OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS

OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS
CHARLESTON, SC PRESENTATION
J. Glenn Eugster


WHAT ARE SOME OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS?
--CALL THEM OUT
--WRITE DOWN ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES ON THIS PAPER AND PASS IT AROUND

EACH OF US INVOLVED WITH PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS, OUTSTANDING OR OTERWISE, HAS A PHILOSOPHY THAT HAS BEEN SHAPED BY WHO WE ARE AND THE RANGE OF EXPERIENCES AND PLACES WE HAVE TOUCHED, AND BEEB TOUCHED BY.

MY PERSONAL EVOLUTION INCLUDES:

FOREST SERVICE RESEARCH IN EASTERN PA ON THE PUBLIC USE OF PRIVATE LAND;

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE TRAINING, ESPECIALLY LAWRENCE HALPRIN'S "TAKE PART"; RALPH NADER'S PHILOSOPHY OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, AND IAN MCHARG'S DESIGN WITH NATURE;

ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND LAND, GROWTH & STEWARDSHIP WITH EPA'S CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM; AND

WORK WITH THE NPS RELATED TO PARKS, THE RIVERS & TRAILS PROGRAM, SOMETHING WE DID CALLED GREAT AMERICAN LANDSCAPES, AND MORE RECENTLY FRIENDS-RAISING AND FUNDRAISING.

DEFINITION OF PARTNERSHIPS; RIGHT NOW WE ARE GOING THROUGH DISCUSSION WITH NPS ABOUT WHAT A PARTNERSHIP IS.

WE DESCRIBE Partnerships as voluntary relationships through which each member of the relationship advances its own mission by working collaboratively with others to achieve congruent and overlapping objectives.

THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS, RIGHT? ALL OF US BRING A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW ABOUT WHAT A PARTNERSHIP IS AND ISN'T. IT SOME WAYS IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR MODEL OF HOW WE THINK THE PARKS, CONSERVATION, STEWARDSHIP--PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS WORKS.

WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE BUT HOW DO WE ACHIEVE AN OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIP PROJECT? THE "HOW" IS OFTEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUTSTANDING AND MEANINGLESS.

ZUME CHART--PERSONAL MODEL

OTHER AGENCY OR PROGRAM MODEL. WHAT'S YOURS?
MY MODEL HAS EVOLVED AND IT'S BASED ON ASSUMPTIONS AND PROCESS STEPS. I FEEL THAT THESE ARE APPLICABLE FOR ANY PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIP PROJECT, PUBLIC-PRIVATE, PARK, RESERVE, FOREST, FARM, COMMUNITY, METRO-REGION.

LET'S START WITH ASSUMPTIONS:


NEXT LET'S LOOK AT THE PROCESS STEPS. THINK OF THE PROCESS STEPS AS A FORMULA FOR ACTION! HOW DO YOU GET TO OUTSTANDING? WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

PROCESS STEPS

BRIEFLY, THERE ARE SOME OTHER EXCITING PARTNERSHIP IDEAS OUT THERE.

MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND BUSINESS LOOKS AT THE PARTNERSHIP LIFE CYCLE

CHRIS DURNEY FROM ICF KAISER DESCRIBES A CONCEPT CALLED: COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS

FRANCES SEYMOUR WROTE A WONDERFUL ARTICLE CALLED, ARE SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECTS DESIGNED OR DISCOVERED?

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME EXAMPLES--EFFORTS THAT I CONSIDER TO BE OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIPS:

1) LOWER EASTERN SHORE, MD, VA AND THE FISHBONE DIAGRAM


2) LACKAWANNA VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND HERITAGE


3) A MORE RECENT EFFORT IS THE GREATER WASHINGTON NATIONAL PARKS FUND


CONCLUSIONS! OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS :

--ARE ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE

--THEY REQUIRE GOOD INFORMATION AND GOOD CIVICS

--THEY MUST USE MULTI-DISCIPLINE APPROACHES

--THEY MUST BE DESIGNED SO THE WHOLE IS GREATER THAN THE SUM OF THE PARTS

--THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE DESIGNED ONE SIZE LARGER THAN WHAT YOU ARE WORKING ON. CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT.

--THEY SHOULD USE DESIGNED AND DISCOVERED APPROACHES

--THEY SHOULD ALWAYS ASSUME THAT SOPHISTICATION LEVELS ARE GREATER THAN THEM SEEM.

--WE MUST VALUE SUCCESS OVER ORGANIZATIONAL, OR PERSONAL, POWER.

--THEY ARE NEVER ABOUT MONEY, BUT ALWAYS ABOUT REACHING AGREEMENT.