IEN - Projects 2000 +

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

Knowledge Digest: Linking Theory to Practice

The Knowledge Digest is intended as a periodic publication that synthesizes conflict resolution, collaboration and related research in a way that enables those whose work addresses conflict to improve their practice. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation is began the project with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Digest intended to disseminate knowledge generated during two decades of research and practice supported by the Foundation’s conflict program. To view the most recent issue click The Knowledge Digest.

Maryland Capacity Building in Collaborative Solutions

This project is networking Maryland court and local government officials and community leaders with community mediators and private practice mediators. IEN provides the training in consensus building and collaboration to help the government officials and mediators work collaboratively on community problem solving.

Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Strategic Planning

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) is a 48 year-old organization that manages over 10,000 acres of parkland across six Northern Virginia municipalities. The Institute for Environmental Negotiation is working with the organization to develop a strategic plan to carry out its new mission, which emphasizes conservation of land, natural and historic resources. IEN is collaborating with board members, senior staff and park managers to create a “living strategic plan ” for NVRPA.

Piedmont Green Infrastructure

In late 2006, the CSX Railroad transferred the Crozet rail tunnel at Afton, Virginia to Nelson County. IEN is working with stakeholders to examine the possible value of connections between trails and natural areas in the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont region if the tunnel is converted to recreational use.

Virginia Food Security Summit

In partnership with Virginia Tech and the UVA School of Architecture, the IEN designed and facilitated the first state-wide summit on food security. Partners include Professor Tim Beatley of the UVA Department of Urban and Environmental Planning and the Virginia Tech Food Department of Food Science and Technology, headed by Susan Sumner. Held on May 11, 2007, the Summit attracted 146 participants representing stakeholders in Virginia’s food system – farmers, local governments, state agencies, academicians, farm suppliers, food buyers and distributors, public health managers and nutrition experts, and, of course, consumers. Speakers provided the “big picture” of Virginia’s current food security and participants developed recommendations for next steps needed to help Virginia increase connections between Virginia farmers and Virginia households and institutions, to increase state food security. For more information about the Food Summit, including presentations at the Summit and the final report, click here.

Virginia Stormwater Consensus Building

The IEN facilitated a consensus-building process to help the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) consider amendments to portions of Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board's Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) Permit Regulations. IEN work included refining the goals and desired outcomes of the discussion, interviewing members of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to introduce the consensus building process and assess key needs, interests and concerns, and facilitating three meetings of the TAC. The Board approved the proposed MS4 General Permit regulations and authorized the Department to file the regulations with the Virginia Register of Regulations and to post the action to the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall.

Watershed Management Plans for Fairfax County

Working with different engineering firms, IEN facilitated the development of three watershed management plans for Fairfax County. These watershed plans provide an assessment of management and resource needs by defining problems within the watershed and prioritizing appropriate and workable solutions. The Institute developed the public involvement plan for the county and conducted a multi-stakeholder public involvement process for the three of the county's watersheds: Little Hunting Creek; Middle Potomac; and Cub and Bull Run. The process involves a standing steering committee for each watershed, focus groups, watershed academies and design workshops as well as educational materials and a web site. Please visit project websites to learn more.

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.

Loudoun County Strategy for Watershed Management Solutions

Loudoun County Strategy for Watershed Management Solutions (SWMS) – In anticipation of conflict and controversy over the development of a watershed management plan, Loudoun County decided to bring people together in advance, to reach consensus on how its watershed management planning effort should be undertaken. Loudoun County hired IEN to design and facilitate this effort, which involved bringing together 69 members representing 41 different development, agriculture, conservation, county, state, federal and citizen interests, to discuss highly complex, technical issues. IEN designed a process modeled on the Virginia Solutions process, convened the large stakeholder “Solutions Team,” and successfully facilitated the development of a consensus strategy for the Loudoun watershed planning effort. The 14-page agreement describes the watershed planning process that the County should follow, including how it should approach technical matters such as modeling. Formulated as a Declaration of Cooperation – a landmark format for watershed planning in the Commonwealth – the agreement’s appendices include specific commitments for cooperation from 28 different stakeholder organizations.

National Dialogue on Children and Nature

This event was prompted by concerns expressed in the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv about key disconnects between children and nature within four areas: health, media and culture, education and the urban and built environment. Some 350 educators, health professionals, conservationists met at the National Conservation Training Center. The meeting included Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall, The Conservation Fund's President Larry Selzer, Executive Director of the North American Montessori Teachers' Association David Kahn and Yale University's Stephen Kellert to discuss the problems associated with what Louv has dubbed "nature deficit disorder." IEN attended the 3-day event to coordinate the facilitated break-out groups and to capture major themes and ideas that emerged from the dialogue.

