Group_7 Natural Resource Mgmt PolicyNatural Resource
Management Policy
for Golden Valley
ESPM 4041W Problem Solving for Environmental Change
Report 7/7 Prepared for:
The City of Golden Valley
Prepared by:
Brian Brown
Aimee Carlson
Bridget Faust
Martin Marchio
Winston Oakley
Benjamin Ruth
December 10, 2012
Table of Contents
List of Appendix.......................................................................................ii
List of Tables............................................................................................ii
Acknowledgments....................................................................................iii
Executive Summary.................................................................................iv
Introduction................................................................................................1
About Golden Valley...........................................................................2
General Policy Vision..........................................................................3
Site Description..........................................................................................4
Methods.....................................................................................................5
Introduction..........................................................................................5
Golden Valley Policy Review: Laws, Procedures,
and Philosophy...............................................................................6
Sustainability Policies in Other Cities.................................................7
Techniques to Gain Ownership of Policies by Residents
and Businesses...............................................................................7
Best Methods for Communicating Environmental Policies................7
Grants, External Sources of Funding, and Partnerships......................8
Interviews of City Officials and Staff..................................................8
Findings.....................................................................................................9
The Absence of a Comprehensive Natural Resource Plan Can
Lead to Suboptimal Outcomes for the City of Golden Valley.......9
Communication and Education are Essential Components
of Natural Resource Policy..........................................................10
Recommendations....................................................................................13
Recommendation 1............................................................................13
Recommendation 2............................................................................16
Recommendation 3............................................................................20
Conclusion...............................................................................................24
References................................................................................................25
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List of Appendix
Appendix A: Defining a Sustainable City
Appendix B: Map of the City of Golden Valley
Appendix C: Generalized Land Use in Golden Valley, 2010
Appendix D: Population by Age and Gender in Golden Valley, 2010
Appendix E: Highest Level of Education Attained by Golden Valley Residents, 2000
Appendix F: Median Household Income in Golden Valley
Appendix G: Employment by Industry in Golden Valley
Appendix H: Questions for Golden Valley Officials and Staff
Appendix I: Interview with Cheryl Weiler, Golden Valley Communications Manager
Appendix J: Questions for Golden Valley Officials and Staff
Appendix K: City of Golden Valley Contacts
Appendix L: Current Golden Valley Natural Resource Ordinances
Appendix M: Policy Comparison
Appendix N: Concepts for Governance Philosophy and Community Outreach
Appendix O: Natural Resource Management Plans Survey Summary
Appendix P: Funding Opportunities
Appendix Q: Acceptable Policy Formation Process
Appendix R: Acceptable Policy Formulation Checklist
Appendix S: Concepts for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources
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Acknowledgments
We would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the following Golden
Valley personnel for their assistance and contribution to this project: Eric Eckman,
Golden Valley Public Works Specialist; Jeannine Clancy, Golden Valley Director of
Public Works; Cheryl Weiler, Golden Valley Communications Coordinator; Al
Lundstrom, Golden Valley Environmental Coordinator; The Golden Valley
Environmental Commission Members.
We would also like to thank Kristen Nelson and Gary Johnson, University of
Minnesota professors, as well as Nicholas Bancks, University of Minnesota teaching
assistant, for their guidance, assistance, and support on this project.
iii
Executive Summary
The City of Golden Valley has expressed interest in creating a sustainable natural
resource management plan for the next 20 years. Like other communities, Golden
Valley is experiencing increasing pressure to maintain its resources and address
threats to the health of their resources. City managers have recognized a need for
further direction to the management of the city’s natural resources. We are students
from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, studying environmental science,
policy, and management. As a capstone to our senior year of study we have been
given the opportunity to work with the City of Golden Valley and help them attain
their natural resource management goals. The purpose of this report is to provide
suggestions for the next formulation of effective natural resource policy. Ultimately it
is our hope that Golden Valley can begin to use this guidance to build a
comprehensive natural resource management plan and eventually realize its goals of
city sustainability. This plan will help to unify the multitude of natural resource
management programs that are already in place by situating them within the context
of broader policy, and will provide the city with the tools, resources, and information
necessary for future program development.
In an effort to provide useful guidance for the City of Golden Valley we reviewed the
city’s current environmental policies, procedures, and plans, studied successful
sustainability policies in other cities, reviewed literature on techniques to encourage
community ownership of policies, best methods for communicating environmental
policies, potential grants, external sources of funding, and partnerships.
Based on our examinations, we found that Golden Valley currently has practices that
could be codified into policy. Golden Valley has responded to important natural
resource issues and is now interested in taking a proactive approach. In addition,
Golden Valley has effective vehicles for communication within the city. Finally, we
found that there are a multitude of opportunities for partnerships and funding
opportunities are available to the city.
These findings led to the following broad recommendations with ideas for how to
begin. First, consider creating a comprehensive natural resource management plan to
establish goals and expectations. Second, expand the methods used to engage the
community to foster community ownership of policies. Finally, use external sources
of funding and partnerships for future policymaking.
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Introduction
Policy affects our lives every day. Schools have attendance policies for their students.
Communities have noise policies to protect residents from disturbances.
Governmental bodies use policies for just about everything. With so many policies
affecting our lives, it is easy to overlook why policy is important in the first place. In
short, policy provides a unified vision or goal, and presents the means for realizing
that goal by offering structure, empowering citizens, and issuing authority.
First, policy can provide a common vision or goal. A vision for the future is
necessary in order to ensure we are heading in a preferred direction (Constanza,
2000). As Yogi Berra put it, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you end up
somewhere else.” Policy can provide the vision that establishes where we want to be
so we do not end up “somewhere else.” For city government, policy can take a
community vision and make it official by focusing that vision on specific goals. In
Golden Valley’s case, the city’s comprehensive plan states that Golden Valley wishes
to become a leader in sustainable natural resource management (Envision Golden
Valley, 2004). This vision clearly articulates what Golden Valley wants for its future,
and this report was developed to support that vision.
Second, policy can also present the means to realize a vision by providing additional
organization and structure. For example, Minneapolis set a goal of reducing their
greenhouse gas emissions 30% by the year 2025 (City of Minneapolis, 2012).
Without additional policies, this goal will almost certainly not be realized. To achieve
the goal, Minneapolis enacted policies to provide incentives for renewable energy
projects, adopted policies that encourage alternative forms of transportation, and
changed tax policy to foster energy efficiency. In this way, policy provides additional
structure which guides and supports activities to achieve the vision.
Top-down structure is not always the best way for policy to guide actions that will
result in a successful outcome. In some cases, policy can empower citizens to
organize themselves and decide the best way to achieve a common vision. For
example, the federal Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 provided funding and
direction while allowing communities to decide for themselves how best to achieve
the goal of wildfire preparedness and hazard reduction (Jakes et al., 2007). This
flexibility in the policy, along with financial support, empowered communities to
solve the problem in a way that best suited their situation.
Finally, policy can support a goal by issuing authority. For example, communities
want their citizens to follow the laws, so they give police officers the legal authority
to enforce those laws. Americans want to breathe clean air. Similarly, Congress gave
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and associated state agencies such as the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, authority to enforce the law and fine companies
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that emit pollutants over the legal standard. Without legal authority there would be
fewer means for achieving a common goal.
Policy offers an especially powerful tool for local governments and citizens because
it can establish a common vision and provide the means to realize that vision. The
goal of this report is to leverage these policy benefits for the City of Golden Valley.
By creating an effective policy environment, Golden Valley can achieve its objective
of becoming a leader in sustainable natural resource management and continue to be
a great place to live and work for years to come.
About Golden Valley
For more than 125 years, Golden Valley has been and continues to be a beautiful and
prosperous place to live. Even before its incorporation as a rural village in 1886,
Golden Valley exemplified the finest of Minnesota communities. Rooted in
agriculture, the community’s first residents made a living from small farms, dairies,
and mills that defined the landscape (Golden Valley History, 2012). Since then,
Golden Valley has experienced several periods of development. The completion of
the Luce Line Railroad in 1912 and Highway 100 in 1935 triggered a dramatic city-
wide population growth from approximately 2,000 in 1940, to just more than 20,000
by the early 1970s (Golden Valley History, 2012). Development over time has
transformed Golden Valley from an agrarian community into a vibrant first-ring
suburban residential city in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area.
Where golden wheat fields once grew, neighborhoods have emerged; however,
Golden Valley’s connection with the environment has remained a core community
value. In an effort to be proactive in protecting natural resources, community leaders
crafted the first land-use plan in 1959. Successive comprehensive plans have been
integral to the sustainable and thoughtful growth of the city (Golden Valley
Comprehensive Plan, 2012). In keeping with Golden Valley’s most recent vision, it
has developed many new plans to beautify streets while preserving a balance of
developed and industrial areas with green and open space (Envision Golden Valley,
2004). These proactive approaches carry forth the traditions of Golden Valley as a
city where residents and visitors recognize its beauty and enjoy a quality of life that
embraces community connectedness, both within city limits and within the Twin
Cities Metropolitan Area.
As Golden Valley plans for population and economic growth, it also wants to use the
best sustainable management practices that will keep the city beautiful, while
positioning it as a leader in sustainable natural resource management (Envision
Golden Valley, 2004). In doing so, Golden Valley faces many challenges. It
continues to mitigate invasions of nonnative plants and pests, maintenance of it’s
many publicly and privately owned stormwater ponds, and balance traditionally
successful management practices with contemporary urban environmental
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management demands. To ensure that Golden Valley is able to maintain its
commitments to its residents as well as the environment that surrounds their homes,
the city is looking to employ the best methods and technologies, utilizing the
knowledge and experience of residents, neighbors, and like-minded communities
from across the nation and around the world.
Through this report, we support Golden Valley as it integrates and prioritizes options
for sustainable natural resource management. We consider a range of policy options
as well as identify opportunities to better support implementation of desirable
alternatives. To do this, we look at examples from other cities that have developed
their own reputations for engaging successful policies and sustainable management
practices (Appendix A). Then we synthesize and illustrate the best alternatives that
engage and educate the community, foster ownership and community support, and
utilize external resources.
To assist with Golden Valley’s design strategies, we identify and provide
recommendations for specific policy choices that will help stimulate a decision
making environment favorable for sustainable management goals. Additionally, to
increase the likelihood that these recommendations are both relevant and valuable,
we placed them in the context of Golden Valley’s governance philosophy,
community values, and existing partnerships across residential and commercial
communities. In a unified effort, we hope to support a comprehensive environmental
policy framework that continues to incorporate the city’s existing relationship
between the community and its natural environment. The ultimate goal is to
recommend sustainable natural resource management policies that will help Golden
Valley stay beautiful and prosperous in the foreseeable future, laying a foundation for
another 125 years.
Report Context
This study was conducted from September to December, 2012, by Environmental
Science students at the University of Minnesota as part of their degree coursework.
The purpose of the study is twofold: (1) to offer an informed, outside perspective to
the City of Golden Valley in regards to their natural resource policy, and (2) to
provide the students with an opportunity to apply the lessons of their coursework to a
real world situation. With that in mind, our goal is to examine Golden Valley’s
current natural resource policies and make recommendations that will help the city
reach its natural resource goals.
General Policy Vision
The purpose of this report, as well as other reports in this series, is to create a
proactive, cohesive, and flexible natural resource plan that supports community
engagement and advances the role of Golden Valley as a leader in environmental
management. In addition, we hope to follow the goals outlined in the Golden Valley
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Comprehensive Plan “to create a policy framework which will act as a solid
foundation for the formulation, implementation, and adoption of new natural resource
policies and management strategies within the city of Golden Valley” (Golden Valley
Comprehensive Plan, 2012).
We are committed to helping Golden Valley policy makers, surrounding
communities, business owners, and community members collaborate to achieve their
collective vision of a sustainable city, and ultimately, provide the community with the
tools to ensure that this vision will transcend changes in the ecological, social, and
economic environment. In an attempt to achieve this vision, the project objectives are
to:
•Inventory current Golden Valley management statutes, ordinances, and
policies,
•Compare Golden Valley’s plans and policies with those of surrounding
communities,
•Determine potential benefits and costs of different natural resource policy
alternatives,
•Identify potential gaps in current programs,
•Interview city officials and staff members regarding natural resource
management,
•Recommend acceptable policies and best practices,
•Recommend strategies for community ownership of future plans and policies,
and
•Recommend potential external sources for funding and partnerships.
Site Description
From its humble beginning as a small farming community, the City of Golden Valley,
Minnesota, has grown into a first-ring suburb on the northwest border of Minneapolis
in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (Appendix B). This area is comprised of 10.5
square miles (6,745 acres) of which 1,335 acres is designated as parks, recreational
land or preserves (Metropolitan Council, 2010). The land cover of the city is
dominated by residential (42%) and aforementioned park and recreation land (20%)
followed by 14% commercial and industrial (Metropolitan Council, 2010) (Appendix
C). The city prides itself on providing “top notch” city services, quality housing, and
excellent employment opportunities (City of Golden Valley, 2008).
As of 2011, Golden Valley had 20,427 residents comprising 8,848 households within
its borders. The predominant age range of the city, for both male and females, falls
between 40 to 64 years (Metropolitan Council, 2011) (Appendix D). Residents of
Golden Valley are well educated, with 54% having achieved an associate’s degree or
above (Appendix E). This well-informed citizenry enjoys a comfortable living with a
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median average household income of roughly $76,000 per year, approximately 24%
higher than the Hennepin County average (Appendix F). Employment opportunities
within the city fall predominantly within three fields: finance, healthcare, and
manufacturing (Appendix G). With approximately 30,000 full-time jobs based in the
city and a population around 20,000, the per capita jobs ratio is the highest in the
Twin City metropolitan area (City of Golden Valley, 2012).
