and boat tour (both provided by private donors) for approximately 50 Task Force and community members. The third, held the evening before the latest Task Force meeting on July 19, included a tree planting and dinner at Money Point. Baptist Church for approximately 30 participants.A presentation to the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association on March 29, 2006.

The project has progressed well, with active and even enthusiastic participation by a diverse group of community, industry, city, state, and federal individuals.

Link to Money Point Revitalization effort

Revitilzation Plan

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Ad Hoc Dam Safety Study Committee

The Virginia Ad Hoc Dam Safety Task Force facilitated by Senior Associate Bruce

Dotson and Director Frank Dukes met four times over a period of five months to adjusting dam safety specifications in situations where development has taken place downstream after the dam was originally constructed and where, if a dam failed during a maximal storm, there would be threat to life as well as property and infrastructure. A substantial number of these dams are owned by home owner associations in lake oriented communities. The committee looked at the regulatory requirements from a perspective of public safety and societal costs/ benefits. The process resulted in proposed new rules which are out for public comment as part of the state rule making process.

Report of the Ad Hoc Dam Safety Study Committee to the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board

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Cub Run

IEN convened and facilitated a community advisory committee, and facilitated public involvement workshops on watershed issues, development of possible solutions, proposed projects and plans, and finalizing the watershed plan.

Watershed plan: link to Fairfax website

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Dam Safety

Virginia has Regulations that classify dams according to their downstream risk to humans and property. Those regulations require that dams be constructed and operated in ways that offer maximum protection. At the time that a dam is initially built, it must be protective; as growth takes place downstream, that dam may need to be upgraded significantly to protect new populations. Some HOAs, who own many of the dams in Virginia, felt the cost burden was not warranted. Outcome: Support of current policy and the development of a new alternative based on performances and safety concerns. The proposed new regulations are up for public comment at the DCR.

Dam Safety Advisory Committee Report

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Radiation Safety Advisory Committee

IEN facilitated a discussion between the members of the Radiation Safety Advisory Committee (appointed jointly by the governor and VDH) about the role and authority of the committee. Concerns included: Virginia becoming an agreement state to administer federal radiation program as well as the roles and responsiblitities of the committee and VDH as they work together on a range of radiation safety topics.

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VAPSS

IEN facilitated a strategic planning retreat for VAPSS board members and prepared a summary report of the VAPSS strategic plan. In preparation, IEN conducted interviews and prepared an assessment of issues.

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Waste Solutions Forum

IEN worked with a stakeholder planning committee to design an invitation-only high level stakeholder-based Waste Solutions Forum. The Forum explored specific issues and solutions relating to management of farm animal waste, and developed a plan with specific projects to address these issues in a collaborative manner.

Waste Forum report: link to website

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Consensus Building for Watershed Planning

IEN worked with ICMA to develop and conduct a webcast on "Collaborative Problem Solving and Consensus Building: Effective Approaches for Watershed Protection and Restoration" (April 2004); this was followed by a 2-day workshop in New Orleans on the same topic (November 2004).

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Governor's Leadership Summit on Natural Resources

IEN worked with a stakeholder planning committee to design an invitation-only high level stakeholder-based Governor's Summit. The Summit identified key issues that need to be addressed in protecting Virginia's natural resources, as well as potential solutions and priorities for the next five years.

Summit report: link to website

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Nutrient Management Planning

IEN facilitated a regulatory negotiation of a stakeholder advisory committee convened by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The committee identified areas of agreement for new nutrient management regulations that will move away from N to P-based planning.

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Waterkeepers

IEN facilitated a strategic planning retreat for the waterkeepers and prepared a summary report of the consensus plan. In preparation, IEN conducted interviews and prepared an assessment of issues.

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Central Chemical Superfund Redevelopment Project (2002-2003)

The Central Chemical Superfund Redevelopment Project was established as an eight-month, community-based reuse planning process funded by a pilot grant from EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI). The process was managed by a community Land Use Committee, an 18-member body that met nine times and interacted with the larger community during a series of three public meetings. The City of Hagerstown's Planning Department served as the project's sponsor and developed an impact analysis of reuse alternatives at the site.

