Water quality monitoring in the State of New Mexico revealed that three watershed systems were suffering from significant contamination. Soil erosion caused by grazing cattle, vegetation removal, wildfires, and off-road vehicles driven close to riverbanks, had contaminated the rivers and their tributaries. Since there was no one source of contamination, the New Mexico government asked the Meridian Institute, a non-governmental organization experienced in environmental issues, to help these watershed communities to develop collaborative action plans to restore the water quality of their rivers. However, the stakeholders affected by and affecting these watersheds were very diverse, including private landowners, water users, local, state and federal government officials, Native American tribes, businesspeople, and ranchers. Some were suspicious that yet another outsider was trying to tell them what to do; some were distrustful of the other stakeholders. Others wanted to see results immediately and not spend time in meetings. For some older residents, the deteriorating water quality was a symbol of all of the other changes happening in the region.

To learn how Meridian used the Transition Framework to manage all of these changes and build collaborative community groups to restore these watershed systems, click here.

Projects that have used the Transition Framework to address Conservation Conflict

Developing Innovations in Navajo Education, Inc.
Winslow, AZ
www.navajotrust.org

Institute for Environmental Negotiation
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
www.virginia.edu/ien

Jane Goodall Institute
Silver Spring, MD
www.janegoodall.org

The Meridian Institute
Dillon, CO
www.merid.org

Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Saco, ME
www.namanet.org

The Working Group
Oakland, CA
www.theworkinggroup.org