- a weekly column published in the Pioneer Press

In late February, I attended the two day Klamath Watershed Conference, which was held in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The first day included lectures from various scientists touching on the physical environment (geology,) “bioregions” (different types of landscapes such as coastal forest or high desert,) and aquatic “ecosystems” (fish.)

I was struck with how little folks in the “Upper Klamath Basin” know about our area or the millions of dollars that have been spent on habitat restoration efforts. They even lump us in with the commercial fisherfolk and coastal tribes as part of the “Lower Klamath Basin.” Various misstatements made, such as the claim that there is no dam on the Trinity River, reminded me how important it is to educate other areas of the Klamath about the facts concerning our mid-Klamath area.  

One of the most alarming things I heard was from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist, Mark Buettner, who mentioned that the Bush Administration is looking to copy the Bay Delta Accord (CALFED) approach in the Klamath Basin. This model is a watershed-wide multi-stakeholder process for the management of resources.  http://calwater.ca.gov/

Some of the conference was devoted to the human beings of the Klamath, including  “sharing” by Etna rancher and packer, Mike Bryan, and Ron Reed of Orleans for Karuk tribal fisheries. There was also a segment on “collaborative communities” with a presentation from Jim Villeponteaux of the Salmon River Restoration Council. (I will write more about that in a future column.)

One of the high points of the conference was the keynote speech by Betsy Rieke, who is the area manager for the Bureau of Reclamation in the Lahontan Basin. Under the prior administration, she was the Asst. Secretary for Water and Science under Secretary Bruce Babbitt. Ms. Rieke has considerable experience in high stakes negotiations where there are longstanding entrenched conflicts concerning the distribution of natural resources. The Bay-Delta was among the negotiations in which she was involved.

Looking back to identify some keys to successful negotiations, Ms. Rieke said that she could not come up with a formula, but she identified the following as helpful:

(1)    Leadership - She quoted Colin Powell on describing leadership as “optimism beyond reason.” Leaders are risk takers and they support other team members when they take risks. Leaders build relationships through a series of strategic skills. They are good “unconditional” listeners and listen for emotions. They are constructive and build teams. They try to level the playing field so that the “players” feel comfortable in negotiating.

(2)    Scope – It is important to keep the geographic area manageable and scope of the interests at the table sensibly small enough so that any agreement will have durability. Use an incremental approach, such as adaptive management, to try solutions and change them as needed.     

(3)    Mediator - A mediator may be helpful in leveling the playing field, but not always. A mediator will work with the parties to develop an agenda and to help them explain their positions. A mediator can provide technical assistance and help resolve conflicts among the parties between meetings. A mediator can handle all contacts with the press during negotiations. But a mediator can reduce the amount of direct dialogue between the parties in negotiation.

(4)    Stakes - Ms. Rieke explained that negotiators need to look at the deal on the table and determine if they are better or worse off if the deal were in place. Rather than walk away from the table, negotiators need to determine what they need out of the agreement in order to improve over their current situation and they need to be able to communicate that. They also have to understand the other parties’ situations and what they need. A good negotiation will bring alternatives to the table where all parties are better off than they were without the agreement.