The People: More than eighty stakeholders in Maine's forests, including industrial and non-industrial forest landowners, environmental groups, academics, agencies of state and federal government, citizen activists, and sportsmen's groups.

University of Maine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture; the Maine Forest Products Council; the Maine TREE Foundation; the Natural Resources Council of Maine; and The Nature Conservancy served as co-sponsors of the initial meeting.

 

The Challenge: These stakeholders hoped to avoid what they observed in the Pacific Northwest: Loggers, U.S. Forest Service personnel, environmental activists, legislators, townspeople, and others engaged in highly polarized battles over plans to protect an endangered species. Maine stakeholders asked, "What if we were to bring together people who are not traditional allies to work collaboratively on issues related to biodiversity, before a similar development in our region polarizes us?"

 

The Shift: The Public Conversations Project with McGonagill & Associates facilitated eleven two-day retreats during which the group met their shared objectives. Their collaboration, the Maine Forest Biodiversity Project, resulted in a public outreach program and three publications—an assessment of species living in Maine, an inventory of public lands suitable for reserves, and a handbook for forest managers interested in biodiversity. These products, and the collaborative relationships that developed during the process, have been credited with shaping new legislation, launching the Forest Ecosystem Information Exchange, and inspiring the Aquatics Working Group to address freshwater ecosystems. The Maine Forest Biodiversity Project also won an Environmental Merit Award from the EPA - Region 1, New England (1998).