ANALYZING THE HUMAN IMPACT OF BLM’S DECISIONS

1. ANALYZING THE HUMAN IMPACT OF BLM’S DECISIONS Meeting of BLM’s Colorado Resource Advisory Councils Grand Junction, Colorado February 2009 Rob Winthrop and John Cossa Division of Decision Support, Planning & NEPA Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C.

2. How to obtain and convey information on the human context and consequences of BLM actions. . .

3. . . . that is valid, cost-effective, and relevant to management challenges?

4. What are the social sciences? The social sciences comprise a group of disciplines that study human life in its social context, each with distinctive methods and theory, and specific areas of relevance for resource management.

5. Economics examines how resources are allocated under conditions of scarcity, primarily through market transactions. • Sociology focuses on the organization and values of social groups. • Cultural anthropology describes social life as shaped by distinctive systems of meaning, such as those guiding the subsistence economies of many Native Alaskan communities.

6. Human geography examines how the characteristics of land and resources shape human activity, from local to global scales. • Political science is concerned with systems of governance, authority, and decision-making. • Decision science is an interdisciplinary subject that develops tools to structure defensible decision-making, typically involving complex criteria under conditions of uncertainty.

7. STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING BLM’S SOCIAL SCIENCE CAPABILITIES >> Clarify Mandates << Link to Management Activities Conduct a Needs Assessment Take Corrective Action

8. Federal Land Policy and Management Act How should lands and resources be used? • Achieve multiple use while preserving a range of environmental and social values. • Seek consistency with state & local plans. • Example: How can Oregon BLM provide a sustainable supply of timber and other forest products that will help maintain the stability of local and regional economies? (WOPR Goal 2)

9. National Environmental Policy Act What are the effects of management actions? • Analyze alternatives, considering social and economic impacts. • Example: If commercial oil shale production returns to the Green River Basin, how many workers from outside the region will be needed?

10. Government Performance and Results Act Are BLM’s plans and programs effective and efficient? • Determine program effectiveness, including cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness. • Example: In achieving fire management goals, is it more cost-effective to emphasize fuels treatment or fire suppression? • Example: Based on visitor intercept surveys of customer satisfaction, are BLM’s recreation programs achieving their objectives?

11. Social and Environmental Accountability Do BLM’s actions support the long-term viability of environmental and social systems? • Work with public and private partners to ensure sustainable land use policies at a large scale. • Example: What biological, economic, and institutional factors encourage rangeland fragmentation?

12. STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING BLM’S SOCIAL SCIENCE CAPABILITIES Clarify Mandates >> Link to Management Activities << Conduct a Needs Assessment Take Corrective Action

13. Preparing resource management plans • Identify the implications for communities and user groups for alternatives under: • Western Oregon Plan Revision • Farmington RMP • Kobuk – Seward Peninsula RMP

14. Implementing projects • Identify and help mitigate the social and economic impacts of projects such as: • Jonah Infill Drilling EIS • Southern Nevada Water Authority EIS • Oil Shale / Tar Sands Programmatic EIS

15. Managing recreation demand • Manage conflicts between forms of recreation • Assess the values and attitudes of different recreational users

16. Supporting tribal, state, and local development • Coordinate BLM’s plans “with the land use planning and management programs of . . . the States and local governments within which the lands are located” FLPMA §202(c)(9)

17. Managing wildland fire risk • Anticipate residential growth patterns • Assess community attitudes toward fuels treatment

18. Managing subsistence resources • Give priority to customary uses of fish, wildlife, and other renewables (ANILCA) • For effective management, obtain detailed knowledge of local economies and social systems

19. Meeting environmental justice mandates • Identify disproportionate adverse impacts to low-income, minority, or tribal populations (EO 12898, 1994) Four Corners Power Plant

20. Supporting effective public participation • Describe affected groups • Survey attitudes and uses • Identify strategies to reduce barriers to participation, such as language

21. Assessing socio-economic trends • Assess social and economic trends that can provide early warning of management challenges Job Growth – Mesa County, Colorado

22. STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING BLM’S SOCIAL SCIENCE CAPABILITIES Clarify Mandates Link to Management Activities >> Conduct a Needs Assessment << Take Corrective Action

23. Social Science Needs Assessment • In 2006 the BLM initiated a national social science needs assessment. • An oversight committee of managers and program staff was established to guide the assessment. • The committee selected an external team of seven social scientists to conduct the assessment. • The external team has reviewed documents, conducted a phone survey of over 1,200 BLM staff, and interviewed 90 resource advisory council members. (Since Wyoming has no RACs, a comparable sample was selected.)

24. The assessment team’s tasks: • describe BLM’s current social science capabilities • define what social science capabilities are needed, based on internal and external input and the team’s professional judgment • identify and prioritize deficiencies. • The oversight committee will use these findings to prepare an action plan for strengthening BLM’s social science capabilities, within realistic budget constraints.

25. Findings of interviews with Resource Advisory Council members

26. Participating Resource Advisory Council members by stakeholder group and RAC category

27. Importance of social and economic issues in advising the BLM

28. Have RAC members worked with BLM to address social and economic issues?

29. Has the BLM adequately addressed the economic, social, and EJ effects of its decisions?

30. Is the BLM supportive of community development objectives?

31. Overall satisfaction with BLM’s economic and social analysis for resource management decisions?

32. Findings of telephone survey of BLM employees

33. Value of social science information . . .? • At the state or Washington Office level, for policy decisions – 46% indicated “high” or “very high” (five-point scale) • At the district office level, for EISs & RMPs – 66% indicated “high” or “very high” • At the field office level – 61% indicated “high” or “very high”

34. How well is social science information used. . .? • For project implementation – 23% indicated “well” or “very well” (five-point scale) • For land use planning – 38% indicated “well” or “very well” • For trend monitoring – 19% indicated “well” or “very well” • For meeting local and tribal community development objectives – 30% indicated “well” or “very well”

35. Factors posing a barrier to using social science information across the BLM . . .? • Competing priorities – 28% • Lack of funding – 25% • Not a priority for managers – 13% • Insufficient training – 9% • Sources of social and economic information – 6%

36. How would you improve the use of social science without new staffing? • Training existing staff – 24% • Contract with outside agencies – 9% • Conduct surveys of public opinion, more s/s research generally – 8% • Increase awareness of social science – 6% • Increase communication with public through scoping and collaboration – 5% • Develop manuals, toolboxes, guidelines – 5% • [No opinion – 15%]

37. STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTHENING BLM’S SOCIAL SCIENCE CAPABILITIES Clarify Mandates Link to Management Activities Conduct a Needs Assessment >> Take Corrective Action <<

38. Moving forward, what further advice do you have for improving BLM’s use of social science information?

39. Thank you for your assistance!

40. For further information, contact: Dr. Rob Winthrop Senior Social Scientist Division of Decision Support, Planning, and NEPA Bureau of Land Management 1849 C Street, NW (Mail Stop 850LS) Washington, D.C. 20240 202-557-3587; robert_winthrop@blm.gov [soc-econ rpt to RACs 1b Winthrop – Cossa 2-8-09.ppt]