The project's consultant team, planning group E2 Inc. and the Institute for Environmental Negotiation, organized public outreach efforts, provided research, analysis, and design services, facilitated committee and public meetings, and provided technical review services.

The project's Land Use Committee:

- researched the site's history, contamination, and current status;

- worked with the City of Hagerstown's Department of Planning and the project's consultant team to assess the potential impacts of industrial, residential, commercial, recreational, and civic reuses at the site; and

- developed reuse guiding principles and reuse recommendations for the Central Chemical Superfund site.

The process resulted in a set of future land use recommendations for the site. EPA is required to consider reasonably anticipated future land uses when making remedy decisions at Superfund sites, and to ensure that the cleanup of Superfund sites allows for safe reuse for commercial, recreational, ecological, or other purposes. The LUC and City officials expect that EPA will incorporate these recommendations into the Agency's reasonably anticipated future land uses (RAFLUs) and cleanup plan for the site, ensuring that the site's remedy will not preclude anticipated future use opportunities identified by the community.

To Download (right-click, Save As..) or View as a PDF, click here

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Crozet Master Plan

This master plan for growth would take Crozet from a current population under 5,000 to a developed community of 12,000. The form of development would be the "Neighborhood Model"- the county's recently adopted format for mixed-use pedestrian oriented development focused on a hierarchy of centers. The project involved a series of well attended public meetings, discussions with the Crozet Neighborhood Associations, and an active website. IEN's role was to design a system for acheiving consensus and advising throughout the process about stakeholder interaction. Outcome: The Master Plan was adopted by the County Board of Supervisors.

Crozet Master Plan

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IEN Trains Baltimore Planning Department

In partnership with Laura Bachle of Confluence Consulting, Frank Dukes and Karen Firehock of IEN designed and offered training in mediation and group facilitation for the City of Baltimore Planning Department in Fall 2003. This initial training, offered over a period of three weeks, is part of a larger project to develop a mediation and consensus building capacity within the Department. The project is funded by the Maryland Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), and the IEN-Confluence Consulting team was selected in response to a request for proposals.

The project goals follow:

• A Baltimore Planning Department mediation team will be able to assess, design, convene and conduct a wide range of processes to address different community conflicts.

• Community conflicts will be identified and addressed in ways that create sustainable solutions for Baltimore citizens.

• By using a broad range of mediation processes, more community citizens in all sectors will be engaged in resolving community issues.

• Citizens will be offered more and different ways in which they may provide their perspective on community issues, and ways in which they may be engaged in local decision-making.

• The City of Baltimore Planning Department will be seen and used consistently as a valuable community resource for mediating community conflicts.

A 113-page Manual of Mediating to Transform Conflict was developed in response to the planners’ needs as identified during pre-training interviews. The planners were able to enhance their considerable skills with new tools and strategies, and will be conducting mediations and consensus building efforts in partnership with Ms. Bachle and other consultants in the near future.

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Roundtable on Sustainable Forests

The IEN is assisting the Meridian Institute to coordinate a process chaired by the US Forest Service that is measuring sustainable forestry practices in the United States. The Roundtable for Sustainable Forests is using an internationally developed set of seven criteria and 67 indicators of sustainable forests. The IEN is assisting with facilitating a communications and outreach committee, Roundtable meetings and workshops, and developing communication materials in collaboration with project partners. Our outcomes from these workshops are being used to develop of a national report on the status of the nation's forests in 2003.

Link to Website

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Sustainable Packaging Coalition

IEN facilitated a strategic planning process for a group of two dozen packaging professionals, ranging from paper and resin manufacturers to consumer product companies, on November 6th – 7th, 2003, at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business Administration; the result of the meeting was the creation of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. The project is sponsored by Green Blue , a nonprofit organization based in Charlottesville. The group’s mission is to 1) Advocate and communicate and positive, robust environmental vision for packaging and 2) Leverage innovative, functional packaging materials and systems that support economic and environmental health. The group will seek to define sustainable packaging in order to lead to designs that eliminate waste by utilizing materials that are fully compostable as biological nutrients and/or become raw materials for high quality products. Under this ‘cradle-to-cradle’ approach no materials as wasted or landfilled and packaging quality increases while becoming more functional.