The high average household income within the city can be partially attributed to the
prosperous business climate in Golden Valley. The three largest sectors of the
business community are finance and insurance, manufacturing, and health care and
social assistance. The community also benefits from major operations of two Fortune
500 companies; General Mills chose Golden Valley for its world headquarters and
Honeywell International has a large facility within the city. These companies are
ranked 188th
and 77th
respectively (CNN Money, 2012).
The governing body of the city is comprised of an elected mayor and an elected four-
member City Council. These officials also chair many boards and commissions
charged with making policy recommendations to the Council in areas such as
planning, the environment, and human rights, to name a few. Residents may apply to
serve on a board or commission as there is a strong effort to encourage community
input.
Methods
Introduction
A variety of methodologies can be used in a policy analysis project. Methods we used
to gather information to inform long-term natural resource management policies for
the City of Golden Valley include key informant interviews, literature reviews, and
comparative document reviews.
Our first meeting with City of Golden Valley officials and staff occurred on
September 13, 2012. This 1.5 hour meeting offered an opportunity to meet and speak
with six city officials and staff members. Three questions prepared prior to the
meeting were used to guide the discussion session (Appendix H). Based on priorities
established by Golden Valley City officials and staff during that meeting, we focused
on six research areas to assess the city’s existing policies and recommend new natural
resource management policies. The research areas included:
1.Current Golden Valley Environmental Policies, Procedures, and Governance
Philosophy
2.Successful Sustainability Policies in Other Cities
3.Techniques to Gain Acceptance of Policies from Residents and Businesses
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4.Best Methods for Communicating Environmental Policies
5.Grants, External Sources of Funding, and Partnerships
6.City Official and Staff Insights
We assembled a preliminary list of data sources and collection methods to help guide
the research. The data sources included:
•Current City of Golden Valley codes, comprehensive plan, and zoning
regulations,
•City of Golden Valley officials and staff interviews, including commission
members,
•Policies and codes from other cities,
•Federal, state, and local websites,
•Scientific articles, and
•Academic information obtained through our coursework in environmental
sciences, policy, and management.
The following sections describe the methods used to obtain necessary information
and data required to address the six research areas.
Golden Valley Policy Review: Laws, Procedures, and Philosophy
Understanding the city’s governance philosophy provides guidance needed to deliver
viable natural resource management policies. Reviewing Golden Valley documents
and conducting key informant interviews helped to identify Golden Valley’s ideas,
goals, and vision for natural resource management policies. The City of Golden
Valley web page provided access to general information and documents for
consideration (http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/). Initially, each team member
conducted a broad review of the city’s website to learn about decision making bodies,
departments, staff, and services within the city. A comparative review of four Golden
Valley documents—Comprehensive Plan, A Shared Vision for Golden Valley’s
Future, City Code, and Natural Resource Inventory—helped to develop an
understanding of the city’s natural resource governing philosophy and procedures. To
gain additional insight, we participated in a 1.5 hour meeting on September 13, 2012,
at Golden Valley City Hall. The meeting offered an opportunity to speak with six
Golden Valley city officials and staff members. We asked questions about current
environmental policies, procedures, and governance philosophy.
We extracted themes from review of Golden Valley documents and key informant
interviews. One theme we identified centers on the importance of protecting and
preserving open spaces, parks, woodlands, and wetlands for community benefit.
Another emphasizes the importance of government accountability and citizen
participation to reach goals and objectives. A third theme focuses on the city’s goal to
provide access to information, services, and city leaders to engage citizens. Finally, a
6
fourth theme emphasizes the use of new technologies and practices to address
environmental areas of concern.
Sustainability Policies in Other Cities
Identifying methods and tools other cities use to develop successful sustainability
policies can provide valuable information and ideas, which can be considered for
inclusion in Golden Valley’s natural resource management policy. We conducted a
comparative literature review, which assisted with identification of appropriate
natural resource management policies for the Golden Valley context (Appendix A).
Six articles that proved to be the most important sources were: The 15 Most
Sustainable U.S. Cities (Thompson, 2009), Top Five Most Sustainable Cities in the
World (d’Estries, 2011), World’s Top 10 Sustainable Cities (McNerney, 2012), The
10 Emerging Sustainable Cities to Watch in 2012 (Kaye, 2012), The Most
Sustainable Cities in the United States: Then and Now (Furman, 2011) and San
Francisco Nabs Most Sustainable City (Marchetti, 2011).
Techniques to Gain Ownership of Policies by Residents and Businesses
Resident and business acceptance of natural resource management policy can support
successful policy implementation, compliance, and effectiveness. Document review
of journal articles relating to natural resource management policy acceptance,
adoption, and adaptation served as the foundation for guidelines to support successful
policy implementation. A University of Minnesota Libraries general database search
utilizing a combination of key terms such as “acceptable,” “adoption,”
“environment,” and “policy making” produced journal articles for review. Two
articles that became important sources were Adoption and Adaptation of Natural
Resource Management Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture: Reflections on Key
Lessons and Best Practices (Shiferaw et al., 2009) and Contested Environmental
Policy Infrastructure: Socio-Political Acceptance of Renewable Energy, Water, and
Waste Facilitate (Wolsink, 2010). These sources provided guiding principles and
recommendations for environmental policy acceptance in general. These guidelines
were used to evaluate potential policies and implementation plans for future use by
Golden Valley.
Best Methods for Communicating Environmental Policies
To gather information about effective communication techniques, we reviewed the
Golden Valley city website and interviewed Cheryl Weiler, Golden Valley
Communications Manager. The website review provided insight into current methods
used for communicating environmental policies and practices. The attributes
evaluated included accessibility of the city’s website publications, strategies and tools
to get messages out, and mechanisms for accessing citizen input. A document review
7
of 2011 and 2012 Golden Valley CityNews newsletters offered further insight into
how the city informs its citizens about natural resource policies, practices, and issues.
To obtain additional information about Golden Valley’s communication strategies
and tools, we interviewed Cheryl Weiler, Communications Manager, at her office on
October 12, 2012. Nine questions prepared prior to the interview guided the
discussion topics (Appendix I). The questions focused on the use and effectiveness of
Golden Valley’s past, current, and future communication methods. This qualitative
data was analyzed for common themes, challenges, and opportunities.
Grants, External Sources of Funding, and Partnerships
Grants, external sources of funding, and partnerships available to Golden Valley can
provide additional funding and resources needed to promote and implement natural
resource management policies. Before conducting research to determine the city’s
funding eligibility, we identified six natural resource categories for focused
funding—invasive species, prairie restoration, shoreline enhancement, storm water
management, water reuse, and wildlife habitat. These categories were based on
priorities suggested by Golden Valley staff. Criteria used to identify potential grants,
funding, or partnership opportunities included availability, dollar amount, eligibility,
and Golden Valley’s natural resource interests. The searches of web sites and funding
databases comprised the major method used for identifying potential funding
resources. Internet searches for available funding utilized a combination of key terms
such as “natural resources,” “grants,” and “funding.” Web sites used to locate grant
opportunities included DSIRE.org (http://www.dsireusa.org/), Grants.gov
(http://www.grants.gov/), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/index.html), Minnesota Grants
(http://www.grants.state.mn.us/public/home.jsp), and the US Fish and Wildlife
Service (http://www.fws.gov/grants/).
Interviews of City Officials and Staff
Understanding city officials’ and staff natural resource policy priorities provides
direction and support when formulating management policy alternatives. We used
four approaches for gathering this information: a group meeting, an interview session,
a conference call, and three phone interviews. Discussion with city staff provided
opportunities to obtain specific information and get insight into policy goals and
objectives. An initial 1.5 hour meeting with staff occurred on September 13, 2012, at
Golden Valley City Hall. This meeting offered us an opportunity to meet and speak
with six city officials, ask questions to better define the project goals, and listen to
officials’ input regarding the city’s current natural resource management issues and
policies. An interview session with four city staff members on October 9, 2012, at
Golden Valley City Hall provided an opportunity to ask specific questions about
Golden Valley’s vision for natural resource management policy, discuss issues to be
8
addressed by policy, and discuss effectiveness of current policy. We used a one-hour
conference call with three city staff members on October 15, 2012, to provide greater
understanding and focus regarding current management practices and policies,
funding needs for the city, and suggestions for project deliverables. Three Golden
Valley city officials each provided additional insight during three separate phone
interviews conducted on October 24, 26, and 27, 2012 (Appendix J). In total, we
spoke with three city officials and nine staff members (Appendix K). We analyzed
the interview data for common themes, current challenges, and resource needs.
Findings
The Absence of a Comprehensive Natural Resource Plan Can Lead to
Suboptimal Outcomes for the City of Golden Valley
In practice, Golden Valley has taken many positive steps in natural resource
management. Their commitment to sound natural resource management is evident in
many of their practices. However, Golden Valley’s current natural resource practices
lack a comprehensive framework. Instead, policies dealing with natural resources
are intermixed into city ordinances or not written down. A review of Golden
Valley’s city code found limited ordinances referencing natural resource topics,
which were for the most part limited to shade tree diseases, shoreline management,
fertilizer application, and certain zoning requirements (Appendix L). The city has
outlined a number of great environmental goals, such as those outlined in the
Envision Golden Valley project. But because there is no overarching framework for
natural resource policy, the city does not have a clear source to guide management
and provide direction for the city’s natural resource goals. This leads to confusion
among residents when changes in the community, environment, and economy
necessitate modifications in current management practices. This uncertainty toward
city initiatives is in part a result of a limited understanding of the reasoning behind
changes in current practice. As a result, changes are sometimes received unfavorably
by the community because they are contrary or exterior to their expectations.
For example, city workers are in the practice of removing only some downed trees
from wooded areas while leaving others. City staff reported that this practice has
upset some residents, who would like to have all the downed trees removed and
prefer a “clean forest.” Because there is no official policy setting the expectation of
the removal of downed trees, city staff is left to justify which ones to remove on a
case by case basis. This opens the door for conflict between residents and managers
regarding preferred management practices. A comparative analysis of practices for
tree planting found on Golden Valleys Urban Forestry website were similar to those
of other communities. When the analysis took into consideration communities with
natural resource management plans in place, the main difference appeared to be that
9
these examples provided more detail on the reasoning and goals for the practices
(Appendix M).
The lack of a comprehensive natural resource plan leaves the city vulnerable to
current and emerging natural resource issues. For example, some natural resource
ordinances, such as the city code concerning invasive species, are outdated and do not
address more recent threats. Section 10.50 of the city code goes into great detail
regarding the Dutch elm beetle and oak wilt fungus, but makes no mention of the
current or anticipated species troubling the city. Through discussions with city
officials, we’ve learned that the primary exotic species of concern in 2012 are
European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
as well as herbivore species such as emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis).
However, these species are not mentioned in the city code, leaving managers without
policy support to effectively and efficiently address these emerging threats.
Additionally, outdated ordinances can lead to management that relies on a reactive
approach to policy. City managers are unable to address the problem beforehand,
forcing them to mitigate damages after they have occurred. Once again the
comparative analysis of policy from other communities revealed that Golden Valley
is not alone in this approach. Nearby communities, whether they had a natural
resource management plan or not, focused heavily on Dutch elm disease and oak wilt
in their city ordinances to comply with a federal grant program for those diseases.
Expanding the comparison to a national level found Columbus, Ohio, with a broad
policy encompassing all current threats while providing clear understanding of the
city’s intent (Appendix M).
This reactive approach is evident in other city policies. After interviewing city
officials, it is clear that, in some cases, Golden Valley has taken a functional and
reactive approach to natural resource policy (Appendix N). For example, the Deer
Management Task Force was created only after the public actively complained about
property damages resulting from a growing deer population. Had the city created a
policy to manage the growing population beforehand, damage to property may have
been reduced and expectations regarding the city’s role compared to private
responsibilities made clearer.
These examples demonstrate that the city is taking great measures to manage their
natural resources. However, the absence of a comprehensive plan is keeping them
from achieving an optimal outcome and limiting the efficiency of these measures.
Communication and Education are Essential Components of Natural
Resource Policy
Natural resource programs tend to be successful when multiple methods of
communication and education are used to help achieve program goals, based on a
review of the Golden Valley city website and seven interviews conducted with
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Golden Valley officials and staff. The City of Golden Valley uses a variety of
effective strategies and tools to distribute its messages and to receive input from
citizens. They do so mainly through publications, website, cable TV, and media
relations (City of Golden Valley, 2012). Residents rely on Golden Valley’s bimonthly
CityNews newsletter and website to keep informed. Available online and mailed to
every resident, the city uses the newsletter to inform and educate community
members on how their tax dollars are being spent. This maintains a level of
transparency that the city wants to provide for its community members. As of 2012,
CityNews is mailed to about 12,500 homes and businesses (City of Golden Valley,
2012).
Interviews with city officials and staff demonstrated that Golden Valley
recognizes the role communication and education have in achieving successful
local government activities. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of the city’s
communication and education efforts can be found in three successful natural
resource programs: The Leaf Drop-Off, recycling, and Inflow and Infiltration
programs. City officials have recognized these programs as examples where
communication enabled the success of a natural resource policy.
