Outreach to Other Coronado Stakeholders

Central to the Coronado Planning Campaign is the idea of uniting communities to support the long-term health of the Coronado National Forest. The campaign began by creating a nucleus of conservation-minded groups and individuals in the Coronado Planning Partnership. The effort has spread to reaching individuals, especially in rural areas, who have a stake in particular management units on the Forest. Participants in this Forest Neighbor Network are a major force in the collaboration workshops conducted by the Forest Service. The campaign also relies on the community of natural and social scientists whose research interests center on the Sky Island Region.

What about organizations and businesses that are not primarily focused on conservation but that also hold a stake in the Forest's future? Engaging this untapped constituency for the Coronado's revised Land and Resource Management Plan is a further challenge for the campaign.

Who Might the Campaign's Nontraditional Allies Be?

Some of the potential allies for the campaign obviously share common interests, even though their stated goals are not specifically related to conservation. Hiking clubs, birding groups, and other organizations with an outdoor focus have a vested interest in making sure that wild places stay wild. Hunters and anglers share with conservationists a need to protect wildlife species and their habitats. Native American groups are concerned with the safety of sacred sites, as well as the natural and cultural resources of the Coronado that influence their land.

Other potential supporters for the campaign are groups for which the connection is not as obvious but just as strong. Ranchers' associations depend, for production, on healthy land to support livestock, and many ranchers in the region have allotments on the Coronado. More and more faith-based groups explicitly recognize that wild nature is central to spiritual strength. Community organizations and local businesses have a stake in the ecological services and economic potential of public lands.

On behalf of the Coronado Planning Partnership, Sky Island Alliance is leading the effort to reach these nontraditional supporters throughout the Sky Island Region. Outreach is tailored to the needs and interests of specific groups: direct personal contact, presentations at organizational meetings, and publications in local newspapers, among others.

What Are the Current Goals and Strategies for Nontraditional Outreach?

Goal:
Build broad support for a conservation-based Forest Plan among stakeholder groups with missions not directly related to biodiversity protection.

Strategies:
•  Conduct presentations on the Forest and on the planning process to nontraditional allies: e.g., churches, community groups, hiking clubs, climbing groups, and mountain biking organizations.
•  Meet with Native American Tribes and NGOs, including San Carlos Apache; White Mountain Apache; Chiricahua Apache Tribes of Mescalero, NM, and Fort Sill, OK; Yavapai Apache; Tohono O'odham; Gila River, Pascua Yaqui; Hopi; and Zuni.
•  Meet with ranchers and ranching associations, targeting groups identified by current ranching allies.
•  Place media pieces promoting adoption of scientifically sound, conservation-based management for the Coronado, as well as citizen involvement in implementing it.

As a result of these strategies, Sky Island Alliance expects that
•  Stakeholder groups who, in the past, have not actively advocated for conservation of the Coronado will not only support the recommendations of Sky Island Alliance and the Coronado Planning Partnership, but also make unique contributions based on their own expertise.