Companies and organizations such as Meade-Westvaco, Rocky Mountain Institute, Starbucks Coffee Company, Dow Chemical Company, Nike, DuPont; and Estee Lauder/Aveda were in attendance at the retreat. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attended as an observer. The next meeting has been tentatively scheduled for the spring 2004. For more information about the coalition and its plans visit < www.sustainablepackaging.org >.

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Heritage Tourism Project

The IEN was asked to design and facilitate a process for engaging citizens in the five counties to develop a Heritage Tourism map. The map will include historical, cultural and environmental sites, events, and facilities that will entice heritage tourists to see and do more in the region. An IEN team of Tanya Denckla and Karen Firehock, assisted by Wanda SanJule, developed stakeholder “Heritage Tourism teams” in each of the five counties. These teams developed categories for possible heritage tourism sites and events, and criteria for narrowing and prioritizing. After the Teams identified potential sites and events, the IEN conducted public meetings in each of the five counteies to inform residents about the project and to obtain their feedback. A final report was completed in July and is available from the TJPDC. A heritage tourism map is expected to be available sometime in 2002. For more information, call Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission , 434/ 979-7310.

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Collaboration: A Guide for Environmental Advocates

The IEN, in partnership with the National Audubon Society and The Wilderness Society, has published a new handbook to assist environmental advocates in determining whether and how to effectively participate in collaborative decision-making. The 80-page guide, "Collaboration: A Guide for Environmental Advocates," was written by IEN's Frank Dukes and Karen Firehock and was funded by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The guide was conceived in response to the rapidly expanding use of collaborative processes to address environmental issues as well as to growing concerns expressed by many environmentalists about appropriate uses for collaboration. Development of the guide involved consultation with environmental groups at all levels - national, regional and local While the guide was originally intended for environmental organizations, it is already seen as a useful tool for any organization considering participation in a collaborative decision-making process about environmental issues. A bound copy can be obtained by sending $8 (includes shipping and handling) to Collaboration Guide, IEN, University of Virginia, 104 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA 22903. Bulk discounts are available for quantities over 30. To request a copy, email Guide Book.

To Download A Free Copy (80 pages, with photos) (PDF):
Part I, Part II, Part III

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Community Mediation Center Study

The Virginia Association for Community Conflict Resolution (VACCR), funded by the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM), contracted with the Institute for Environmental Negotiation (IEN) at the University of Virginia to conduct a study of community mediation in Virginia for three purposes: (1) To document the services, benefits, and funding of community mediation programs throughout the United States; (2) To identify services provided by Virginia's community mediation centers; and (3)To identify funding options to sustain and strengthen community mediation in Virginia.

To Download (right-click, Save As..) or View as a PDF, Click Here.

To View News Release, Click Here.

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Community Watershed Forums (Rockfish River, Nelson County, Virginia and the Anacostia River, Washington, D.C.)

The Institute worked in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to design a public education and involvement process to help community groups devise watershed action plans though a series of community watershed forums. In the Rockfish River Watershed, IEN facilitated a multi-stakeholder advisory group to design the process and public involvement forums. The advisory group included interests from the chamber of commerce, the Farm Bureau, Rural Nelson, county and town agencies, conservation groups and others. The forums included education sessions to prepare community members to fully participate such as 'River Hydrology 101" or "A Water Quality Primer' and facilitated groups and follow up workshops to develop community priorities for watershed protection. These projects produced watershed action plans and published a handbook Community Watershed Forums -- A Planner's Guide to allow others to follow and replicate similar processes in their watersheds.

To download a free copy, right click on the link below and click 'Save As.." (Due to formating, the PDF should be saved first to a local drive and not viewed directly online) Additionally, you may contact us to recieve a hard copy (color, 34 pgs.) for $25.00.

Community Watershed Forums -- A Planner's Guide (PDF)

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Culpeper Visioning Project

Led by Bruce Dotson and Tanya Denckla, the IEN was asked to design and facilitate a region-wide visioning process. The first phase involved five county-level meetings, at which participants identified their county’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities, including areas for potential regional collaboration. These local meetings were followed by a region-wide meeting, where participants discussed ten different thematic areas of concern that emerged from the first series of meetings, and developed objectives for regional collaboration relating to these themes. The final meeting in May resulted in a vision statement and specific action steps. The final report will be presented to local decision makers. The challenges in this project were balancing citizen desires to conserve rural and traditional character with the desire to improve opportunities for residents and businesses, while also working on a regional basis and inventing mutual gain outcomes. For more information, contact Jeff Walker, RRRC, at 540/ 829-7450.