Leaf Drop-Off Program
Golden Valley’s CityNews newsletter and city website are an integral part of the Leaf
Drop-Off program’s success. The newsletter and website inform residents about
drop-off rules and guidelines, dates, times, locations, and volunteer opportunities. In
addition, articles in the newsletter educate residents on the environmental
implications of leaves left to enter local water bodies and storm sewer systems. The
Fall Leaf Drop-Off has been part of Golden Valley’s recycling program since 1991
and provides residents a monitored site to dispose of their leaves at no charge (City of
Golden Valley, 2001). In 2012, more than 750 vehicles dropped off leaves at
Brookview Park during the first day of the city’s leaf drop-off event (City of Golden
Valley, 2012).
Recycling Program
The city used multiple media sources to inform and educate Golden Valley citizens
about major changes to the recycling program in 2012. Starting in 2011, newsletters,
cable TV public service announcements, and the city’s website were used to inform
and educate residents about the new program’s convenience, potential cost savings,
and list of acceptable recyclables. As a result of their efforts, the city received two
awards of merit in the 2012 Northern Lights Contest sponsored by the Minnesota
Association of Government Communicators. The communications plan—“‘New
Year. New Program. Never Easier.’ Recycling Transition Marketing Plan”—which
was developed to inform Golden Valley recycling customers about the major changes
coming to the program in January 2012, was honored with an award in the Marketing
or Advertising Plan category. The other award of merit the City of Golden Valley
received was in the Video-Public Service Announcement category for “The New
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Guy,” a set of 30-second cable TV public service announcement commercials about
the city’s changing recycling program (City of Golden Valley, 2012).
Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) Program
Effective communication and education were critical in fostering acceptance of the
city’s Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) program. For example, compliance requirements
of the I&I program were controversial for residents, who faced additional monthly
utility bill charges and possible loss of water service for noncompliance. To inform
and educate residents and business owners about the problems associated with I&I,
and the financial and environmental implications of doing nothing, the city used
multiple media sources. Sources included newsletters, educational videos and
handouts, community meetings, press releases, and its website. As a result of these
efforts, the City of Golden Valley earned national recognition for its Inflow and
Infiltration Communications Plan when the American Public Works Association
(APWA) presented the city’s Public Works and Communications Departments with
the 2012 Exceptional Performance Award for Journalism. Since the program’s
inception in 2005, Golden Valley has seen a steady decrease in city-wide inflow and
infiltration, suggesting the program has been effective (City of Golden Valley, 2012).
Although current communication methods have proven to be successful, city
staff indicates there is still a need for greater communication efforts regarding
natural resource management issues. For example, city staff found that private
residents and businesses were not maintaining stormwater ponds to the required
standards of care. Staff cited a lack of understanding of the details of these
agreements as a root cause of this disconnect. To address this, the city mentioned that
improved communication would be a potential remedy. In another example, city staff
expressed the need to reduce the amount of turfgrass on city property and increase the
amount of low-maintenance, native vegetation. This would provide the dual benefit
of reduced maintenance costs and improved ecological health. However, this idea has
been met with resistance from some residents who perceive native vegetation areas as
aesthetically unpleasant or poorly managed wild areas. Golden Valley staff believes
the stormwater compliance and turfgrass management issues would benefit from
more effective communication among city staff, residents, and businesses to foster
discussion about management activities.
As of 2012, policy outlining the city’s communication goals, objectives, and
monitoring methods for Golden Valley has not been formally established. Instead, the
city relies on direct feedback via phone calls and emails from community members to
gage communication effectiveness. City staff spoke of a need for funding to monitor
the effectiveness of newsletters, educational signs along waterways and trails,
brochures, and other methods of communication and education. Staff acknowledged
that although the newsletter is mailed to every postal customer in the city, including
businesses, the newsletter has not been the most effective way of reaching smaller
businesses. To address this, the city has been collaborating on a program called Open
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to Business, enabling the city to identify smaller businesses and ask which methods
and tools work best for more effective communication.
While there are multiple examples of Golden Valley’s success in communicating
natural resource policies, other areas show opportunity for greater and more effective
communication.
Recommendations
In moving toward their natural resource goals, we suggest Golden Valley take three
courses of action that will aid in this effort. First, we recommend Golden Valley
create a natural resource management plan. Having this plan will provide support and
direction for natural resources management, and prepare the city for impending
natural resource challenges. Second, we recommend Golden Valley expand efforts to
engage and educate the community on natural resource issues through plan
development. Doing this will help to encourage creative problem solving, mutual
understanding, and community ownership of policies. Lastly, we recommend Golden
Valley utilize available funding, partnerships, and other external resource
opportunities. Using these resources will allow the city to pursue initiatives that may
not be plausible without additional resources. Each of these suggestions is designed
to assist Golden Valley in achieving their natural resource goals.
Recommendation 1: Create a Comprehensive Natural Resource
Management Plan to Establish Goals and Expectations
If the City of Golden Valley hopes to reach its natural resource goals, a
comprehensive natural resource plan is essential. It is crucial to support
management needs, address emerging natural resource challenges, and provide
targets that will move the city toward its goals, assist with organizing
management efforts, and encourage a collaborative and proactive approach to
natural resources (Appendix N). By codifying practices into policies and updating
the ordinances and policies that are already in place, Golden Valley could begin the
process of writing a natural resource management plan in an attempt to facilitate
efforts to improve community engagement and utilize external funding sources and
partnerships.
Make current management activities official policies. As a first step in creating a
natural resource management plan, Golden Valley can evaluate making their current
management practices official policies. Many of the city’s current natural resource
practices are similar to cities with published comprehensive natural resource plans.
For example, Golden Valley is already employing practices such as matching trees to
sites and considering future issues when planting new trees. These expert decisions
are being made with consideration for diversity to combat invasive species and future
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ecosystem health, but these values and criteria are not part of a written policy.
Providing the reasoning for management decisions and practices can increase
public understanding of them. In addition, written criteria for management
decisions set expectations for what residents will receive and what managers will
provide. The city’s practice of leaving downed trees in wooded areas to support
healthier ecosystems aligns with their natural resource management practices. But,
because current management practices have been altered from past methods, this has
been met with some resistance from residents, who prefer these trees be removed. By
putting practices, such as this, into writing, the tension that may have existed could be
alleviated.
Review and update existing ordinances and policies. Another initial step in
creating a natural resource plan could be to update the city’s codes to make them
relevant to current issues. Updating policies, such as the invasive species code in
Section 10.50, could better prepare the city for current and emerging threats such as
buckthorn, emerald ash borer, and the fast approaching, maple-loving long-horned
beetle (Section 10.50 in Appendix L). For example, city staff has acknowledged a
misunderstanding of regulatory authority due to outdated ordinances, such as the
aforementioned invasive species code. To avoid passing new codes for each emerging
threat, the city code could reference an official list of invasive species, which could
be updated regularly. This could clarify any misconceptions about the authority the
city possesses to address future issues by making ordinances broader and more
inclusive.
Begin drafting a comprehensive natural resource management plan. As a long
term goal Golden Valley can begin drafting a natural resource management plan that
incorporates clear statements of intent, review of existing policies and practices,
aggregated inventories, evaluation of priority opportunities for activity, evaluation of
educational value for residents, assessment of opportunities for partnerships, and
identification of data needs. Appendix O illustrates a summarized table of contents
for what a natural resource management plan could include (Section 4 in Appendix
O).
In creating a natural resource management plan, the city will have to decide between
making policies specific or general. This decision will have implications on the way
these policies are executed and could largely influence their outcome. Creating
specific policies can help to guide management actions and ensure that goals are
achieved using a preferred method. This may be desirable when predictability is an
important aspect of a process or outcome. For example, in the city’s tree-removal
program, a specific policy detailing the situations when a tree would or would not be
removed could provide predictability to both citizens and managers, encouraging
smoother relations.
Similarly, general policies can have their own advantages. When a policy outlines a
clear but general objective, while leaving flexible the methods of achieving that
14
objective, managers are able to use creative solutions to reach the end goal. This
allows managers to address policy issues in a way that best fits the unique situation.
This type of policy works best when the city wants to achieve a goal but wants
managers, familiar with the issue dynamics, to use their own discretion to reach the
goal. For example, the city might create a policy mandating a gradual annual
reduction in the amount of mowed turfgrass, while leaving open the methods to
achieving the reduction. This would allow city managers to find creative solutions
that best fit site circumstances.
Challenges
Writing a natural resource plan can be time and labor intensive. Creating a politically
acceptable plan that captures the city’s desired policies demands research and
coordination with many stakeholders, including city officials, citizens, and
businesses. This is possibly one reason why the city has not created a plan thus far.
As a first step toward writing a natural resource plan, the city could begin by
identifying an individual who would be well-suited to spearhead the effort. This
individual should have a good perspective of both the city’s natural resource issues
and practices. Ideally, this person would also have positive connections with the
primary actors involved in governing the city’s natural resources, including city
managers, policymakers, and citizens. It may be appropriate to assign a support team
to this lead manager that could augment their expertise and support their efforts. The
city may also consider hiring a planner, for the short term, with experience in writing
natural resource plans. Another great source of experience might lie in individuals
who were involved in writing the city’s comprehensive plan, as they may be familiar
with the process of writing a plan and with the key actors involved.
While creating and supporting such an effort may demand additional resources from
the city, it is important to view this time and labor as an initial investment that will
generate returns for years to come. Having a well-conceived plan can save the city
time, effort, and potentially bring in additional sources of revenue. For example,
having a plan will reduce managers’ time explaining practices on a case-by-case
basis, such as in the tree removal program.
Another benefit of developing a comprehensive natural resource plan is that it could
help the city qualify for additional funding from grants. Many grants, including the
Minnesota Clean Water Fund, require a natural resource plan (Appendix P). For those
grants that do not require a comprehensive plan, having a plan could still save the city
time because grant writers could adapt project ideas from the comprehensive plan.
Such a plan could give the city a competitive edge when applying for outside funding
resources.
Furthermore, a plan containing a policy to minimize mowing, while protecting
multiple-use benefits of vegetation, could save city workers time. A successful
instance of this type of policy occurred in Columbus, Ohio. When faced with budget
15
cuts resulting from widespread economic downturn, the city sought to find ways to
effectively reduce their grounds maintenance requirements. City managers completed
an evaluation of all regional, community, and neighborhood parks, categorizing each
one based on their level of use and development, and potential for conservation of
natural resources and wildlife habitat. Once completed, the city targeted areas where
vegetation could potentially be shifted from turf grasses to more native vegetation in
order to reduce the maintenance necessary to manage the park in question. As a result
of the city’s efforts, mowing acres within Columbus parks were reduced by 40%,
drastically reducing the maintenance requirements for city staff.
While time and resources are important factors in creating a plan, the most important
reason to write a natural resource plan is that it will move Golden Valley forward
toward its natural resource goals. A natural resource plan will help guide
management practices and decisions, prepare the city for developing natural
resource challenges, and provide the necessary support to ensure Golden Valley
continues to benefit from its natural resources in the decades to come.
A proactive approach to natural resource policy is beneficial because it allows for the
avoidance of risk, coordinates management activities, and makes individual
management activities more efficient and effective.
Recommendation 2: Expand the Methods Used to Engage the
Community in Order to Foster Ownership of Policies
Although Golden Valley already incorporates public deliberation in its planning
process, a similar approach has not always been taken when implementing and
formulating new natural resource policies and management efforts. The natural
environment presents unique challenges when it comes to policy making because the
goods and services it provides are a matter of diverse public interest. Because the
positive and negative effects of natural resource management strategies cannot be
contained by city borders, jurisdiction over them is shared across many governmental
scales. Standards for the quality and management of natural resources are subject to
regulation by federal and state agencies, watershed organizations, and regional
planning bodies alike, each of which has some authority over the standards and
practices maintained within municipalities. As a result, municipalities, such as
Golden Valley, are often forced to quickly implement new policies or management
practices in order to comply with standards imposed upon them by these larger
governing bodies. Consequently, in many municipalities, sufficient public
deliberation is oftentimes perceived as not feasible or too cumbersome when tasked
with the implementation of new standards or practices.
To overcome these challenges the city can consider two approaches to enhance the
public ownership of policies and ease their implementation:
16
1.Engage all affected stakeholders.
2. Utilize frequent communication and outreach.
Engage all affected stakeholders. Whenever possible, engage all affected
stakeholders in the policymaking process in order to further community
ownership of future natural resource policy. Community comments on purposed
policies are best when they are representative of the community overall and done in
both the creation and implementation stages (Section 1 in Appendix N). Thus far, the
city’s most effective natural resource management programs have utilized some form
of communication during the program’s formulation process. Most frequently, this
was achieved through public hearings, town hall meetings, or key informant
interviews. For example, the deer management program was subject to much public
discussion prior to its formalization. To further the success of the engagement efforts,
it is essential that efforts be made to engage with all relevant stakeholders during the
formulation of policy alternatives. This contrasts with the current approach, which
allows for public comment on alternatives that are predetermined by city managers.
