Outcome 3 Case Study
"Improved Community Initiative, Responsibility and Adaptability"
The Four Corners region includes parts of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, and the
Jicarilla Apache, Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Navajo nations. The region is isolated from large metropolitan
settings and contains large public land holdings as well as abundant water and other natural resources. The residential
population, from Indian, Spanish, Anglo and other descents, includes people whose families have lived in the area
for generations and others who have moved to the region more recently. The region has a mix of poverty and affluence,
and a changing economy that includes agriculture, forestry, tourism, business and government activities. In the
past, conflicting interests have led to tense relations between different regional stakeholders. One notable area
of conflict has been declining timber harvests and the resultant strain on the forest products industry.
The San Juan Forum, a nonprofit corporation founded in 1991, works to enhance economic development in the Four
Corners region while preserving and advancing the quality of life for area residents. The Southern Ute Tribe; the
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Navajo Nation; the Jicarilla Apache Tribe; San Juan County of New Mexico; La Plata,
Archuleta, Montezuma, Dolores and San Juan counties in Colorado; San Juan County, Utah; and the state governments
of New Mexico, Colorado and Utah participate in the Forum. The Forum addresses regional concerns and issues including
transportation, waste management, natural resource development, tourism and agriculture. The Forum emphasizes the
concept of regional, multi-actor cooperation across the state, tribal and county boundaries currently existing
in the San Juan Basin.
In early 1993, the San Juan Forum brought together people from USDA agencies, land-grant universities and regional
colleges to plan a regional working conference "Strengthening Partnerships for Active Rural Communities"
(SPARCs) in July and December 1993. The SPARCs conference and resultant partnerships and working groups initiated
and encouraged discussions on region-wide, local, interagency and multidimensional planning. SPARCs was intended
to facilitate information exchange, networking and collaboration not just during the conference but on an ongoing
basis.
Reviewing the work of the Forum and others doing similar work in the region, one local leader noted an increased
interest among governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and companies in looking at the big picture.
"Folks in parts of the community or industry are looking beyond `what's going to keep me in business tomorrow'
and looking instead at the balance of that particular industry with a healthy ecosystem and forest." He used
La Plata County as an example. La Plata County experienced substantial growth in population and housing development
during the early 1990s. Previously the county had approved residential development projects one at a time as proposals
were submitted, but now began looking at bigger areas and considering elements such as the impact of the development
on the health of the ecosystem and wildlife. Another leader noted "a lot more interest in long-range planning."
He reported that five counties had collaborated to develop a 20-year transportation plan. This included individual
community meetings, then countywide meetings, then meetings across the counties. In the meetings participants considered
quality of life, the need for open spaces, and population needs.
People involved in regional tourism reported similar progress. "There have been a lot of efforts in the past
10 years to build tourism in the county. More recently there has been a shift away from grandiose marketing intended
to get as many people here as we can in hopes that they drop a dollar." This leader reported that planning
sessions were considering the impact of the tourists on the cultural and recreational resources that the people
come to see. He said efforts had shifted to "a quality experience for a fewer number of people." He noted
the importance of developing tourism that is "in balance with the infrastructure and the resources."
Clearly one of the overarching concerns and ambitions of the San Juan Forum is to improve community initiative,
responsibility and adaptability--to encourage "well-crafted and widely considered plans that are implemented
through local action and regularly evaluated and modified as needed." The Forum has identified improved planning
and greater involvement in planning by people from all sectors, social groups and geographical regions as one of
the outputs that may contribute to this outcome. Furthermore, by hosting conferences and working groups (actions)
it has sought to foster the relationships between individuals that it believes are conducive to multidimensional
participative planning while at the same time providing information and resources that may be helpful. The Forum's
director suggests that "local empowerment is people-to-people, having those sitting on opposite sides of an
issue actually agreeing. It's working on an issue and realizing the other person is a person with similarities."
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