National Forest Service Off Highway Vehicles Collaborative Planning Training

This set of workshops brought stakeholders together for collaborative planning of off-highway vehicle routes on National Forest lands. Workshops took place in, Missoula, MT, Flagstaff, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Sacramento, CA, Steamboat Springs, CO, Salt Lake City, UT, and Bend OR. The training responded to a new US Forest Service travel planning rule that requires all National Forests to designate trails and routes and open spaces that are and are not open to motorized vehicles. IEN provided training in collaborative planning for the stakeholders representing different user groups as they engaged in the route-designation process.

Page County Watershed Planning

Page County's watershed planning group began meeting Sept. 22, 2005, after nearly a whole year of preparation. Work included helping plan and facilitate the initial meetings of the Page County Watershed Planning Group, a watershed dialogue in Page County as a kickoff to their watershed planning effor,; a community meeting for approximately 25 people on to brainstorm needs and goals for watershed protection in Page County; planning and designing several of their meetings. The group has produced working documents for education, ordinances, sub-watershed planning, and policy

Second Governor's Natural Resources Leadership Summit

IEN worked with a stakeholder planning committee to design the second 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.

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

For decades, the Elizabeth River off Money Point has been a 35-acre biological dead zone. Little can survive along the river bottom, laced with some of the
highest concentrations of cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the world. Money Point, almost a mile of prominent waterfront at the gateway to Chesapeake, Virginia, will again be celebrated as a hub for maritime activities, this time
co-existing with one of the largest environmental restoration efforts on the Chesapeake Bay, thanks to the five revitalization goals developed through a multi-party consensus building process. These range from historic cleanup of the contaminated sediments through a new trust fund, to NOAA's help with the largest voluntary wetland restoration on the Elizabeth River, to virtually every waterfront industry doing its part through voluntary stewardship.

The result is an uncommon accomplishment which, when it happens, creates a special euphoria: industries, government and citizens, all agreeing to a common course of environmental action. The Money Point Revitalization Task Force met from January 2005 to August 2006, convened by The Elizabeth River Project and facilitated by University of Virginia's Institute for Environmental Negotiation. Nearly 100 participants
came from groups as diverse as a Baptist church, the US EPA and one of the world's largest oil companies. They set the vision - to be the model to the nation for
thriving waterfront industry that co-exists with ecological regeneration and yet affirms a residential community's history and safety.

Virginia Coastal 309 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.

Waste Solutions Forum

The Waste Solutions Forum is an innovative, landmark process in the Commonwealth for bringing together groups in conflict with each other to develop specific, on-the-ground strategies for managing the protracted, difficult issue of excess animal manure in the Shenandoah Valley. This unusual collaboration began between Virginia Tech research scientists, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Virginia Dairymen’s Association, Virginia Poultry Federation, Virginia Farm Bureau, and other stakeholders. Over seven months, IEN facilitated the 15-member planning committee’s work, which resulted in an invitation-only two-day meeting that brought together over 80 stakeholders representing different interests. The Forum successfully produced a specific strategy for moving alternative manure management strategies forward, in the areas of policy, research, pilot projects and education. The collaborative that was formed by the Forum continues working to this day and, because of its unusual nature, has garnered more than $2 million in funding for its innovative pilot projects.

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 new rules which were developed as part of the state rule making process.

ADR Training for Cultural and Natural Resource Preservation Issues

IEN was invited by the National Preservation Institute to develop a training for people who are managing projects involving historical preservation and natural resources, including SHPOs, Transportation agencies, Business, Environmental nonprofits, and others. The 3-day training builds capacity for conflict resolution, negotiation and consensus building in projects involving the Section 106 and NEPA regulatory frameworks.

Community-Based Collaboratives Research Consortium (CBCRC)

Funded by Hewlett Foundation, the IEN coordinated a national research and outreach network to evaluate the potential value of CBCs, specifically how they do, and do not, satisfy the needs of communities, agencies, and organizations involved in protecting and managing natural resources. A "Community-based collaborative" is essentially a committee of stakeholders that seeks consensus agreements for management of a specific natural resource, most typically federally-owned lands. These collaboratives are gaining in popularity among communities who benefit from and utilize these publicly-owned resources. At the same time, criticism over these locally derived management plans also has increased, along with questions concerning the legality of locally negotiated agreements. In some cases, there may be potential conflicts with existing federal laws, as well as far reaching implications for national environmental policy about resource management plans. The Consortium's on-line database of projects, research, books, and journals about collaborative approaches can be viewed at Consortium Website.

March 3, 2004 Press Release: U.Va. based research consortium receives grant to study environmental outcomes of collaboration. Click here to view the Press Release (PDF).

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.

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.

Virginia Association of Professional Soil Scientists (VAPSS) Strategic Planning

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.

Biosolids Land Application

Center for Expertise in Superfund Site Recycling

IEN was invited by the National Preservation Institute to develop a training for people who are managing projects involving historical preservation and natural resources, including SHPOs, Transportation agencies, Business, Environmental nonprofits, and others. The 3-day training built capacity for conflict resolution, negotiation and consensus building in projects involving the Section 106 and NEPA regulatory frameworks.

