Stakeholder Training Initiatives

Dividing the Waters seeks to improve communications between courts and the water users and communities affected by adjudications and other water litigation. The project also seeks to encourage the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) because negotiated settlements may reduce the length of an adjudication or other water law case, provide "wet" water to some water users sooner, and assist communities in addressing other important issues such as protection of endangered species, recreation and wetland restoration and preservation. The Stakeholder Training Initiative evolved as a means of expanding the ability of communities to better represent their interests and communicate more.

Klamath Basin, June 1999
In Klamath Falls, Oregon, the project took the first step of conducting a training for the stakeholders themselves in interest-based negotiation and ADR. The primary goal was to explore ways that a negotiation and collaborative problem-solving training could benefit those already involved in complex water rights adjudication. Forty-eight attended, representing a variety of water users and managers in the Klamath Basin adjudication, as well as five observer/participants from Montana and Idaho, who were interested in the relevance of the training to their own adjudications.

The Klamath Basin provided the ideal setting for the first stakeholder training. The Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) had already convened an ADR, which was conducted on the basis of monthly meetings held in Klamath Falls. This group included parties to the litigation, as well as other stakeholders who work on wetlands and other environmental matters.

    According to independent evaluator Gerald Mueller of Consensus Associates, the benefits of the training to participants were:
  • "The training content and format combined with the knowledge and abilities of Ms. Moore and Mr. Snyder helped the workshop participants both understand negotiation and experience its success."
  • "The written materials provided workshop participants a clear, readable refresher and further elaboration on negotiation topics."
  • "The training strengthened the relationships among the participants which will aid their ongoing efforts to resolve issues in the Klamath Falls adjudication." - Report to DTW, August, 2000

The Project is discussing trainings in other areas of the west with a goal of applying and using the experiences of the first training in the Klamath Basin.