Finding Common Ground

Washington state is where collaborative governance on natural resources began in the early 1970s, with a groundbreaking agreement to resolve conflicts over flood control on the Snoqualmie River. As the new field grew, it helped to resolve a key civil rights struggle over tribal fishing rights in Washington known as the “Fish Wars,” which came to a head in a landmark legal case referred to as the Boldt Decision. After the US Supreme Court upheld the Boldt Decision’s recognition of tribal treaty rights, the parties eventually turned to collaborative governance to resolve their conflict, and the resulting state/tribal co-management of salmon and steelhead persists to this day. Since then, collaborative approaches in Washington have led to many groundbreaking outcomes, greatly influencing the rest of the nation over a 50-year history.

0:00 - 2:29 Introduction
2:30 - 9:38 The History
9:39 - 14:36 Birth of Co-management in the state
14:37 - 16:17 Alternative Dispute Resolution
16:18 - 20:10 Growth of Dispute Resolution
20:11 - 24:21 Northwest Renewable Resource Center
24:22 - 31:43 Nisqually Watershed and the Centennial Accord
31:44 - 36:26 Puyallup Accord Settlement
36:27 - 40:59 Salmon Recovery
41:00 - 46:29 Water in Eastern Washington and Walla Walla 2050
46:30 - 50:40 Getting a successful partnership in Yakima
50:41 - 53:40 Reflecting on a success
53:46 - 55:00 Credits