Community Solutions

Funded by a NAFCM grant to the Virginia Association for Community Conflict Resolution (VACCR)

, IEN developed a training for community mediation centers and their experienced mediators to build their capacity to facilitate complex multii-party community issues. IEN conducted 2-day workshops for 8 centers in Virginia, and many of these centers are using these skills to facilitate local community issues.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

- 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 consensus about 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.

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.

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,was 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.

• 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.

Roundtable on Sustainable Forests

The IEN assisted 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.

Southeast Natural Resource Leadership Institute (SE-NRLI)

Based on the success of the VNRLI program, the Virginia partnership of IEN, Virginia Tech and Virginia Department of Forestry, developed a new multistate program for Southeast. Funded in large part by the U.S. Forest Service, participation is open to 13 states and 1 territory that comprise the USFS southeastern region. The SE-NRLI program focuses on emerging regional issues and strategies for collaborative problem solving and conflict resolution. Anyone involved with regional environmental and land use issues in the southeast may apply – business, industry, state and federal government agencies, environmental organizations, and other non-governmental groups. For further information, contact IEN at senrli@virginia.edu

St. Michaels, Maryland Development Mediation

IEN mediated a dispute between residents of St. Michaels, Maryland and developer Midland Real Estate Company concerning acceptible development density and good design. A committee composed of town representatives and the developers agreed on several points and created a final report for the Town Commisioners. Two members of the committee dissented from the final mediation consensus statement and the final report has not been submitted to the Town Commissioners. The future of the proposed development remains unclear, but one can expect additional opposition and negotiation as the plan advances.

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 >.

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.

Rivanna Watershed Needs Assessment

The goal of the RWNA was to identify and assess opportunities, strategies, and mechanisms for improving the protection of the Rivanna Riverand its watershed. During Phase One, IEN conducted 22 confidential interviews with various state, local, and regional agencies, community groups, and non-profits that have been actively engaged in water resource management and protection in the Rivanna watershed. Phase Two consisted of convening the Rivanna Watershed Symposium on February 16, 2002 to discuss the results of Phase One and explore future collaborative scenarios. Following the Symposium, the Steering Committee met to finalize the recommendations from the Symposium into a workable plan. The final report for Phase One and the Steering Committee recommendations can be found below (right click and select "Save As..").

Collaboration: A Guide for Environmental Advocates

The IEN, in partnership with the National Audubon Society and The Wilderness Society, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Eastern Planning Initiative

The IEN assisted a transportation project for the greater Charlottesville areas, with a focus on the eastern portion to Zion's Crossroads. The project was led by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, which received a two-year Transportation, Community, and System Preservation grant to develop a regional integrated land use and transportation plan for the counties of Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa, Albemarle and the City of Charlottesville. The project was unusual in that it attempted modeling and visioning not for the typical 20 years, but for the next 50 years. IEN's role was assisting in the development of computerized model for public use and feedback. The project resulted in a regional plan to guide county and city land use and transportation decisions.

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.

Southern Tobacco Communities Project

With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation the IEN helped 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.

TJPDC Innovative Integrated Land Use and Transportation Planning

The IEN assisted a two-year transportation project for the greater Charlottesville areas, with a focus on the eastern portion to Zion's Crossroads. The project was led by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, which received a two-year Transportation, Community, and System Preservation grant to develop a regional integrated land use and transportation plan for the counties of Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa, Albemarle and the City of Charlottesville. The project was unusual in that it attempted modeling and visioning not for the typical 20 years, but for the next 50 years. IEN's role was assisting in the development of computerized model for public use and feedback. The project resulted in a regional plan to guide county and city land use and transportation decisions.

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.

Albemarle/Charlottesville 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.

Crab Management Strategy Facilitation for Maryland and Virginia

Public Involvement for Virginia 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.

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 Virginia's 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.

Town of Shenandoah National Pilot Brownfields Redevelopment

The Town of Shenandoah lies just below Shenandoah National Park. A Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant, finalized in October 1998, provided $200,000 to help the town determine any contamination present in the soil or groundwater of the 65-acre "Big Gem" site, where an iron furnace had long ago ceased oprations, and create a cleanup and redevelopment plan. EPA offered to Shenandoah the assistance of the Harrisonburg Community Mediation Center and the Institute for Environmental Negotiation. During the next two years, the facilitators helped the group identify key people and stakeholders and build consensus for future uses of the site.

Virginia and North Carolina Hydropower Dam Recertification Mediation

The IEN assisted in the relicensing process of two dams owned by North Carolina Power on the Roanoke River which flows through Virginia and North Carolina. It has developed ground rules for the conduct of the alternative environmental assessment process that is authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

. This process will serve as a model for the relicensing of other dams.

Projects (Completed 2000+)

Projects Concluded in 2007

Projects Concluded in 2006

Projects Concluded in 2005

Projects Concluded in 2004

Projects Concluded in 2003

Projects Concluded in 2002

Projects Concluded in 2001

Projects Concluded in 2000