ECR2012 Awards Announcement
Posted: 2/6/2012
The seventh national Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Conference (ECR2012) is fast approaching. In conjunction with the conference, the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (U.S. Institute) will sponsor two awards to recognize exemplary and innovative environmental collaboration and conflict resolution efforts.
The first award, the “Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award” will recognize exemplary and innovative environmental collaboration and conflict resolution efforts to help government, other affected entities, and members of the public arrive at a common goal or agreement in addressing conflicts and challenges related to the environment and natural resources, including matters related to energy, transportation, and land use.
The second award, the “Innovation in Technology-enhanced Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award” will recognize cutting-edge applications of new technologies that enhance environmental collaboration and conflict resolution processes.
Natural resource protection and management issues are typically complex, divisive, and can be protracted and costly to address. Environmental collaboration and conflict resolution practices are key to government efforts to make informed, timely, and workable decisions that balance public and private interests. This award series is designed to increase awareness, promote best practices, and create networks between those striving to improve governance related to environmental and natural resource issues, including matters related to energy, transportation, and land use.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 awards. The evaluation and submission criteria for both awards are detailed below.
Summary Application Information
Nomination Applications Due: March 9, 2012
Applications: Nomination forms are available at: Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award and Innovation in Technology-enhanced Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award
Forms must be downloaded prior to completion.
Notifications: Nominees will be notified by early April 2012. The U.S. Institute will work with award winners to schedule participation at an award ceremony that will be held at the ECR2012 National Conference in Tucson, Ariz., from May 22-24, 2012.
Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award
The 2012 Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution Award will recognize exemplary and innovative environmental collaboration and conflict resolution efforts to help affected parties arrive at a common goal or agreement in addressing conflicts and challenges related to the environment and natural resources, including matters related to energy, transportation, and land use.
Nominations are being accepted across a spectrum of project contexts including policy development, planning, rulemaking, permitting, use and access issues, resource allocation and rights issues, siting and construction, compliance and enforcement, and implementation and monitoring.
The nominated project must involve at least one federal department or agency. Nominations can involve intra- or inter-agency environmental collaboration or conflict resolution efforts, as well as multi-party processes involving one or more level of government (federal, tribal, state, local) and the public.
To nominate a project for an award, download the form here. Please return completed forms to Brian Manwaring at manwaring@ecr.gov.
Nomination Deadline: March 9, 2012
Award Evaluation Criteria:
Nominations will be evaluated based on the extent to which they meet the nomination and submission criteria below.
Nomination Criteria:
- The third-party assisted collaboration or conflict resolution process enhanced the overall project process and outcome (e.g., more informed decision, balancing of competing interests, improved trust among parties, more creative solutions, more timely project progression, increased commitment to the solution, protracted and costly litigation avoided, more cost effective process or outcome).
- The effort represents a cutting-edge application or innovative model of collaboration and conflict resolution interventions. Note: If the project that is being submitted revolves around an innovative technology, please also consider applying for the ECR2012 Technology Award.
- The approach, practices, and/or lessons learned can be used to improve future efforts.
- The process demonstrates adherence to and highlights the value of generally accepted guiding principles for effective environmental collaboration and conflict resolution (see Appendix A for sample reference materials).
Submission Criteria:
- The project was facilitated or mediated by a neutral third party. The neutral could be internal or external to a participating organization but was acting in a neutral capacity recognized by the parties.
- The third-party assistance was designed to help affected parties arrive at a common goal or agreement in addressing the environmental conflict or challenge at hand.
- The project involved at least one federal department or agency.
- The project involved a public lands, natural resource, or environmental issue, including matters related to energy, transportation and land use.
- The project is complete, or a significant milestone has been completed if the nominated project relates to an ongoing multi-year process.
- The project must have been active within the past 3 years.
- The project nominator is a federal department or agency representative associated with the project. NOTE: Nomination partnerships with other stakeholder entities (e.g., nonprofits, private organizations, other governmental entities, or members of the public) are encouraged, but the application must be submitted by a federal department or agency representative associated with the project).