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Eastern Planning Initiative

Description is already on the website, but the tenses need to be updated and the the phone number deleted.

Land Use and Transportation Choices for the Future

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New Handbook: "Land Uses and Transportation Choices for the Future"

IEN’s Bruce Dotson has taken primary responsibility for authoring a handbook entitled “ Land Uses and Transportation Choices for the Future.” The Handbook is intended for an audience of both citizens and professionals. Part I describes the Corplan computer model created by the project and the thinking behind its development. Part II describes the process of organizing and conducting a planning process built around the model. Consensus building and process design are two considerations which reflect the IEN’s work. This handbook will be of benefit to other communities in Virginia as well as nationally. The handbook will be available from the TJPDC later this year: 434/ 979-7310.

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Southern Tobacco Communities Project

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation the IEN is helping to find ways of navigating around devastating cuts suffered by tobacco farming families, while mitigating the harm caused by tobacco products. Farmers, health advocates, and community development advocates have reached agreements about the uses of funding from the settlement announced between the tobacco companies and the states. In Virginia, these discussions produced legislation as farmers and health advocates joined together in an unprecedented alliance to craft a plan to fund compensation for the losses of tobacco farming communities as well as programs to fight youth access to tobacco products.

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Virginia Land Conservation Conference

Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) and the Virginia United Land Trusts (VaULT), the conference aimed to bring together all conservation easement-holding organizations, including public, private, local, regional, state-wide and national organizations operating in Virginia. The goals of the meeting were to facilitate creative thinking and visioning for how land conservation organizations of all types can improve their coordination and collaboration to meet the Chesapeake Bay Agreement’s ambitious land conservation goals. IEN’s Tanya Denckla, with assistance from John Hoover and Robin Cook, worked with a planning commitee of the DOF and VaULT members to design the meeting. Prior to the conference, the IEN conducted a survey of 135 land conservation agencies and organizations, and shared the results with meeting participants. A final report by IEN highlights the ideas and recommendations of the conference, and also provides summaries of the pre-conference survey. For more information or a copy of the report, contact Mike Foreman at DOF: 434/ 977-6555.

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Public Involvement for a New Courts Complex

The courts serving the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County are outgrowing their current space, particularly the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court which needs immediate expansion of facilities. IEN staff worked with the Steering Committee to design and facilitate the public involvement meetings. The three meetings have been used to elicit community values, preferences, and ideas for siting and design of the new courts complex. Challenges include historic preservation, economic impacts, public access, and ensuring a design compatible in both scale and character with the neighborhood and downtown.

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Public Involvement for Forest Legacy

The IEN facilitated the public participation process for Virginia's new Forest Legacy initiative. Virginia is one of the first southern states to initiate the Forest Legacy program, which will purchase conservation easements for important forests that are threatened by conversion to no-forest uses. Led by the Virginia Department of Forestry, Forest Legacy will be an important tool for preserving Virginia's forests during the anticipated growth in coming years. An intensive public participation process was used to establish the priorities and eligibility criteria for the program. A stakeholder reference committee provided guidance on the process, and was followed by seven public stakeholder meetings held in different locations through the state.

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Regulatory Negotiation and Consensus Building for Onsite Septic System Regulations

With facilitation by the IEN, a 22 member Advisory Committee met for six all-day meetings to discuss and debate how best to protect public health, minimize the need for remedial action, and reduce permitting delays for Virginiaês onsite septic system permitting and inspection program. Following a charge by the General Assembly to privatize the onsite septic system program, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has been grappling with the difficult issues associated with privatization of functions that will require continuing public oversight. The Committee developed a consensus report with 22 recommendations for permanent regulations, which it submitted to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) in August 2000. Its recommendations address how to make the new system work, including requirements for new Authorized Onsite Septic Evaluator (AOSE) certification and training, AOSE access to information, application forms, final inspections by the VDH, continuing consulting relationship between the VDH and AOSEs, and maintenance of onsite systems. The new regulatory program will go into force in 2001.

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