Partnership and Collaboration Skills and Competencies

Creating and maintaining partnerships; interagency project management; structuring agreements among partners; nurturing cooperation among a variety of recreation and conservation interests; planning trail systems across jurisdictional lines.

by American Trails Staff

Skills for Creating and Maintaining Partnerships

  • Understanding and working with agency requirements
  • Developing a common vision among diverse interests and jurisdictions
  • Evaluate appropriate partnership agreements including authorities, formats, policy guidance, and reporting
  • Understanding limits, opportunities, constraints, and "cultures" of project or program partners

Skills for Managing Interagency Projects

  • Working with different levels of government: federal, state, county, municipality
  • Negotiating outcomes and responsibilities
  • Applying regulations from different agencies
  • Leading effectively to enable people to join together to accomplish a common task
  • Collaborating with private land owners within and outside the trail corridor

Skills for Collaboration in Planning and Management

  • Planning trail systems in cooperation with
  • Acquiring land and easements for trail protection, collaborating with other agencies and organizations
  • Working with multiple communities along a trail corridor
  • Working with law enforcement
  • Initiating trail patrols and peer enforcement
  • Developing coordinated search and rescue and public safety plan with local law enforcement agencies
  • Integrate trail management and administration with other resource programs

Skills for Nurturing Cooperation among Public Land Interests

  • Working with the spectrum of trail users to identify conflicts and solutions
  • Working with various interest groups to find common ground
  • Signs, waivers, and documentation for trail liability
  • Responding to legal issues and concerns

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