Mountain Studies Institute Strategic Plan 2021-2023
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<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong><br />
<strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong><br />
ADVANCE SCIENCE<br />
EMPOWER COMMUNITIES<br />
INNOVATE SOLUTIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
A great deal of internal and external critical thinking was devoted to developing this extension of the<br />
original (2015-2020) plan. We would like to thank our board of directors, the Executive Director, Marcie<br />
Bidwell, and the MSI staff for assisting with this monumental task. Specifically, we would like to thank<br />
G. Sam Foster, Board President 2017-2018, Mark Stiles, and Rob Milofsky, current Board President, for<br />
leading the <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>ning Committee.<br />
We would also like to recognize Dr. Robert Blair (1943-2015) who inspired the formation of MSI and<br />
functioned as its creative muse, and whose passing reminds us of the contribution of many leaders in<br />
the San Juan Region who have devoted themselves to land stewardship and conservation.
CONTENTS<br />
HISTORY AND NICHE 1<br />
MISSION AND VISION 2<br />
OUR GOALS 3<br />
OUR CORE VALUES & RELATIONSHIPS 4<br />
ADVANCE MOUNTAIN SCIENCE 5<br />
EMPOWER COMMUNITIES 7<br />
INNOVATE SOLUTIONS 9<br />
CAPACITY GOALS 11<br />
NEXT STEPS 13<br />
APPENDIX 15
1<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
HISTORY AND NICHE<br />
MSI was first conceptualized in the late 1990’s as a “living classroom without walls” in the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s<br />
through discussions with over 20 collaborators. Conversations brought together members from the Town of<br />
Silverton, San Juan County, Fort Lewis College, San Juan Public Lands Center (USDA Forest Service and Bureau of<br />
Land Management), and many others to develop the concept of a non-advocacy, mountain center of education<br />
and research in Silverton, Colorado. As the effort grew, the group hosted the State of the San Juan’s Conference<br />
at Purgatory Resort, proving the need for leadership and desire for mountain research in the region. MSI was<br />
granted legal status as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2002. Two federal appropriations through the US<br />
Forest Service were sponsored by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, which helped establish the <strong>Institute</strong>.<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> (MSI) has partnered with San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong> communities to foster and enhance<br />
understanding and sustainable use of our valued natural resources since 2002. We have grown to embody<br />
a dynamic initiative to care for the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s, one of Colorado’s most special places. Through<br />
applied research, education, and stewardship programs, we strive to go beyond scientific inquiry to the<br />
meaningful application of knowledge and information that makes a difference in the quality of life for mountain<br />
communities and for the environment in southwest Colorado. MSI was created to expand knowledge about<br />
mountain systems, their connections, and their environmental challenges; to ensure that such knowledge is<br />
readily available to decision-makers and leaders in mountain communities; and to contribute to the well-being of<br />
Silverton, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Telluride as well as the San Juan mountain region in general by helping<br />
to improve the overall health of the mountain ecosystems, and specifically diversify Silverton’s economy.<br />
Our focus on mountain systems rather than the isolated components has made us unique since the beginning.<br />
We have always seen people as important elements within mountain systems and have actively pursued applied<br />
research that includes human actions in disturbed, modified, and non-pristine environments, such as our lands<br />
that have been mined, grazed or otherwise managed. The issues of our time, such as climate change and air<br />
quality, remind us that the world is intricately connected, and all actions have cascading effects that reach across<br />
time and space. While other organizations may focus on a particular aspect of a mountain environment such as<br />
water quality, we have pursued the creative tension at the intersections of disciplines, such as how air quality<br />
impacts high alpine lakes’ water quality through deposition of mercury and nutrients, as an example of a systems<br />
approach.<br />
In the last nineteen years, we have grown significantly, the scope of our work and expertise has expanded, and<br />
our partners have multiplied. Simultaneously, so have the types of challenges and opportunities facing our<br />
mountain communities.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 2<br />
OUR MISSION<br />
To empower communities, managers, and<br />
scientists to innovate solutions through advancing<br />
mountain research, promoting education, and<br />
improving best practices.<br />
OUR VISION<br />
We cultivate collaborations that enable resilient<br />
mountain communities to articulate issues, develop<br />
partnerships, and ignite initiatives that sustain the<br />
social, cultural, natural, and economic resources of the<br />
San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s and mountain systems worldwide.