In order to foster better communication and create more robust alternatives, managers
can involve stakeholders during the formulation meetings. Some have found that
frequent interaction among all stakeholders at this early stage can result in a better
understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities presented by policy
solutions for natural resource problems (Shiferaw et al., 2009). These meetings can
also provide mutual understanding of diverse stakeholders’ perspectives, which can
lead to the formulation of more acceptable policies by allowing managers to share
information with stakeholders on policy and management alternatives, thereby
reducing conflict over misinformation. This can reduce stakeholder concerns about
potential costs and barriers resulting from changes in management practices,
allowing them to make a more informed judgment on the purposed alternative policy
or management practice (Wolsink, 2010). In addition, it helps to raise awareness of
specific concerns that different stakeholders may have, which allows these concerns
to be taken into consideration when formulating a new policy. This approach aims at
reaching a consensus among all relevant stakeholder groups, or at least understanding
of the tradeoffs among different alternatives, so that the resulting policy has increased
ownership by individuals and groups involved (Appendix Q). As a result of the
discourse-based formulation process, the stakeholders have an increased sense of
ownership within the community, and of its plans and policies. This use of
collaborative and participatory approaches in policy making can lead to creative
problem-solving, social ownership, and mutual understanding. Each of these
factors can effectively ease the adoption and acceptance of new natural resource
management policies and practices.
To help facilitate this collaborative approach to policy formulation, we recommend
that the city use the checklist for mutually acceptable policymaking as a general set
of criteria to help create the appropriate conditions for future meetings with the public
(Appendix R). This checklist contains indicators of effective collaboration, viability
of policy alternatives, and likelihood of policy adoption. It can be a useful tool to
17
design and evaluate the effectiveness of the policy formulation process and identify
opportunities for improvement. This is one example of a first step in reflection that
Golden Valley can take toward refining the policymaking process within the city.
Another key step to further the success of public engagement meetings, beyond use of
the acceptable policymaking checklist, is to approach relevant stakeholders and
encourage them to come to the table during the formulation process. This could be
accomplished through an advertisement in the newsletter, email, or phone call. This
gesture on the part of city staff could have significant benefits in that they help to
increase the likelihood that a majority of stakeholders will be present. This is
important because it helps to create a more accurate representation of the
community’s diverse perspectives on the policy problem from the start, supporting a
more informed and effective collaborative process. Having relevant stakeholders
present from the start reduces the likelihood of a policy or practice being rejected by
a subset of the community, saving time and energy on the part of policymakers and
managers in the long run by decreasing their time spent mitigating community
resistance after implementation.
Challenges
Public engagement is deceptive in that it seems like it should be a relatively simple
process. In a perfect world, an announcement or email from staff to residents and
businesses would be enough to bring stakeholders to the table to discuss a problem in
the community, and a mutual interest in finding a solution to that problem would be
enough for a consensus to be reached. Realistically though, it is evident that this is
not the case. The collaborative approach to policy making can be time consuming and
work intensive. The coordination, planning, and facilitation of community
engagement events, takes time and energy from staff that are already taxed for these
resources. Even when the best efforts are made to identify community members who
need to be involved during the formulation of a new policy, there is no way to
guarantee that they will take part in that process. Furthermore, there is no way to
ensure that a collaborative process will ever result in a resolution. Ultimately, each of
these factors can make the collaborative approach to policymaking seem futile
(Daniels, 2001).
Despite these challenges, it is essential that Golden Valley consider taking a
collaborative approach when developing its future policies. One strategy to help
reduce the burden on staff in the collaborative process would be to recruit community
members to facilitate outreach events. Retirees are ideal candidates for meeting
facilitators because they generally are knowledgeable about the institutional history
of the community, have an understanding of the residents’ norms and expectations,
and some retirees have facilitation experience they have gained in business or
community organizations (Creighton, 2005). This makes them especially effective
meeting facilitators since they already understand the primary concerns, interest, and
sensitive issues within the community. This allows them to carefully craft their
approach to the discussion of certain topics, guiding away from conflict and toward
18
mutual understanding. In addition, retirees coming from the baby boomer generation
are often highly skilled and frequently possess the time and desire to take part in
collaborative efforts (Creighton, 2005). Allowing these key community members to
help lead the facilitation process can save time, energy, and resources of city staff
that otherwise would be forced to hire external facilitators or complete the task
themselves.
Another strategy for public engagement would be to go to the neighborhoods within
the community to hold stakeholder meetings. Common places like recreation centers,
churches, or even a large household setting have the potential to make great spaces
for collaborative discussions. Reducing the time and planning needed by residents to
get to city hall or another facility, can greatly increase the likelihood of people
showing up to take part in the policy formulation process. To further this effect, city
managers should be sure to hold some meetings after work hours in order to allow for
working individuals, parents, and small business owners to attend outreach events.
Ultimately this allows for more of the community’s needs and diverse opinions to be
voiced during the collaborative process, thereby resulting in a better understanding of
the differing perspectives on the policy problem in question (Creighton, 2005).
Community engagement is integral to good policymaking because, by its most
rudimentary definition, a policy is a purposeful course of action. Allowing the
community to take part in the creation of this course of action generally leads to
better representation of their concerns and ideals. Community engagement
encourages a more positive perception of the policymaking process by showing
residents that they have an active voice in the collaborative process that is heard,
understood, and respected. This ultimately encourages a sense of ownership in the
community, increasing volunteerism, likelihood of future participation, and
investment in the community itself. In the long run, this can ease the implementation
process, generate better outcomes, and most importantly, save staff time and energy
that would have otherwise been spent mitigating community resistance to a new
policy or practice.
Utilize frequent communication and outreach. When public participation is not
feasible, the City of Golden Valley can benefit from frequent communication and
outreach to inform and educate the general public on why standards have been
implemented and how they are beneficial to resident’s well being, city management,
and natural resources in general.
Golden Valley has proven that it already possesses effective mechanisms to
communicate with its residents. Golden Valley’s CityNews newsletter, website, and
publications have been integral to the successful implementation of new programs
and standards such as the previously mentioned Leaf-Drop-Off, Recycling, and
Inflow and Infiltration programs. Thus far, when city policy makers and managers
have been required to implement a new policy by the state or other governing body,
city communications staff has made efforts to educate and inform the public about the
19
implications this policy or standard will have on their day-to-day lives, and benefits it
will offer society. This has allowed residents to begin shifting their expectations of
city management practices, thereby increasing their understanding of the change.
Ultimately, this has helped to ease the adoption of new practices, policies, and
requirements.
This approach could also be taken when policies or programs that are already in place
within the city are not being complied with. Lack of compliance often results from
insufficient understanding of the requirements of a program or policy.
Communication and outreach focused on education can help to overcome this
disconnect in understanding. By utilizing the wealth of communication tools that
are already available, Golden Valley could increase the effectiveness of the
natural resource programs and policies which are already established. This can
be a cost effective and time efficient strategy, ultimately helping advance Golden
Valley toward its goal for reaching sustainability.
One first step to accomplishing this would be to create a new column in the city
newsletter. This column could be entitled “On the Horizon” and include a summary
of the policy or practice, the associated requirements for residents and businesses, the
reasoning behind its implementation, and the benefits that will be gained by the
community from compliance. In general, this would act as an advisory of sorts to
residents, who could seek out more information if they have any concerns or
questions.
Natural resource programs tend to be successful when multiple methods of
communication and engagement are used to help achieve program goals. The City of
Golden Valley currently uses a variety of effective strategies and tools to distribute its
messages out and to receive input from citizens. However, they could benefit from
expanding the methods currently being used. Engaging all affected stakeholders
throughout the policymaking process and utilizing communication and outreach in all
steps of said process will help foster ownership of the new policies and programs.
Recommendation 3: Use External Sources of Funding and Partnerships
for Planning and Policy Initiatives
External sources of funding and partnerships can help fill in resource gaps and
support efforts that are beyond the scope of a single municipality. The City of Golden
Valley has had difficulties moving some projects forward, extensively monitoring the
progress of past projects, and efficiently enforcing regulations, especially related to
stormwater management. City staff identified a lack of time, money, and resources as
barriers to achieving the desired goals. For example, currently, time-consuming tasks,
such as turf grass management, are the dominant warm-weather activity for natural
resource staff. The city also has few options for increasing its budget to expand its
staff or initiate new projects. This creates challenges as the city works to achieve
20
economic and managerial sustainability (Appendix S). External funding sources
and partnerships, combined with city resources, can be effective to initiate new
management practices and/or pool resources to achieve common goals.
As expressed in multiple interviews with Golden Valley officials and staff, there is a
need for external funding to support initiatives. Based on the availability of a wide
range of grants and funding opportunities, incorporating external funding into project
proposals and planning could aid in alleviating some of the city’s budget concerns.
One method the city could utilize to address these concerns would be to require
project proposals to include a list of external funding sources the city or project
qualifies for. A search for external funding sources could be a part of the preliminary
planning process before the project could be approved. For example, a proposed
prairie restoration project to reduce turfgrass maintenance would need to include a
list of grants that could cover the costs of the project. This could help the city identify
potential projects that would otherwise not be financially feasible, given the city’s
current funds and resources. Using external funding to support future projects could
allow the city to implement initiatives and continue their natural resource
management efforts.
There are a number of ways the city can go about doing this. In interviews, city staff
identified six specific areas that the city needs external funding: invasive species
management, wildlife habitat, prairie restoration, shoreline enhancement, stormwater
management, and water reuse. There was general agreement among city officials and
staff that forest management was sufficiently funded at this point in time. After
conducting a search of online grant databases such as DSIRE.org
(http://www.dsireusa.org/), Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/), Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/index.html),
Minnesota Grants (http://www.grants.state.mn.us/public/home.jsp), and the US Fish
and Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/grants/), we found funding sources for all
six areas of interest (Appendix P). These grants are ones that Golden Valley already
qualifies for, or if they do not, the city would need to take minimal steps to qualify.
The grants that were examined offered a wide range of monetary awards. For smaller
projects, such as community gardens, the amount may be anywhere from $100 to
$1,000. For grants that are meant to support larger initiatives, such as invasive
species control or stormwater management, the amount awarded could be up to
$500,000. The grants are mostly designed to facilitate infrastructure improvement,
community engagement, or education initiatives.
Additionally, grant programs frequently require that an educational component
be incorporated in the grant request and demonstrate a preference for programs
that incorporate education even when not required. Therefore, incorporating
education into potential projects makes it easier to obtain external funding. Even the
initial grant searches showed that incorporating educational efforts is required or at
least preferred criteria for almost one-third of the funding opportunities. A majority
of the grant criteria focus the educational programming on elementary schools or
21
younger children. However, a few focus on the educational programming for
community members and businesses (Appendix P). Therefore, Golden Valley would
benefit from partnering with local schools to implement educational efforts in
coordination with future projects. Beyond increasing the likelihood of obtaining
external funding, such partnerships will encourage environmental stewardship in the
younger generations.
To address the issue of limited time that Golden Valley staff has described and to
increase the number of hours available for new projects, without stretching funding
even more, the city can take advantage of undergraduate and graduate students in the
Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Many students are looking for experience in their
field and some are able to work as unpaid interns for a period of time. Using interns
from local universities and community colleges will free up some time commitments
required for new projects as full time staff is already overcommitted. An additional
benefit that students bring to the city is fresh ideas and perspectives. The city can also
work with individual classes to get more extensive help on specific projects. For
example, classes at the University of Minnesota may require service learning hours
which are to be completed through outside agencies or projects. Courses may also
spend a class period volunteering to remove invasive species or to inventory species
at a park. Extending an invitation to surrounding universities and developing specific
internship opportunities that can be posted with a college Career and Internship
Center can aid the city in completing some of the necessary but rather time intensive
tasks.
In some cases, the city has tasks that would be better completed by outside agencies
or additional employees. However, due to budget concerns mentioned earlier, the
City of Golden Valley may not have the funding or need for a full position. In order
to address this, the city could consider partnering with surrounding cities, which may
be running into the same issue. For example, Golden Valley has previously hired and
shared a web/graphic designer with the City of Hopkins to revamp the websites. This
type of partnership can be used for a number of other projects as well. For example,
Golden Valley could partner with a few cities to hire a shared employee that can
serve as a grant writer for all of the cities involved or hire an individual to analyze
monitoring data for stormwater ponds in several cities.
Similarly, the process of writing new policies or brainstorming ways to address
certain issues can be time consuming and occasionally daunting. However, there are
cities that may have already addressed the same issue. Golden Valley could use
examples from other cities for ideas on how to face challenges and incorporate them
into policy. The city can modify language from policies adopted by other cities when
writing their own. A number of examples from surrounding cities, other cities within
the 7-county Metro Area, and cities from across the country are summarized in the
Appendix M. These examples are related to areas that the city has mentioned as areas
lacking policy and/or programs.
22
Challenges
Of course, utilizing external sources for funding and partnership will present some
challenges along with the benefits. Each opportunity described will require time to
implement. Any grant application takes time and skill to write and send in, which can
present frustrations, especially when the monetary award is not guaranteed. Also,
ensuring that Golden Valley is qualified to receive the grant will take time and effort
on the part of the staff.
If the city decided to hire internships of any sort or partner with a college-level course
on a specific project, the necessary coordination would also require the staffs’ time.
Although hired interns would be able to help accomplish specific tasks and projects,
the staff would also need to provide an element of training and education. Similarly,
any partnership Golden Valley pursues, whether with an educational facility or
another city, will require coordination and cooperation between organizations in
order to ensure that all involved parties are sharing both the costs and benefits.
Applying for and obtaining grants has a unique set of barriers. Some of the
qualification criteria for grants can require that specific policies or plans be in place.
