Dear HCN,
A recent letter to the
editor in HCN belittled collaborative groups that try to solve
natural resource conflicts as being too small and too slow. I ask,
which is more effective: slow, steady progress, or rapid suit and
countersuit that characterize our current attempts to control
resources? Are the salmon making a comeback while the “sides’ duke
it out in court?
There are some serious drawbacks
to the collaborative group management approach. It takes guts. It
takes initiative. It takes independent thinking and willingness to
question your own prejudices. It takes an ability to accept
ridicule and expulsion from your “side” for daring to question the
party line. It is also a lousy membership and fund-raising
platform. It just works.
New ways are always
ridiculed by those who have the most to lose by their acceptance.
Ask yourself, who is it that stands to lose if local, collaborative
management becomes the
norm?
Karen C.
Riggs
Willcox,
Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Risky business.
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