Spring 2016: CBI In Action

A snapshot of recent and ongoing work

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, & LAND USE

More information: Patrick Field

>>Managing California Groundwater Bennett Brooks finished up the most recent stakeholder dialogues for the California Water Foundation on groundwater management implementation, preparing findings for submittal to the State that include key recommendations related to data coordination and transparency, stakeholder engagement, state intervention and adaptive management. Gina Bartlett and Tushar Kansal facilitated workshops in four locations throughout the State of California for the State Water Resources Control Board, the state’s water regulator. Afternoon technical sessions were geared to local public agencies and community leaders, and evening sessions were designed for the general public. Tushar conducted outreach with local agriculture, environmental justice, and civic associations. The sessions were well attended in person, and included an additional 500 people participating via web case in Sacramento.

>>Tribes and Wetlands Doug Thompson is working through the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, and partnering with Lucy Moore from Santa Fe, to increase the capacity of tribes in the western U.S. to address wetland issues. The project has both a Southwest and Rocky Mountain component, focusing on the differing needs of each region concerning wetland protection issues.

>>Protecting Marine Mammals Bennett Brooks continues work on various National Marine Fisheries (NMFS) related activities including finishing up summary from August Sea Turtle workshop; launching Research Work Group for False Killer Whale Team; preparing for Bottlenose Dolphin webinar in early November; and getting ready for three-day meeting of the Pelagic Longline team in early December.

>>Ocean Planning in the Northeast Ona Ferguson and Patrick Field along with several other CBI staff have been involved in ongoing Northeast Regional Ocean Council activities, including a Stakeholder Forum in October that Dory Dinoto planned for with grace and expertise; chapter two drafting of the Regional Ocean Plan by Toby Berkman to capture the host of engagement and activities conducted across ports, aquaculture, energy, fishing, boating and others; and securing a strategic communications firm and writer to support writing and dissemination of the Plan during the next phase of public meetings happening in June 2016.

>>Smith Island Vision Plan After much work from Catherine Morris and Tushar Kansal, the Plan was adopted as part of County Master Plan in February – the last formal step in the process. The town of Crisfield, MD, where the ferry for Smith Island leaves from, has asked when they are going to receive the same level of attention as Smith Island.

SOCIAL POLICY & CULTURAL RESOURCES

More information: Stacie Smith

>>Preserving Historic Structures in National Parks Stacie Smith is wrapping up the first phase of the Isle Royle Section 106 consultation for the National Park Service. The case involves historic structures, ownership, use and tenure of the structures and the way forward within this remote park. The project involves an in-person kick-off meeting to design the assessment, then an assessment, followed by a meeting to review findings and design the process.

>>Solutions Journalism Network David Fairman along with Allan Cohen, co-facilitator for Ed Reimagined, is planning a 2-day Reimagining Journalism retreat convened by Solutions Journalism Network, whose head David Bornstein learned about CBI when he wrote a NY Times Fixes blog post on Ed Reimagined. 

CORPORATE-COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

More information: Merrick Hoben

>>Honduras Palm Oil and Land Conflict Merrick Hoben is working to resolve violent land disputes centered on a large palm oil plantation in the Aguan Valley of Honduras, and to create a long-term roadmap for regional justice, security and development. The government of Honduras announced its commitment in principle to the roadmap that CBI developed with a wide range of stakeholders. CBI’s work on this case is supported by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, which has financed investment in palm oil plantations in the Aguan.

CORPORATE AGREEMENTS

More information: David Fairman

>>Business Negotiations in an Asian Context David Fairman and Toby Berkman have developed a cross-cultural business negotiation curriculum, with help from members of our Global Network and other senior consultants including Andrew Lee in China, Ashok Panikkar in India, Dong-Young Kim in South Korea, Masa Matsuura in Japan, and Horacio Falcao in Singapore. Our client, Asialink Business, is a public-private partnership to build Australian business capabilities for work in and with Asian business counterparts. David delivered two-day trainings in Melbourne and Sydney, and they were well received.

>>Pfizer Negotiation Workshops Patrick Field and Toby Berkman completed a mock negotiation coaching workshop with Pfizer in Belgium, with a core team seeking to secure reimbursement for an adult vaccine. Pat and Toby will continue to work with Mercer Corporation in 2016.

>>CorpU David Fairman is working with Toby Berkman on revisions to CorpU online courses and development of new material on global supply chains.

ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGY

More information: Patrick Field

 >>BSSE Strategic Planning Doug Thompson is working with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The project involves visioning, strategic thinking, and operational planning. The leadership of BSSE, a newer organization cobbled together with staff from other parts of DOI, seeks to develop a coherent and shared vision that can be understood and embraced both internally and externally and design some specific communication approaches so the various parts of the Bureau work synergistically, rather than in isolation. Doug will be working with internal ADR neutral Robert Fisher.