A comprehensive natural resource plan would help the city qualify for additional
funding from grants. As mentioned previously, many grants, including the Minnesota
Clean Water Fund, require a natural resource plan. For those grants that do not
require a comprehensive plan, having a plan would still save the city time because
grant writers could adapt projects plans from the natural resource plan. In general,
such a plan would give the city a competitive edge when applying for outside funding
resources.
Furthermore, most grants are meant to address start-up costs. With many projects and
policy initiatives, the majority of associated costs are incurred in the beginning
stages. Therefore, any grants obtained would cover a significant portion of any
associated costs. However, Golden Valley will still need to ensure the sustainability
of the project over time, both in terms of time and funding. Budget allotments and a
potential increase in the tax base will have to be evaluated in order to address the
monetary challenges of sustaining initiatives.
For example, to obtain a portion of the funding to cover the initial costs for installing
a prairie restoration area, Golden Valley could apply for the Native Plant
Conservation Initiative (Invasive Species in Appendix P). The criteria that needs to
be met in order to gain the funding is to involve multiple partnerships, provide
conservation benefit for native plants, and use innovative ideas, such as teaching by
example. Addressing turfgrass management by using prairie restoration would
incorporate the native plant conservation aspect required by this grant. Partnering
with local schools, as Report #4/7 in this series recommends, could meet the criteria
of involving multiple partnerships and using innovative ideas. Another requirement
of the Native Plant Conservation Initiative is to find matching nonfederal funding.
The city could meet this criterion by partnering with Prairie Restoration or could
23
explore a partnership with local corporations, such as General Mills. By doing so,
Golden Valley would enhance their qualifications in terms of involving multiple
partnerships.
Golden Valley already has active partnerships with individuals, businesses and
organizations within the community who support city activities. For new initiatives,
city managers could continue this practice and identify and contact key stakeholders
within the community to establish new partnerships. For example, residents,
educational institutions, or religious organizations located in close proximity to new
prairie areas could be contacted about collaborating on initial establishment of the
prairie area. City staff could propose the idea of community-based partnerships to
establish education opportunities. These partnerships can be developed to
encourage community involvement, support city goals, and help establish
volunteer organizations within the community. In turn, this could reduce some of
the city’s financial and management burdens by asking community volunteers to
maintain prairie areas once initial external funding is exhausted. (See other reports in
this series for expanded examples of partnerships.)
Although barriers do exist in terms of using external sources for funding and
partnerships, the benefits can make Golden Valley’s efforts worth it. Gaining the
extra funding as well as the additional time and resources, partnerships can help
alleviate some of the city’s concerns about limited time, funding, and resources.
Thus, the city would be able to pursue desired natural resource initiatives that
reinforce progressive efforts the city has already made.
Conclusion
Golden Valley has already taken great steps to protect and enhance its natural
resource amenities. After spending three months working on city issues, it has
become clear to us that Golden Valley has taken steps as a leader in natural resource
management. The recommendations provided in this report are designed to help the
city continue moving forward toward its goals. By utilizing the benefits of policy, the
city can present a unified vision for natural resource management and supply the
means for reaching that vision.
24
References
City of Golden Valley. 2012. City Manager's Department.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/departments/citymanager/index.php#communica
tions (accessed November 5, 2012).
City of Golden Valley. n.d. City of Golden Valley: Business.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/about/business.php (accessed October 10, 2012).
City of Golden Valley. n.d. City of Golden Valley: History.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/about/history.php (accessed Sep 23, 2012).
City of Golden Valley. n.d. City of Golden Valley: Comprehensive Plan.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/planning/comprehensiveplan/index.php
(accessed Sep 23, 2012)City of Minneapolis. Sustainability Indicators. October
11, 2012. http://www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/indicators/WCMS1P-
087163 (accessed November 18, 2012).
City of Golden Valley. 2012. City Receives National Award For Communicating
Public Works Issues.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/newsarchive/index.php/2012/09/21/city-
receives-national-award-for-communicating-public-works-issues/.
City of Golden Valley. 2012. City Recognized for Communications Work.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/newsarchive/index.php/2012/06/28/city-
recognized-for-communications-work/.
City of Golden Valley. 2012. CityNews Newsletter.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/news/publications/citynews/index.php (accessed
November 5, 2012).
City of Golden Valley. 2013. Fall Leaf Drop-Off Continues Nov 2 - 3.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/newsarchive/index.php/2012/10/30/fall-leaf-
drop-off-continues-nov-2-3/.
City of Golden Valley. 2001. Fall Leaf Drop-Off Is Set. Golden Valley CityNews,
September/October 2001: 4.
City of Minneapolis. 2012. Sustainability Indicators. October 11.
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/indicators/WCMS1P-087163
(accessed November 18, 2012).
CNN Money. 2012. Fortune 500. 2012.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/companies/H.html
(accessed October 10, 2012).
Constanza, R. 2000. Visions of alternative (unpredicatable) futures and their use in
policy analysis. Conservation Ecology 4(1): 5. [online] URL:
http://www.consecol.org/vol4/iss1/art5/
Creighton, J. 2005. The Public Participation Handbook Making Better Decisions
Through Citizen Involvement. San Fransico: Jossey-Bass.
Daniels, S., and G. Walker. 2001. Working Through Environmental Conflict The
Collaborative Learning Approach. Westport: Praeger.
d'Estries, M. 2011. Top Five Most Sustainable Cities in the World. G.E.
ecomagination Web Site. November 29. (accessed October 11, 2012).
25
Envision Golden Valley. A Shared Vision for Golden Valley’s Future. n.d.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/envision/guide/PDF/EnvisionReport.pdf
(accessed September 23, 2012).
Envision Golden Valley. 2012. Fall Leaf Drop-Off Continues Nov 2 - 3.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/newsarchive/index.php/2012/10/30/fall-leaf-
drop-off-continues-nov-2-3/.
Envision Golden Valley. 2001. Fall Leaf Drop-Off Is Set. Golden Valley CityNews,
September/October 2001:4.
Furman Green Scene. 20.11. The Most Sustainable Cities in the United States: Then
and Now. The Green Scene at Furman. July 8.
http://furmangreenscene.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/the-most-sustainable-cities-
in-the-united-states-then-and-now/.Generalized Land Use - Historical 1984,
1990, 1997, 2000, 2005 and 2010, for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area . 2010.
http://stats.metc.state.mn.us/metadata/landuse_hist_research.htm (accessed
October 10, 2012).
Generalized Land Use chart data for Golden Valley. 2010.
http://stats.metc.state.mn.us/profile/chartData.aspx?geog=02394924&level=CTU
&chart=landuse&commname=Golden Valley&type=Generalized Land
Use&meta=landuse_hist_research (accessed October 10, 2012).
Jakes, P., K. Nelson, S. Enzler, S. Burns, A. Cheng, V. Sturtevant, D. Williams, A.
Bujak, R. Brummel, S. Grayzeck-Souter, and E. Staychock. 2011. Community
wildfire protection planning: is the Healthy Forests Restoration Act’s vagueness
genius? International Journal of Wildland Fire 20:350-363.
Kaye, L. 2012. The 10 Emerging Sustainable Cities to Watch in 2012. Triple Pundit
Web Site. January 3. http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/top-10-sustainable-
cities-2012/.
Marchetti, P. 2011. San Francisco Nabs Most Sustainable City. Earth Techling Web
Site. July 7. http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/07/san-francisco-nabs-most-
sustainable-city/.
McNerney, T. 2012. Climate change issues. University of Wisconsin Sustainable
Management. http://taramcnerney.hubpages.com/hub/Worlds-Top-10-
Sustainable-Cities.Metropolitan Council. Community Profile for Golden Valley.
2011. http://stats.metc.state.mn.us/profile/detail.aspx?c=02394273 (accessed
October 10, 2012).
Shiferaw, B., J. Okello, and R. Reddy. 2009.Adoption and adaptation of natural
resource management innovations in smallholder agriculture: reflections on key
lessons and best practices. Sustainable Environmental Development 11:601-612.
Thompson, C. 2009. The 15 most sustainable U.S. cities. Grist Web Site. July 17.
http://grist.org/article/2009-07-16-sustainable-green-us-cities/full/.
Wolsink, M. 2010. Contested environmental policy infrastructure: socio-political
acceptance of renewable energy, water, and waste facilitate. Environmental
Impact Assessment Review 30:302-311.
26
Appendix A: Defining a Sustainable City
As we talk about how sustainable natural resource management fits for Golden
Valley, it is important to discuss the underlying motivation and see if there are other
areas where it is manifesting. Golden Valley’s commitment to environmentally
responsible governing is also shown in its commitment to green space, effective
recycling program, and an active community outreach and education program. As we
discuss the significance of these commitments, it might be useful to consider them in
context with other cities that have developed reputations as sustainable and
environmentally responsible. In a brief look at several publications that have
highlighted cities for their success in sustainable governing, a few themes are
common. Though there is not an all-encompassing standard, the following areas of
government action are widely identified as signifiers of a commitment to
sustainability; high portion of waste being recycled, commitment to green space,
employment of renewable energy, alternative means of transportation, efficient and
intelligent traffic and pedestrian lighting, participation in eco-certification programs,
local eco-ordinances, hosting environmentally responsible businesses and
organizations, and maintaining an active community outreach and education program.
Addressing these nine criteria can be used to guide a city towards sustainability.
Recycling
According to our sample set, top cities recycle more than 75% of their total waste.
Strategies for how their recycling programs work range from collector sorting, to
curbside pick-up, to community collection points. In these scenarios, cities are taking
advantage of varying levels of community interest in recycling by providing the
essential method of collection of recyclable materials. Generally speaking, a good
goal for cities that do their own sorting is around 75%, while only 50% is typical with
higher dependency on community participation.
Golden already has a successful recycling program where residents can just put all
their recyclable materials into one bin where it can be sorted later. Blue and Grey
bins can be seen along resident roadways every other Friday and essentially provide
self-advertising for the program.
Green Space
A city’s commitment to green and open space has a number of implications for city
planning. Depending on how this commitment is prioritized can guide and possibly
even significantly limit development that might accomplish other goals. As a
foundation however, a commitment to green and open space holds significant benefits
for residents’ quality of life. In short, ensuring residents have access to recreation
areas, protecting ecological systems that provide environmental services, and
conserving habitat and biodiversity all contribute to a community paradigm of
27
environmental responsibility. According to our sample set, cities tend to frame their
commitments in different ways. Some focus on spatial orientation of their parks,
making claims that there is a park within just a 10 minute walk of every resident.
Others describe their commitment in terms of ratio, stating that there are x square feet
of green space per resident. While both of these are great ways to frame a
commitment to green space as a benefit for residents, they fail to capture the
inefficiency of maintaining unused or inappropriately outfitted parks. Additionally,
they fail to incorporate the value of green space in the role of providing environment
services and as a benefit to resident’s quality of life when a space doesn’t provide
traditional park style recreation. For example, forest and prairie restoration are ways
to reduce park maintenance costs while directly contributing to habitat quality and
aesthetic value for residents.
Golden Valley currently has many parks, right of ways, natural spaces, and several
public areas along Basset Creek. According to the comprehensive plan, Golden
Valley identifies a commitment to green and open space that is reflective of 15 acres
per 1,000 residents, and a desire to increase this ratio over time. While 15 acres per
1,000 residents is an excellent standard, the comparison of numbers is slightly
ambiguous. Other cities in our sample set define similar commitments as more than
650 square feet per person. Although these ratios are quantifiably the same, the
framing of the relationship of green and open space to the individual resident has
implications for the proposition of value for such a commitment.
Renewable Energy
It is sometimes the case that cities are able to take advantage of renewable energy
sources simply because they are readily available. A city next to a river for instance,
is more likely to take advantage of hydroelectric power generation than one that has
only smaller rivers and creeks. Similarly, geothermal power is only available where
there are geothermal vents. Unlike these methods however, other sources can be
utilized wherever the opportunity presents itself. Cover crops and agricultural over
burden can provide good biofuels. Wind mills and solar panels can be installed
wherever there is space to do so. And although all of these methods pose challenges
that typically prevent them from being capable of supplying a city with all of its
energy needs, a significant commitment by a city to utilize these resources, and to
encourage its residents to follow, can earn a city its place as a leader in sustainability.
Golden Valley has an opportunity to play a significant role in encouraging its
residents to make use of solar energy both in leading by example and in creating
incentives. First, the installation of even a modest array on city property will inspire a
learning experience for both staff and residents. Additionally, renewable energy is
often compatible with commitments to reduce pollution and fuel consumption. As
with many new energy generation proposals, initial investments are a significant
obstacle for implementation. One solution that has shown success in reducing initial
28
investment requirements are bulk buy programs. Coordinating large purchase orders
for equipment and installation can reduce overall costs of providing similar
equipment in smaller scales. Another role Golden Valley can play is in the advocacy
and outreach of the usefulness of renewable energy through strategic placement of
literature and public statements. Lastly, creating incentives for residents and
businesses can be an effective way to persuade an increase of total generation of
energy from renewable sources.
Transportation
Another common element of city management that can create and enhance a
reputation for environmental responsibility is an active and deliberate effort to
provide and promote alternative means of transportation. Ensuring smart connectivity
of inter-city bus lines, hosting park-and-ride or carpooling meeting sites, and
designating bike lanes on existing roadways are three important ways that a city can
directly impact the number of cars on the road, total consumption of energy and fuel,
and total discharge of air-borne and other automotive pollutants. Standards for bike
lanes that were observed in our sample set are total distance and total daily users.
