Partnerships to get the job done

Society of Outdoor Recreation ProfessionalsMay 16, 2014

Open Space Council members and supporters

Photo: USGS

“Many events plant seeds, imperceptible at the time, that bear fruit long afterward.”

Rebecca Solnit in A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster

Relationships

Photo by Jen Hale

Partnerships to get the job done

Society of Outdoor Recreation ProfessionalsMay 16, 2014

This is Annie Annie Burkeannie@openspacecouncil.org@BA_OpenSpace

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”Aristotle

Members!

Nonprofits: land trusts, advocacy organizations, friends groups, conservancies

Cities: big and small, urban and suburban

Counties: each one is different!

Special districts: major players in the region

Resource Conservation Districts

California State Parks

Federal agencies: National Park Service, USFWS

Fifty organizations and agencies consisting of:

Bay Area Protected Areas Database

• 1.37million acres of protected lands

• 68% of our way to goal of 2 million acres

• Includes fee and easements

• Almost 1million acres publicly accessible

Creating a culture of collaboration

1. Identify and magnify similarities

2. Break bread together

3. Share information (and not just the good stuff)

4. Make it visible and tangible

5. Have fun

Identify and magnify similarities

Photo: Jen Hale

Break bread

together

Share information

(and not just the good stuff)Photo: Jen Hale

Make it visible

Photo: Jen Hale

Have fun

Why?

Established Bay Program of the California Coastal Conservancy

Photo: C.E. Meyer, via Wikimedia Commons

Accomplishments of the Bay Program

Over $300 million in funding for acquisition and restoration projects

Over $1 billion in matching funds

Over 425 projects

More than 200 miles of trails

More info at: http://scc.ca.gov/15bythenumbers/

Lead creation of a regional conservation vision

More info at: www.bayarealands.org

Save the Redwoods League – photo contest

More info at: www.bayarealands.org/explorer/

Building a regional movement

Where we are Vision

Call for a regional marketing campaign

Fragmented victories

Supporters don’t reflect diversity of the region

Engagement is city/county specific

Build a movement instead of a one-off campaign

Connect more and more diverse residents to natural and working lands

Activate residents to volunteer, donate, vote, advocate, promote

Your Bay Area - Theory of Change

Created in collaboration with membersSTEP 4: BUILDBuild online and in- person platforms that encourage and enable Bay Area residents to champion natural and working lands.

STEP 2: CREATECreate overarching narrative, brand, and message platforms

STEP 5: ACTIVATE

Mobilize Bay Area residents to volunteer, donate, vote, contact business/elect ed officials, and promote on social media

STEP 3: CONNECTBuild the capacity of members to connect more and more diverse people to the land

STEP 1: EXPANDExpand the conversation and include more people in the initiative

Create clear pathways for new groups to participate in the initiative and guide subsequent steps.

Should be action oriented, values based, adaptable to any geography and type of land.

Target the bottom rung of the ladder of engagement – knowing about and enjoying Bay Area lands.

Platforms should use tools developed in Step 2, support all OSC members, be easy to use, centralized, and self-selecting.

Photo: Lech Naumovich

Learn more at www.livinglandscapeinitiative.org/

• Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

• National Park Service

• California State Parks

• Marin Municipal Water District

• Marin County Parks

Bay Area Ridge Trail

•25 years old

•Planned 550 miles

•Currently 340 miles and counting

•Across everything: counties, cities, park agencies, land trusts…

More at www.ridgetrail.org

San Francisco Bay Trail

•25 years old

•Planned 500 miles

•Currently 330 miles and counting

•Will link 47 cities

More at www.baytrail.org

Creating a culture of collaboration

1. Identify and magnify similarities

2. Break bread together

3. Share information and not just the good stuff

4. Make it visible and tangible

5. Have fun

27Photo: Jen Hale

Jean AkersIntertwine Alliance@TheIntertwinejean.akers@gmail.com

Annie BurkeBay Area Open Space Council@BA_OpenSpaceannie@openspacecouncil.org

Rick JustIdaho Recreation and Tourism Initiativerickjust@rickjust.com

Partnerships to get the job done

Society of Outdoor Recreation ProfessionalsMay 16, 2014