Managing State Trust Lands Fiduciary Duty in the Changing West

Publications

Collaborative Planning on State Trust Lands

The changing landscapes, economies and demographics of the West have required more diverse approaches to trust management. These changes have also brought increased attention to trust lands as communities view these lands as public assets with value for open space, fish and wildlife protection and recreation.

As a result, developers, industry and business leaders, conservationists, neighboring community members and others have become increasingly interested in the use of trust lands, sometimes resulting in conflict over trust management decisions.

A promising tool, trust managers across the West have begun to explore collaborative approaches to the planning and management of trust lands to reduce conflict, provide creative solutions and produce enduring results.

This report addresses challenges and opportunities for collaborative trust decisions and shares best practices and recommendations for collaborative planning on state trust lands based on eight case studies. The observations and best practices in this report grew out of stakeholder reflections and perceptions, as well as the researcher’s external analysis.

Download the Full Report [3.3 MB]

For a detailed report of the full-length case studies, results, and lessons for collaborative planning on state trust lands, go to theUniversity of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, Ecosystem Management Initiative.