These standards are difficult to compare among cities since they are highly subjective
to existing road cover, resident population, and cultural trends. The key here is to
identify what roads have the capacity to include bike lanes safely, and then prioritize
those where cyclists are already observed.
Golden Valley has a tradition of attracting successful families who want to own their
own home and raise their families in a safe and beautiful environment. It is often the
case that these families commute to work and may even own several cars, one to meet
the needs of each individual family member. The goal here isn’t necessarily to
discourage vehicle ownership, but only to provide transportation options with the
goal of making transportation more efficient and reducing total discharge of
pollutants.
Traffic Signaling and Public Safety
Another significant demand for energy that is common for nearly all modern cities is
traffic signaling and street lighting. Since traffic signals are necessary for safe public
operation of motor vehicles, the only factor here is the efficiency of illumination.
Many cities are retrofitting old signals with new technology such as light emitting
diodes (LEDs). LED traffic signals are sometimes brighter and can be up to 90%
more efficient than older incandescent bulb signals. Another way traffic signals can
encourage sustainability is in controlling traffic in ways that reduce idling while
waiting for a light to change, and by reducing traffic congestion where signals don’t
seem to be coordinated. This can be accomplished with sensors that detect the
presence of cars at intersections, and by defining light change time intervals based on
recorded trends in traffic. Lastly, while ensuring street lighting at night is a valid
29
safety concern, an abundance of night lighting can be more than what is necessary to
deter opportunity crimes, and can contribute significantly to a city’s overall
electricity demands. Smart Lighting can help reduce this demand by reducing
illumination in early morning or by detecting when pedestrians are present.
Golden Valley has an opportunity to reduce total energy purchase and consumption,
reduce air-borne pollutants as a direct effect of electricity generation, reduce traffic
congestion, maintain low crime rates, and reduce light pollution for residents at night.
Eco-Certifications
Many cities have decided to enroll in various certification programs in order to
enhance their appeal to current and potential residents and businesses. One that is
present in Minnesota is Green Cities. Another that focusses on development is LEED.
A failure of some certification systems is that they do not identify cities that may be
persuing similar standards on their own but are not interested in the limited benefits
of certification. In these cases, it may be seen as a benefit to use certification
guidelines as a way to identify potential sustainability goals without the added
commitment of maintaining certification by the city. Additionally, cities in our
sample set where observed hosting their own certifications in order to persuade
desirable management behaviors in their residents and businesses. In most cases this
consisted of a brief mention of certification of an individual household or business
site in community outreach publications.
Eco-Ordinances
City ordinances such as a ban on plastic bags in retail stores, idling trucks in delivery
transport, or material standards in building code are ways a city can limit undesired
effects from identified sources while enhancing their overall reputation for
sustainable city oversight.
Good Host
It is sometimes the case that a city is faced with balancing its own identity with
societal and cultural characteristics of residents and prominent businesses within their
jurisdiction. In some cases, a national or international advocacy organization may
have made its headquarters in a particular city. In this case, the values, goals and
objectives of the organization may influence the identity of the city. Again, cities
within our sample set where accredited with hosting businesses and organizations that
have incorporated concepts of environmental responsibility in their activities. It is
unclear is these relationships where actively fostered or if they occurred naturally.
What is significant here is that the phenomenon of community identity includes the
city and associated businesses as well.
30
Summarized from:
d'Estries, M. 2011. Top five most sustainable cities in the world. G.E. ecomagination
Web Site. November 29. (accessed October 11, 2012).
Envision Golden Valley. n.d. A Shared Vision for Golden Valley’s Future.
http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/envision/guide/PDF/EnvisionReport.pdf
(accessed September 23, 2011).
Furman Green Scene. 2011. The most sustainable cities in the United States: then and
now. The Green Scene at Furman. July 8.
http://furmangreenscene.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/the-most-sustainable-cities-
in-the-united-states-then-and-now/.
Generalized Land Use - Historical 1984, 1990, 1997, 2000, 2005 and 2010, for the
Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. 2010.
http://stats.metc.state.mn.us/metadata/landuse_hist_research.htm (accessed
October 10, 2012).
Kaye, L. 2012. The 10 emerging sustainable cities to watch in 2012. Triple Pundit
Web Site. January 3. http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/top-10-sustainable-
cities-2012/.
Marchetti, P. 2011. San Francisco nabs most sustainable city. Earth Techling Web
Site. July 7. http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/07/san-francisco-nabs-most-
sustainable-city/.
McNerney, T. 2012. Climate change issues. University of Wisconsin Sustainable
Management. http://taramcnerney.hubpages.com/hub/Worlds-Top-10-
Sustainable-Cities.
Metropolitan Council. 2011. Community Profile for Golden Valley.
http://stats.metc.state.mn.us/profile/detail.aspx?c=02394273 (accessed October
10, 2012).
Thompson, C. 2009. The 15 most sustainable U.S. cities. Grist Web Site. July 17.
http://grist.org/article/2009-07-16-sustainable-green-us-cities/full/.
Wolsink, M. 2010. Contested environmental policy infrastructure: socio-political
acceptance of renewable energy, water, and waste facilitate. Environmental
Impact Assessment Review 30:302-311.
31
Appendix B: Map of the City of Golden Valley
32
Appendix C: Generalized Land Use in Golden Valley, 2010
33
Appendix D: Population by Age and Gender in Golden
Valley, 2010
34
Appendix E: Highest Level of Education Attained by
Golden Valley Residents, 2000
35
Appendix F: Median Household Income in Golden Valley
36
Appendix G: Employment by Industry in Golden Valley
37
Appendix H: Questions for Golden Valley Officials and
Staff
Meeting on September 13, 2012, 3:30 pm, at Golden Valley City Hall
Golden Valley officials and staff attendees: Eric Eckman, Mitch Hoeft, Rick Jacobson,David
Lemke, Al Lundstrom, and Tim Teynor
University of Minnesota attendees: 38 Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management
students, Dr. Gary Johnson, Dr. Kristen Nelson, and Nick Bancks
1.How do you envision our role in this project?
a.Do you want us to evaluate existing policies or suggest our own?
b.Is resident input/opinion part of our scope or better left to the city?
c.Are there any constraints that need to be taken into consideration when evaluating
our policy options?
d.What kind of budget does the city have available in order to implement whatever
policy actions we put into place (ensure our policy is within an economically
feasible scope for the community)?
e.Are there specific water quality standards that we should measure against?
f.Are you looking for policies to apply universally or are you looking for site
specific policies options?
g.Would you like for us to try and coordinate community groups / boy scouts that
would be willing to participate in recommendations (i.e. placing bird houses for
wildlife or signage on trails)?
2.What would the ideal project outcome be for you?
a.What criteria best define a successful project outcome?
b.Who measures the project outcome criterion?
c.Please elaborate on the 5 year plan product: What will it look like/include;
creating/designing policy options, evaluating policy options, suggesting policy
option?
3.What major natural resources issues are you most concerned about?
a.Is wildlife (resident enjoyment of) included in natural resources of interest?
b.Is the city open to employing a diversity of urban forest plans in order to pick the
best ones (invasive species control techniques)?
c.How important are aesthetics to your management mission and community
vision?
4.What resources should we use to aid in our project?
a.What organizations/individuals should we speak with to aid in the project?
b.Should we be interested more in the physical conditions of a site or resource, or in
the collaboration with other groups with interests in particular sites or resources?
c.What key community members (long term residents, organization leaders,
gatekeepers) could we sit down with to gain additional insight into the
communities wants, needs, and vision for future management and possible policy
gaps?
38
d.Do you have a partnership with General Mills? Should we speak with someone
from the corporation to coordinate policy plans?
e.What are some practices and locations that are working well that we can use as a
reference for successful or unsuccessful recent management actions?
f.What are some practices and locations that are not working well that we can work
to improve upon or adapt?
g.What is the city’s plan for gaining open spaces? (Comprehensive Plan)
h.What is the city’s plan for maintaining wildlife corridors? (Comprehensive Plan)
i.Is the policy plan intended to incorporate the other seven projects?
j.Would you have any objections to us contacting General Mills or Honeywell to
inquire if they would be willing to financially support any initiatives we
recommend?
39
Appendix I: Interview with Cheryl Weiler, Golden Valley
Communications Manager
Interview Guide for Communications Manager
1.What are Golden Valley's communication philosophies / approaches to communicating
with the community?
2.Who determines what articles are presented in CityNews newsletter?
3.How do you see policy supporting communication efforts?
4.Can you provide examples of projects where communication was effective / ineffective?
a.What made it effective / ineffective?
5.What types of new communication practices / technologies is / would Golden Valley
utilizing?
a.Which are out of date?
6.In general, do certain communication methods work better than others?
7.Do communication method(s) vary based on issue(s) being addressed?
8.How do methods of communication play a role in "city branding" (create images that set
them apart from others)?
9.Does "city branding" help define community norms?
Follow-up Questions e-mailed to the Communications Manager
1.Is there an effort to communicate with the City's business community?
a.If so, how does the City communicate its philosophy and goals to the business
community?
40
Appendix J: Questions for Golden Valley Officials and
Staff
Interview Questions for Golden Valley Officials and Staff: Meeting 1
1.What issues would you like to see addressed by the policy group?
2.What issues are of interest to the Environmental Commission?
3.What NR/sustainability policies are going well? Why?
4.What NR/sustainability policies are not going well? Why?
5.Has GV taken steps to become a Green Step city?
6.How is GV working toward the sustainability goals outlined in its vision statement?
Interview Questions for Golden Valley Officials and Staff: Meeting 2
1.What internal practices does Golden Valley have that could use policy support?
2.How do you feel about city branding as a way to build momentum for environmental
initiatives?
3.What funding opportunities are you hoping to gain with a natural resources framework?
4.What other areas would like our group to focus on?
Interview Questions for Golden Valley Officials and Staff: Meetings 3, 4,
and 5
1.How would you describe Golden Valley’s policy philosophy in regards to natural
resources?
2.How are natural resources policy decisions made?
a.Is there a preference for mandatory or voluntary approaches?
b.In policy, do you tend to support broad guiding principles or specific policies?
3.What values or goals are emphasized in natural resource policy?
4.What natural resource policies have worked well for Golden Valley?
a.How have they worked well?
b.Why have they worked well?
5.What challenges have you encountered in regards to natural resource policy?
6.What priorities do you have in terms of natural resource policy?
a.Where is policy needed most?
7.What are the most crucial issues regarding Golden Valley’s natural resources?
a.Where is policy needed most?
b.What are the most crucial issues regarding GV's natural resources?
8.What would be the ideal outcome of this project for you?
41
Appendix K: City of Golden Valley Contacts
Rich Baker, Chair – Environmental Commission
Jeannine Clancy, Public Works Director – Public Works Department
Eric Eckman, Public Works Specialist – Public Works Department
Mitch Hoeft, Engineer – Public Works Department
Rick Jacobson, Parks and Recreation Director – Parks and Recreation Department
David Lemke, Utilities Supervisor – Public Works Department
Al Lundstrom, Park Maintenance Supervisor / City Forester – Public Works
Department
Jeff Oliver, City Engineer – Public Works Department
Paula Pentel, Member – City Council
Jerry Sandler, Chair – Open Space and Recreation Commission
Tim Teynor, Assistant City Forester – Public Works Department
Cheryl Weiler, Communications Manager – City Manager’s Department
42
Appendix L: Current Golden Valley Natural Resource
Ordinances
City
code
section
Intent What does it govern?What does it govern?What does it govern?
2.31
Establishes Director of
Public Works to
supervise the city
streets, utilities,
engineering, park
maintenance and shops
2.34
Establishes Director of
Public Parks and
Recreation
2.52
Establishes the Open
space and Recreation
Commission
Duties include
recommendations to
city comp plan
regarding open space
needs, parks and rec,
trails
Introduce policies for
same, assess current
programs, assess future
needs, advise the
council on cooperative
agreements policies
with other public and
private agencies, groups
or individuals relative to
rec programs and
facilities
Advise council on
budget and capital
outlay for parks and rec,
Brookview golf and park
improvement fund
2.56
Establishes the
Environmental
Commission
Develop and make
recommendations
regarding:
-Educate the public on
environmental
regulations, policies,
practice and tools
- Amendments pry
revisions to Surface
Water Management
Plan
-Existing environmental
ordinances, policies and
guidelines
-Natural areas and
public or private pond
areas
-Identify activities
initiated by other public
and quasi public
agencies
4.05 Design control of
buildings
Gives city a say in
exterior of buildings
4.32
Tree preservation Guards against: loss of
habitat, soil erosion,
environmental impacts
4.60
Residential Property
code
Covers disposal of yard
waste, trash on site,
outdoor wood storage,
rodent control
10.01
Public protection Covers accumulation of
yard waste, trash on
site, outdoor wood
storage, rodent control
Noxious odors
10.34
Feeding of deer Feeding is prohibited
except by city
employees
43
10.40
Recycling and
composting
Composting and
recycling can be done
by residents as long as
they meet applicable
guidelines.
