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solve tough problems through:
Research that illuminates people's views & values;
Engagement that gets people talking, learning from each other and working together on solutions; and
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By doing so, we seek to contribute to a democracy in which problem-solving triumphs over gridlock and inertia, and where public policy reflects the deliberations and values of the citizenry.
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This post was written for the 20 community colleges participating in Completion by Design, a five-year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative that aims to significantly increase completion rates for low-income students under 26. As a “National Assistance partner” for Completion by Design, Public Agenda provides direct assistance to the colleges to help them build capacity for solutions-oriented dialogue among faculty, staff and administration. Here, Public Agenda's Alison Kadlec discusses best practices for authentic internal stakeholder engagement. While the post is geared toward Completion by Design planning teams, the principles are useful for any authentic engagement process.
***Far too often, throughout our work in the education field, we've seen even the most earnest and promising ideas from experts and reformers for improving schools and ramping up student learning met with confusion, anxiety or even anger from teachers, parents, students or community members.
Organization advocating private land ownership and allowing the free market and voluntary stewardship to run environmental action, rather than what it sees as an ineffective set of governmental regulations. Believes that economic prosperity supersedes environmental protection in its importance for the American people.
2011 Public Agenda
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The NWI is nothing more nor less than a group of politicians and the developers and businesses they are supported by who are dedicated to dismantling environmental protections in the U.S.
They bring lawsuits framed as environmental "concerns" before anti-environmental judges appointed by the Bush administration, or elected by radical conservative lobbies. In these lawsuits they pretend to seek enforcement of environmental laws out of fake "concern" for this or that species or habitat, while their real agenda is simply to get sympathetic judges to overturn or reduce environmental protections as their "findings". Their goal is the weakening of the Environmental Protection Agency to the point of uselessness, even as they pretend to use it to bring "common sense" into the question of which species will receive protection or which will have protection reduced.
Currently, on the island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii, the National Wilderness Institute has taken upon itself to petition the National Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the native Hawaiian hawk, known as the 'io. Despite the fact the 'io is only found on this one island, and has of course had funding for species recovery studies slashed the last 8 years, there is pressure by developers who plan years ahead and want more of the island built up. No doubt fearing that an Obama-era EPA and Fish and Wildlife Service will soon be led once again by sound science rather than right-wing profits-only thinking about environmental matters, the National Wilderness Institute is making its move on Hawaii while it feels it still has time. No reputable, science-based group has provided current population numbers and species health data on the 'io, but that doesn't stop the NWI from saying it knows 3,000 hawks exist and are a "recovered" population.
Because of this, once again one of our Federal environmental agencies will find itself tied up trying to fund public hearings and field scientists in order to determine this species status, all at a time when such funding may be denied them due to ongoing economic crisis, which in turn is the result of right-wing policies. If so, developers and their behind-the-scenes friends like the NWI will either work around the delay, or publicize the cost of the studies and claim they are yet another instance of "too much government".
Interested parties can read how this got started here: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2009/02/01/local_news/local...
Or see the Hawaii Herald Tribune, Sunday 1 Feb 2009.
Read up online about what it means for any species, flora or fauna, to be isolated an island. Visit Sourcewatch.com and read a more detailed explanation of what the NWI and the "wise use" movement really does. And study the environmental records of each of the present and former politicians listed as NWI members on the non-partisan League of Conservation Voters web site:
http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/
Its your planet too. Become an educated user and don't let business-as-usual pull the wool over your eyes.
I live on Hawai'i Island and I can say from my own experience and from talking to the old timers that the hawk (or 'Io, as they are called here) population has definitely declined. There are some rumors going around that the military wants to expand some of its activites here and that is what's really behind this.
Whatever the case, the evidence presented by the USFWS stating that there are 3,000 birds here is pretty flimsy. Even if it were true - that number can hardly be called a secure population.
The USFWS will open another 60 day comment period soon.
Anyone can comment by going to their website:
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/
If you search the site for "Hawaiian Hawk" you'll eventually get to the right place.
Or you can contact Karen Marlowe via email: karen_marlowe@fws.gov
or call (808) 792-9400
The 'Io is one of only 2 native raptors in the whole island chain. Hawaiian cultural practitioners believe these majestic birds carry prayers and messages to their ancestors. preserving these birds also means protection for their habitats, which is some of the last remaing old growth forest here. Please take a moment to help with your comments!
Aloha,
Laka
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