INTRODUCTION
We are pleased to invite you to the Fifth National Conference on Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR), to be held at the Doubletree Tucson Reid Park Hotel in Tucson, Arizona from May 20-22, 2008. This year, The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution of the Morris K. Udall Foundation and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy of The University of Arizona have joined with several federal agency partners to bring you an exciting three-day conference filled with cutting-edge training workshops, dynamic panel sessions, interactive roundtable discussions and opportunities for agency-specific side meetings.
As the field of environmental conflict resolution evolves, it is time to reflect on the progress that has been made in the profession, its contribution to the nature and quality of environmental decision-making, and the significance of emerging institutional resources and requirements. As in previous years, the ECR conference provides a forum for exchange of ideas and mutual learning about environmental conflict resolution among a broad cross-section of interests. The pre-conference training and conference panel presentations and roundtable discussions are organized along three tracks.
Track 1 — Technology, Tools and Innovations
Track 2 — Evaluating ECR: What’s in it for me?
Track 3 — Matching the Process to the Problem: Navigating Process Choices
ECR2008 will provide a forum for exchange of ideas and mutual learning about the field of environmental conflict resolution among government representatives, non-governmental organizations, tribal nations and members, community based groups, environmental advocates, corporate entities, resource managers and users, private individuals, and professionals in the conflict resolution, mediation and consensus building fields.
Federal agency co-sponsors include the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. Additional agency partners assisting with developing the conference program are the Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Defense, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. With sessions guided by leading thinkers in the ECR field, this will be a conference you won't want to miss!
ECR2008 Conference Planning Team
Pam Carlson, Conference Coordinator
Kirk Emerson, Director, U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution
Tina Gargus, Special Projects Coordinator
Lynne Gillette, Director of Operations
Ellen Wheeler, Executive Director, Morris K. Udall Foundation