Details what materials
can be composted and
how they are to be kept
10.50
Shade tree diseases Establishes tree
inspector and makes it
unlawful to have an
infected tree
Dutch elm and oak wilt
are covered and gives
the city the right to
enter on to private
property to inspect
trees. Does not mention
EAB
10.52
Application of fertilizer States when ground can
be fertilized and makes
it illegal to apply on
impervious surfaces
10.83
Rules governing public
parks
Includes golf course,
beaches, swimming
pools, nature areas,
trails, playground or
city owned property
Manages dogs, litter,
hours, speed limits,
fireworks, bird care,
parking and liquor
11.01
Land Use Regulation Location, size, use and
height of buildings
Arrangement of
buildings and
population density.
Health, safety, order,
convenience and
general welfare of the
residents
11.10
Zoning Districts Single family
districts(R1); Moderate
Density Zoning districts
(R2); Medium Density
Zoning district (R3);
High Density Zoning
district (R4)
Commercial; Light
industrial; Industrial;
Business and
Professional Offices;
Institutional
11.30
Commercial Zoning Details what type of
businesses fall in this
category
No building taller than
3 stories
11.35
Light industrial Details what type of
businesses fall in this
category
No building taller than
45 feet and must have
fence no less than 90%
opacity surrounding
them
11.36
Industrial Zoning Details what type of
businesses fall in this
category
No building taller than
45 feet and must have ^'
solid fence no less than
90% opacity
surrounding them
11.47
I-394 Corridor Special district along I-
394 mixed used zone
One condition for this
area is to "Foster
sustainable
development and a
balance between urban
and natural systems”
Must have stone facades
and trim materials must
be approved by planning
commission
44
11.65
Shoreland Management Regulates boathouses,
clear-cutting, land use
near waters
Addresses riparian
areas of rivers, streams,
creeks or ponds
11.74
Wind energy
conservation programs
To allow for and
regulate location,
design, placement and
maintenance of wind
conservation systems
Monopole design,
sound limits and
location restrictions
12.00
Future platting Details requirements for
new developments in
the city to guarantee a
consistent quality of the
city moving forward.
12.20
Minimum Design
standards
Details how streets and
utilities are to be
organized in future
Preserves natural and
historic qualities
45
Appendix M: Policy Comparison
Policy topic
Golden Valley
policy if
applicable
Policy example
from bordering
city
Policy example
from MN city
Policy example
from U.S. City
Invasive Species Golden Valley, MN
Section 10.50
St. Louis Park, MN
City Code 34‐52
Maplewood, MN
Chapter 38‐31
Columbus, OH
City Code 912.21
Sample Polices for
Invasive Species
and Diseases
“The following are
declared public
nuisances: A)
“…Dutch elm
disease…” B) “…red
oak group…oak wilt
fungus” C) “…white
oak group…oak wilt
fungus…” E) Any
trees or shrubs with
epidemic diseases
or pests
“Any living or
standing tree or part
thereof infected to
any degree with any
injurious pest
(Disease or insect)
which can infect, in
potential epidemic
proportions, other
trees, compromising
health and welfare of
tree and if left
untreated will cause
tree failure and
death.”
“The program is
directed specifically
at the control and
elimination of Dutch
elm disease fungus
and elm bark beetles
and other epidemic
diseases of shade
trees.”
“It shall be unlawful
for any property
owner to maintain,
or permit to stand
on his property,
dead, diseased,
damaged or alive,
tree, shrub,
evergreen or other
plant which is
deemed by the
recreation and parks
department to be a
menace to the
public peace, health
or safety”
Diversity
Golden Valley
Urban Forestry
Website
Robbinsdale, MN
Forestry
Management
Maplewood, MN
Natural Resources
Plan
MN Dept. of
Agriculture
‘To Protect the
Urban Forest,
Diversify’
Sample Policies for
Planting Trees
“Annual Planting
is needed to replace
trees and fill
treeless spaces. A
forestry program
ensures that only
quality trees are
used and are
expertly matched to
the site and growing
conditions to
prevent future
problems.”
“The City of
Robbinsdale plants
trees on City‐owned
property to replace
those that have been
removed, to honor
citizen planting
requests, and to
enhance the
community’s forest.”
“In 2008 Maplewood
developed a natural
resources plan for the
City as part of the
City Comprehensive
Plan. The plan
suggests strategies to
protect, connect,
restore, and manage
ecosystems, plant
communities, and
species.”
When explaining the
best method to
combat invasive
species
“….what then, is the
best defense? “
“The answer is likely
found in “Diversity”
of tree species. “
Appendix N: Concepts for Governance Philosophy and
Community Outreach
It can be argued that the values of a community and its representatives are
demonstrated through the decisions and performance of acts of governance. It is
sometimes believed that law and enforcement of law should reflect these values and,
in doing so, creates community identity and standards for quality of life. Similar to
the concept of Socio-Cultural Sustainability discussed in Sustainable Management of
Natural Resources (Appendix S), governance activities have the opportunity to go
beyond problem solutions and can incorporate community participation that also
encourages community acceptance.
Participatory Governance is the strategic inclusion of community comment through
active solicitation. In this case it is assumed that community comment is
representative of the community overall and that community comment can be
solicited in both creation and implementation stages.
Incremental Governance is the strategic restriction of change to minimize emergent
risk. Change can be limited by time, space, funds, and implementation steps. In this
case, changes are slow but are assumed to be present less risk than rapid or large
scale changes.
Anticipatory Governance is the strategic attempt to articulate prospective risk and
initiate preemptive activity. In this case, it is assumed that community engagement is
present though community members may not have influence over decisions.
Adaptive Governance is the strategic ability of governing activities to evolve
through creation and implementation stages. In this case, it is assumed that standing
policies can be amended, or replaced as emergent risk is realized.
47
Collaborative
Participatory
Anticipatory
Re-Active
Expert-Based
Pro-Active
Incremental
Adaptive
Summarized from:
Peat, L. et al. 2012. A participatory assessment of NRM capacity to inform policy and
practice. Society & Natural Resources: An International Journal 25(I8):775-
793
Risto, K., and D.H. Guston. 2010. Toward anticipatory governance: the experience
with nanotechnology. Governing Future Technologies, Sociology of the
Sciences Yearbook 27:217-232, M. Kaiser et al. (Arizona, Springer
Netherlands).
Per Olsson et al. 2006. Shooting the rapids: navigating transitions to adaptive
governance of social-ecological systems. Ecology and Society 11(I1).
48
Appendix O: Natural Resource Management Plan Survey
Summary
Comprehensive and strategic planning are valuable steps for ensuring successful
management activity.
After comparing several Natural Resource Management Plans (NRMPs) from a variety of
sources, 6 key themes where observed.
1.NRMPs where useful in articulating managerial intent in broad and site specific scales.
2.Inventories where useful for identifying and quantifying present and desired conditions,
need for intervention, individual program requirements, uncertainty and risk, and
measurement of activity performance.
3.Opportunities for management activities where listed either by topic or by location in a
variety of formats. Formats include; priority, feasibility, or by location.
4.Nearly all examples addressed needs for monitoring and additional data collection.
5.Examples varied in level of detail and organization.
6,Examples that demonstrated detailed inventory generally demonstrated concise
management recommendations as well.
Types of Inventory
1.NRMP comparison also revealed 4 methods of improving inventory over time; Routine,
Revolving, As-Needed, and Living.
2.NRMPs that require periodic inventory assessment are classified as Routine. The most
common example was a requirement to update inventory data every 5 years.
3.NRMPs that require continuous or constant inventory update are classified as Revolving.
This method was sometimes required for sites with characteristics approaching critical
conditions where intervention was active.
4.NRMPs that require inventory before management activity are classified As-Needed.
These scenarios merely represent a preference for informed planning. It is assumed that
this method provides accumulating inventory data where individual records are limited to
specific and small scale plan objectives.
5.NRMPs that require coordination of implementation actors with inventory specialists to
provide inventory data as management actions are completed are classified as Living. It
is assumed that quality assurance and evaluation of management performance is used to
inform inventory directly.
In some cases, high level of inventory detail was enhanced by a requirement of Geographical
Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies.
49
Conclusion
Golden Valley has the opportunity to take advantage of the following benefits that are
associated with the employment of a Natural Resource Management Plan.
•Articulated Intent
•Quantified Present Conditions
•Identified Priorities and Opportunities for Activity
•Quantified Desired Conditions
•Quantified Input Requirements
•Evaluated Alternatives
•Evaluated Uncertainty and Risk
•Measures of Performance
•Consolidation of Data
•Coordination of Actors
•Detailed Grant Requests
Example Natural Resource Management Plan Outline
Table of Contents
Organizational Background
Management Philosophy
Goal Statements
Inventory
Historic
Current
Recommendations
Alternatives
Implementation
Monitoring
Additional Opportunities
Education & Outreach
Partnerships
Data Needs
Supplemental Information
Appendices
References:
City of Portland, Oregon. “Natural Resource Management Plans” accessed Oct. 2012.
http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/64446
Ramsey County, Minnesota. “Natural Resource Management Plan” accessed Oct. 2012.
https://parks.co.ramsey.mn.us/.../Complete_NRM_Plan_Small.pdf
Fairfax County Park Authority, Virginia. “Natural Resource Management Plan: assessed Oct.
2012. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/nrmp.htm
50
Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service. “Integrated Natural Resource
Management Plans” accessed Oct. 2012.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CE0QFj
AC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fws.gov%2Fhabitatconservation%2FINRMP%2520Fac
t%2520Sheet.pdf&ei=ZNy8UODKOMKA2gWhl4GgAg&usg=AFQjCNGw92J0Y0rE9I
2SLZulcYb3NfNUgg
Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National
Parks. “Natural and Cultural Resources Management Plan” accessed Oct.2012.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CHIQFj
AI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nps.gov%2Fseki%2Fparkmgmt%2Fupload%2Frmp.pdf
&ei=ZNy8UODKOMKA2gWhl4GgAg&usg=AFQjCNHSQV82-
HYcCYpFHU9tFDarmhx47w
Brookhaven National Laboratory. “Natural Resource Management Plan” accessed Oct 2010.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CFsQFj
AE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bnl.gov%2Fesd%2Fwildlife%2FPDF%2FNRMP-
Final-
NO_map.pdf&ei=ZNy8UODKOMKA2gWhl4GgAg&usg=AFQjCNG4g_0_Avlvf3d3Zk
Sj98TSes_NuA
51
Appendix P: Funding Opportunities
52
Funds for
Funding
Type
Reward
Range
Contact Information
Funding For:
Invasive Species:
Native Plant ConservationInitiative (part of the PlantConservation Alliance -PCA)
Grant
$15 to$65k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=86,http://www.nps.gov/plants/nfwf/index.htm
Supports on-the-ground conservation projects that protect,
enhance, and/or restore native plant communities on public andprivate land.
MBWSR Native BufferGrant Program (Clean WaterFund)
Grant
http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/grantscostshare/native-buffer.html
Grants for cost-sharing contracts to establish and maintaindiverse native vegetation buffers
Bring Back the NativesGrant Program (focuses onnative aquatic species)
Grant
$20 to100k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=2
Funds on-the-ground efforts to restore native aquatic species totheir historic range.
Pulling Together Initiative
Gran
t
$15 to75k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=88
Provides a means for partnership to develop long-term weedmanagement projects
Wildlife Habitat:
Conservation PartnersLegacy Grant - MN DNR
Grant
$25k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/habitat/cpl/index.html
The grants are for work to enhance,
restore, or protect the forests,wetlands, prairies, and habitat for fish, game, or wildlife inMinnesota.
Expedited ConservationProject Grant Cycle (ECP) -MN DNR
Grant
$25k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/habitat/cpl/ecp-grant-cycle.html
The grants must restore or enhance prairies, wetlands, forests, orhabitat for fish, game, or wildlife in Minnesota.
Five-Star RestorationProgram
Gran
t
$20k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=29
Support community-based wetland and riparian restorationprojects.
Laura Jane Musser Fund
Grant
$20k
http://www.musserfund.org/index.asp?page_seq=11
Assists public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implementprojects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly ownedopen spaces
Prairie Restoration:
Community-based HabitatRestoration PartnershipGrants
Grant
$150k to$1.5M
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=17
Provides funds for small-scale, locally driven habitat restorationprojects that foster natural resource stewardship withincommunities.
53
Shoreline Enhancement:
Aquatic Habitat RestorationGrant Program
Grant
$25 to$100k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/habitat/shoreland.html
To expand the diversity and abundance of native aquatic andshoreland plants; improve and protect the quality of aquatichabitat; enhance and protect water quality
Cynthia Krieg WatershedStewardship Fund of theMinnehaha CreekWatershed District
Grant
$25kmax
http://www.minnehahacreek.org/grants/cynthia-krieg-watershed-stewardship-fund/applicant-project-guidelines
Funds water quality improvement and/or greater publicawareness of how to improve water quality (education grants) ornew, innovative ways of managing water quality (innovationgrants).
BSWR Clean Water FundGrants
Grant
$30k min
http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/cleanwaterfund/FY13_CWF_Competitive_Grants_Policy_FINAL.pdf
Funds activities that control, reduce, or prevent chemical ornutrient runoff, soil erosion, sedimentation, or materials thataffect human or aquatic system health.
Storm Water Mgmt:
Total Daily Maximum LoadGrants
Grant
$3 mm max
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/Government/Public_Facilities_Authority/PFA_Infrastructure_Funds_Programs/Total_Maximum_Daily_Load_(TMDL)_Grants.aspx
Provides grants to units of local government to assist with thecost of wastewater treatment or storm water projects necessary tomeet waste load reduction requirements under TMDLimplementation plans
Phosphorous ReductionGrant
Grant
$500kmax
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/Government/Public_Facilities_Authority/PFA_Infrastructure_Funds_Programs/Phosphorus_Reduction_Grants.aspx
Provides grants to local governments for the wastewatertreatment projects that will reduce the total discharge ofphosphorus from the facility to one milligram per liter or less.
