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Abstract
The Bitterroot Ecosystem Management Research Project and the Bitterroot National Forest funded a boundary spanner to coordinate research activities taking place on the Forest, increase technology transfer and outreach, and foster increased dialogue among and between researchers and managers. Coordination involved use of a research special use permit and a GIS map to track research projects. This led to protection of researchers’ study sites and forest resources, increased cooperation between and among the Forest and researchers, and safer working conditions. Technology transfer involved a mixture of methods, the most successful of which were events like field trips that provided opportunities for researchers, resource managers, and the public to interact. The boundary spanner helped increase dialogue among and between researchers and managers through personal interactions. A good boundary spanner should have a strong interest in research and learning in multiple discipline areas, minimal biases against researchers or land managers, willingness to understand the different cultures and organizational structures, good communication skills including listening skills, diplomacy, willingness to spend time working directly with people on both sides of the research/management boundary, good organizational skills, and willingness to network with a larger community of educators, other agencies, and the public.
Parent Publication
Citation
Ritter, Sharon. 2006. A successful experiment: The boundary spanner on the Bitterroot National Forest. In: Aguirre-Bravo, C.; Pellicane, Patrick J.; Burns, Denver P.; and Draggan, Sidney, Eds. 2006. Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere Proceedings RMRS-P-42CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 475-480