- The project nominator must be willing to provide email contact information for the process participants if the project is selected as a finalist for the award. The U.S. Institute, in conjunction with the project nominator, will notify the stakeholders that the project has been identified as a finalist for the 2012 award. Shareholders will be invited to share their reflections on the process. Participant contact information will not be used for any other purpose.
- Project representatives (the nominating federal agency representative and ideally the practitioner and at least one non-federal stakeholder) are available to attend the ECR 2012 Conference in Tucson, Ariz., in May 2012.
Award Selection Committee:
An Award Committee consisting of representatives from the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution and other federal agencies, with expertise in environmental collaboration and conflict resolution, will review and select award recipients. The award will be presented at the ECR2012 National Conference to be hosted in Tucson, Ariz., from May 22-24, 2012.
Questions or Comments: Please contact Brian Manwaring at manwaring@ecr.gov
Award for Innovation in Technology-Enhanced Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution
The Award for Innovation in Technology-Enhanced Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution is designed to promote and recognize cutting-edge applications of new technologies that enhance environmental collaboration and conflict resolution processes.
Nominated projects may include technological applications over a range of categories, including communication/collaboration, decision support, visualization, evaluation, and monitoring.
The collaboration or conflict resolution process must have involved at least one federal department or agency, or, if a federal department or agency was not involved in the process, the nominator shall demonstrate how the technology used in the project might be applied to an issue involving a federal department or agency in the future. Project teams including both mediators/practitioners and technologists are preferred.
To nominate a project for an award, download the form here. Please return completed forms to Raquel Goodrich at goodrich@ecr.gov.
Nomination Deadline: March 9, 2012
Award Evaluation Criteria:
Nominations will be evaluated based on the extent to which they meet the nomination and submission criteria below.
Nomination Criteria:
- The technology enhanced the collaboration or conflict resolution process and outcomes (e.g., more informed decision, balancing of competing interests, improved trust among parties, more creative solutions, more timely project progression, increased commitment to the solution, protracted and costly litigation avoided, more cost effective process or outcome).
- The project represented one of the first known applications of a particular technology to a collaboration or conflict resolution process, or an innovative application of an existing technology to a collaboration or conflict resolution process.
- The project represents a prototype that can be applied to other collaboration or conflict resolution processes in the future.
- The project contributes to the broader context of technology integration into the collaboration or conflict resolution field.
Submission Criteria:
- The project involved a public lands, natural resource, or environmental issue, including related energy, land use, and transportation issues.
- The project is complete, or a significant milestone has been completed if the nominated project relates to an ongoing multi-year process.
- The project must have been active in the past 3 years.
- The project involved at least one federal department or agency, or, if a federal department or agency was not involved in the process, the nomination shall specify how the technology might be applied to an issue involving a federal department or agency in the future.
- The third-party assistance was designed to help affected parties arrive at a common goal or agreement in addressing the environmental conflict or challenge at hand.
- Project teams including technologists, mediators/practitioners, and at least one stakeholder representative are preferred.
- The project nominator must be willing to provide email contact information for key process participants if the project is selected as a finalist for the award. The U.S. Institute, in conjunction with the project nominator, will notify the stakeholders that the project has been identified as a finalist for the 2012 award. Shareholders will be invited to share their reflections on the process. Participant contact information will not be used for any other purpose.
- Award recipients (preferably at least the project technologist) must be available to attend the ECR 2012 Conference, May 22-24, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz.
Award Selection Committee:
Nominations will be evaluated by a panel of judges convened by the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution. The panel comprises expertise in ECR, mediation, technology development, and technology applications. The award will be presented at the ECR2012 National Conference in Tucson, Ariz., from May 22-24, 2012.
Questions or Comments: Please contact Raquel Goodrich at goodrich@ecr.gov or 520-901-8514.
Back to the News and Announcements Archive