Targeted Watershed GrantsProgram
Grant
$700k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=95
Funding to support collaborative partnerships to protect andrestore the nation's water resources.
Water Reuse:
Minnesota Clean WaterFund
Grant
$1M
annually
http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/cleanwaterfund/index.html
Funds to protect and improve water quality in their communities.
Hennepin County GreenPartners
Grant
$15k
http://www.hennepin.us/portal/site/HennepinUS/menuitem.b1ab75471750e40fa01dfb47ccf06498/?vgnextoid=60a6d2f7599c5310VgnVCM20000098fe4689RCRD
Branch groups will be awarded up to $15,000 to implement aproject that creatively motivates residents to take actions thatprotect and improve the environment.
54
Energy:
New Construction Triple EProgram
Incenti
ve
$2k
Chad Trebilcock, (218)355-2759for general program information,Doug Manthey, (888)744-9003 toget started in the program
Private Wind & Solar
Wind and Solar-Electric(PV) Systems Exemption
Property
Tax
Energy Information CenterE-Mail: energy.info@state.mn.us
Solar: 100% exemption from real property taxes/ Wind: 100%exemption from real and personal property taxes
Community Development:
Environmental WorkforceDevelopment and JobTraining CooperativeAgreements (formerlyBrownfields Job TrainingProgram)
Grant
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=4
Grants are designed to provide funding to residents of solid and
hazardous waste-impacted communities with the skills needed tosecure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmentalfield and in the assessment and cleanup work taking place in theircommunities.
Community DevelopmentBlock Grants/EntitlementGrants
Grant
$2.96
million
average
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=16
The objective of this program is to develop viable urbancommunities, by providing decent housing and a suitable livingenvironment, and by expanding economic opportunities,principally for persons of low and moderate income
Land and WaterConservation Fund (OutdoorRecreation, Acquisition,Development and PlanningGrants)
Grant
$150k
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=39
To provide financial assistance to the States and their politicalsubdivisions for the preparation of Statewide ComprehensiveOutdoor Recreation Plans (scorps)
Public Works andDevelopment FacilitiesProgram
Grant
http://cfpub.epa.gov/fedfund/program.cfm?prog_num=51
Provides funding for water and sewer facilities, access roads toindustrial parks or sites; port improvements; business incubatorfacilities; technology infrastructure; sustainable developmentactivities; export programs; brownfields redevelopment;aquaculture facilities; and other infrastructure projects.
55
Community Development:
Project Learning Tree GreenSchools Initiative
Grant
Max: $1k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/plt/greenschools.html
Greenschools provides a blueprint to teach, learn, and engagetogether in creating a more green and healthy learningenvironment at their school.
Project Learning TreeGreenworks Initiative
Grant
$250-$1k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/plt.html
For teachers seeking to start a project in class involvingenvironmental community action and service learning.Participants are encouraged to form partnerships with groups,businesses or organizations within their communities to helpimplement and sustain environmental projects.
Local Trail ConnectionsGrant (MN-DNR)
Grant
$5 to
$150k
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/recreation/trails_local.html
To provide grants to local units of government to promoterelatively short trail connections between where people live anddesirable locations
Community Gardens:
Subaru Healthy SproutsAward
Grant
$400
Kidsgardening.org, log in and fillout the garden registry form andapplication
Youth Garden Grant Award
Grant
$500Kidsgardening.org
Conservation
2013 ConservationInnovation Grant USDA-NRCS
Grant
$1M max
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=tk9hQ82QhKl1ZWFDshgphvnpDZypwkHn1xfShzJJ9Lfq6rvgyNVL!433546673?oppId=193453&mode=VIEW
To stimulate the development and adoption of innovativeconservation approaches and technologies, while leveraging theFederal investment in environmental enhancement and protectionin conjunction with agricultural production. CIG projects areexpected to lead to the transfer of conservation technologies,management systems, and innovative approaches (such asmarket-based systems) into NRCS policy, technical manuals,guides, and references or to the private sector.
56
Appendix Q: Acceptable Policy Formation Process
Guiding Principles:
1. When choosing where or not to invest in or adopt new technologies and management
practices, individual stakeholders will choose/attempt to maximize their benefits under
existing resource conditions and perceived risk. (Shiferaw et al.)
2. Stakeholders perception of perceived risk and existing conditions is primarily based on
current ecological and economic conditions, access to markets, price of inputs and
outputs, and availability of required resources and technologies. (Shiferaw et al.)
3. Collective action by communities may present more opportunities for adoption of new
policies, practices, and technologies, than individual action alone. (Shiferaw et al.)
4. When costs of adoption of new technologies or practices outweigh the apparent
benefit, voluntary stakeholder adoption is unlikely to occur. (Shiferaw et al.)
5. Policy can force shifts in institutions (political, social, bureaucratic, and economic) in
order to incentivize or facilitate investment in new innovations or changes in practices
(Shiferaw et al.)
6. Social acceptance is dynamic, and is shaped by a discourse based learning process
between policy makers, institutional leadership, and stakeholders. (Wolsink)
7. The implementation of new policies, practices, technologies, and innovations can
manifest itself as both a driver and result of shifts in the normative institutions that shape
the ideals of various stakeholder groups. If they do not align with these normative
institutions they will not be perceived as acceptable and often times will face popular
resistance. (Wolsink)
Recommendations for Overcoming Barriers to Adoption and Social Opposition:
1. Educate stakeholders, policy makers, and institutional leaders on the nature of the
problem: inform them why it is a problem, who it is currently affecting, how they could
help remedy it, and what stake they have in the issue to begin shifting the normative
institutions within that group. (Wolsink)
2. Require discourse between policy makers, stakeholders and institutional leaders in
order to facilitate the formulation of a mutual understanding on the norms, ideals, and
perspectives surrounding a policy, innovation, management practice, or new technology.
(Wolsink)
3. Educate stakeholders on policy and management alternatives in order to decrease their
perception of the risk involved with switching management practices or utilizing new
technologies, and on the time scale of the benefits and cost of these alternatives.
(Shiferaw et al.)
57
4. Collaborating with stakeholders to develop solutions to policy or management
problems through a trial and error process. Thereby, effectively allowing new
technologies and management practices to be tested by stakeholders, and facilitate
discussion of the “best” alternatives before the formalization of any policy. (Shiferaw et
al.)
5. Create flexible policies that act as “toolboxes” from which individual stakeholders can
select the best management practices, technologies, and incentives in order to craft their
own best means to achieving a management end. (Shiferaw et al.)
Summarized from:
Shiferaw, Bekele, Okello, Julius, and Reddy, Ratna. “Adoption and Adaptation of
Natural Resource Management Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture: Reflections on
Key Lessons and Best Practices.” Sustainable Environmental Development 11 (2009):
601-612.
Wolsink, Maarten. “Contested Environmental Policy Infrastructure: Socio-Political
Acceptance of Renewable Energy, Water, and Waste Facilitate.” Environmental Impact
Assessment Review 30 (2010): 302-311.
58
59
Appendix R: Acceptable Policy Formulation Checklist
Mutual Learning and Collaboration
Indicators of Effective Collaboration Yes No Intensity/Frequency: 1-5 (1=Low, 5=High)
Have policy makers presented opportunities to
discuss the policy problem at hand with relevant
community members, technocrats, and
institutional leaders?
GG
Is there a mutual respect for and understanding
of the different perspectives of the groups
involved in the policy formulation process?
GG
Is information on the policy problem readily
available and easily accessible?GG
Is information on the potential benefits and
costs of policy alternatives readily available and
easily accessible?
GG
Is decision-making consensus driven?GG
Have policy makers provided ample time for
pilot projects to be completed?GG
Evaluation of Policy Alternatives
Indicators of Viable Alternatives Yes No Intensity/Frequency: 1-5 (1=Low, 5=High)
Do the long-term benefits to society outweigh
the costs?GG
Is the alternative feasible under current
economic, social, and ecological conditions?GG
How easily does the policy alternative fit within
the scope of current governance?GG
How well do institutions support the alternative
in question? GG
How flexible is the policy alternative in
question to shifts in the social, economic, and
ecological systems involved?
GG
Policy Adoption
Indicators of Policy Adoption Likelihood Yes No Intensity/Frequency: 1-5 (1=Low, 5=High)
Are there a multitude of alternatives available
for affected stakeholders to select their own best
means to achieve a policy end?
GG
Are there appropriate incentives in place in
order to encourage/facilitate adoption of new
policies?
GG
Is there adequate cost of non-compliance to
incentivize changes in behaviors?GG
Do stakeholders have an accurate perception of
the risk involved with the new policy?GG
Are appropriate markets and resources available
to affected stakeholders?GG
60
Summarized from:
Shiferaw, B., J. Okello, and R. Reddy. “Adoption and Adaptation of Natural
Resource Management Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture: Reflections on Key
Lessons and Best Practices.” Sustainable Environmental Development 11 (2009):
601-612.
Wolsink, M. “Contested Environmental Policy Infrastructure: Socio-Political
Acceptance of Renewable Energy, Water, and Waste Facilitate.” Environmental
Impact Assessment Review 30 (2010): 302-311.
61
Appendix S: Concepts for Sustainable Management of
Natural Resources
Sustainability is commonly thought to be synonymous with environmental
responsibility, but this is only part of how natural resources can be managed for
current use while protecting them for future generations. Addressing how
management interacts with political trends, institutional relationships, socio-cultural
expectations, economic conditions, access to equipment and technical expertise, and
managerial cultural will help the success of management activities that are also
environmentally responsible. While these factors sometimes conflict, making sure
management alternatives address these issues will help to identify opportunities that
provide acceptable benefits, pose acceptable burdens, and have a greater chance of
acceptability among key actors. The following are brief discussions of the expanded
definitions of sustainability and how they might interact with management of natural
resources.
Environmental Sustainability
In order for management activity to be considered environmentally sustainable, it
must conserve the conditions of a specific natural resource, conserve the ecosystem
where that resource is found, and should not impose unacceptable levels of distress
on other components of the environment. If these goals can be attained the benefits of
a natural resource can be enjoyed without risk of degradation and can be passed on to
future generations.
Political Sustainability
The test here is to ask whether or not potential management activity is politically
feasible, both under current trends, and in the foreseeable future. Particular
management actions should be in the interest of current political actors, and should be
likely to continue to solicit political support as offices change tenants and as majority
opinions evolve. Perhaps not surprisingly, environmental responsibility is a goal held
by many political actors, though solutions vary from risk avoidance, to mitigation, to
compensation. The main concern here is in choosing management actions that are
neutral enough to avoid criticism while simultaneously activating political will.
Institutional Sustainability
Another important factor to consider is how management activities will affect
relationships with other institutions. Often there are neighborhood groups, watershed
districts, monitoring agencies, permitting agencies, and state and federal oversight
that can provide incentives as well as challenges for local management activity.
62
Careful planning will help coordinate institutional actors and help identify
opportunities for management activities that take advantage of shared interests.
Socio-Cultural Sustainability
Assessing how management of a natural resource interacts with social and cultural
expectations within a community is another vital step. Management alternatives
should be able to take advantage of community support while avoiding significant
opposition. In short, management activities should be compatible with community
values. Sometimes this means that a management action is highly reflective of the
community, and sometimes this means that it is simply not important enough of an
issue to the community to raise significant opposition. In the best case scenario, a
local government can take advantage of community capitol by simply providing the
incentive for residents and businesses to accomplish management goals themselves.
Economical Sustainability
Perhaps one of the more essential criteria for prioritizing management activity is
economic feasibility. It is often the case that a specific hazard is identified,
preventative or mitigative steps are developed, but interested organizations lack the
financial capacity to act. Assessing economic feasibility is a necessary step because
specific project needs are quantified. This allows for prioritization and evaluation of
alternative allocations of funds and coordination of assets with other interested
organizations. Two common areas of interest for prioritizing management
alternatives are largest net benefit and lowest initial cost. It should be noted that
conditions of greatest benefit are not necessarily synonymous with lowest initial cost
as the time on return of investment may render an opportunity unfeasible.
Management alternatives can be evaluated within three categories; Those that can be
engaged under current financial conditions, Those that can be engaged with minimal
modification to allocation or acquisition of funds, and Those that require significant
modification to allocation or acquisition of funds.
Technical Sustainability
Procurement and operation of equipment can pose significant impacts to overall
success of management activities. Equipment and technology needs should be
identified in planning stages where equipment can be evaluated for compatibility with
activity goals and objectives. Additionally, equipment should also have demonstrated
reliability and effectiveness in similar applications. Lastly, equipment should be
evaluated for requirements of additional expertise or licensing.
Managerial Sustainability
A simple question to ask here is whether or not management activity can be
accomplished with current staff and expertise. In the case where additional staff or
expertise in needed, taking into consideration the availability and repeatability of
services can directly contribute to the long term success of management activities.
63
Additionally, it may benefit local management objectives if services are procured that
already have experience with other interested organizations or with specific
management sites.
References:
Adapted from lectures by Dean Current, Natural Resources in Sustainable
International Development, University of Minnesota, Fall 2012.
http://www.forestry.umn.edu/Students/Courses/ESPM32515251/index.htm
64