3<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
OUR GOALS<br />
Advance<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> Science<br />
Empower<br />
Communities<br />
Innovate<br />
Solutions<br />
• Identify scientific<br />
information needs and<br />
knowledge gaps relevant to<br />
the resilience of people and<br />
mountain ecosystems.<br />
• Recruit and include diverse<br />
voices, perspectives, and<br />
under-represented people<br />
in our work, on our staff,<br />
and in our collaboratives.<br />
• Collaborate with community<br />
members and stakeholders<br />
to design and conduct<br />
research relevant to<br />
emerging issues.<br />
• Strengthen and increase<br />
our monitoring capacity<br />
and infrastructure to<br />
better understand shifting<br />
systems, including rapid<br />
and long-term changes and<br />
immediate, chronic, and<br />
episodic events.<br />
• Raise awareness,<br />
understanding, and a<br />
culture of stewardship<br />
through community<br />
engagement, collaboration,<br />
stewardship actions, and<br />
accomplishments.<br />
• Promote learning about<br />
mountain systems and<br />
scientific literacy in K-12 and<br />
higher education.<br />
• Develop future leaders<br />
in our communities with<br />
science skills, understanding<br />
and appreciation for<br />
natural resources, and<br />
tools through hands-on<br />
training and professional<br />
development.<br />
• Innovate solutions to<br />
address challenges relevant<br />
to mountain communities,<br />
now and in the future.<br />
• Facilitate new methods<br />
of collaboration and<br />
science-based initiatives to<br />
promote and sustain social,<br />
ecological, and economic<br />
resilience.<br />
• Promote innovative<br />
solutions at multiple scales,<br />
connecting place-based<br />
innovations to higher levels<br />
of decision-making and<br />
discussion to be inclusive,<br />
diverse, and representative.<br />
• Translate science into<br />
usable formats and useful<br />
knowledge for the public<br />
and decision makers.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 4<br />
OUR CORE VALUES & RELATIONSHIPS<br />
A set of interconnected values and principles guide our work. These values are demonstrated through a variety<br />
of research and educational approaches. MSI focuses on both the ecological concerns and community needs of<br />
the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s region during a time of significant social, economic and environmental transition.<br />
1) Is Place-Based in the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s<br />
MSI is an active part of the social, physical, and ecological landscape of the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s region. We<br />
are consistently informed and driven by our sense of place. We seek to learn alongside our communities<br />
and serve as a connector to help disseminate information and knowledge to our partners and stakeholders<br />
here in the San Juans—and beyond to other communities around the world.<br />
2) Enhances Interactions between Natural Resources and Communities<br />
MSI builds capacity by emphasizing the interaction among natural resources, social and economic change,<br />
and needs for community understanding and/or adaptation.<br />
3) Seeks Useful and Meaningful Outcomes<br />
MSI stresses applied science and meaningful research that results in useful outcomes, pursuing<br />
opportunities that link science, community understanding, and knowledge.<br />
4) Leads by Example<br />
MSI leads by example, engaging in hands-on forest, watershed and river restoration work on the ground<br />
when it can be structured as a participatory action research, pilot testing, and/or education activities.<br />
5) Cultivates Collaborative Partnerships<br />
MSI works through collaborative partnerships in all phases of its research and education processes. We<br />
seek to enhance the strengths of our partners by building productive relationships and connections.<br />
6) Encourages Active Community Involvement<br />
MSI is committed to empowering communities through consistent inclusion and active involvement of<br />
community leaders in science-based initiatives, citizen science, and stewardship.<br />
7) Sponsors Community Dialog in Public Forums<br />
MSI fosters collaborative dialogue to enable people with the skills, information and opportunity to<br />
participate in and inform community decision making. We use innovative applications to connect people to<br />
address ecological and community concerns in the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s.<br />
8) Seeks Resilient, Adaptive Solutions<br />
MSI tests new solutions to vexing problems, emphasizing resilient, adaptive solutions.
There is no power greater for change than a community
discovering what it cares about. Margaret Wheatley
7<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
ADVANCE MOUNTAIN SCIENCE<br />
ISSUE STATEMENT:<br />
The rapid environmental and societal changes that are taking place locally<br />
and globally pose considerable challenges to the fabric of natural and social<br />
systems. Coping with the challenges will require new discoveries, improved<br />
knowledge, robust and relevant information, and the ability to use these<br />
advances appropriately. While scientific advances and discoveries are<br />
constantly being made, there is often a significant disconnect between the<br />
scientists generating the information and the policy makers and managers<br />
who are trying to use that information.<br />
Priorities for Action<br />
• <strong>Mountain</strong> conditions are constantly changing. Research—and the policy and<br />
programming it should inform—also needs to be ongoing and adaptive.<br />
• We need to learn—and then apply that learning—at the same pace and with<br />
agility, unafraid of changing course or shifting our focus.<br />
• MSI will use a process to prioritize which research questions and initiatives we are<br />
addressing to ensure we are asking the right questions.<br />
• Collaboration across communities, expertise, and perspectives is key to breaking<br />
down barriers and realizing relevancy. We will intentionally include diverse voices,<br />
perspectives, and experiences in the process of identifying, conducting, and<br />
applying mountain science.<br />
• To overcome the disconnect between the scientists<br />
generating the information and the decision<br />
makers who need to use this information, we<br />
seek new pathways for mountain research<br />
to inform decision-making on policies,<br />
regulatory frameworks, and programming.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 8<br />
IF WE:<br />
Identify scientific information needs and knowledge gaps relevant to the<br />
resilience of people and mountain ecosystems;<br />
Recruit and include diverse voices, perspectives, and under-represented people<br />
in our work, on our staff, and in our collaboratives;<br />
Collaborate with community members and stakeholders to design and conduct<br />
research relevant to emerging issues;<br />
Strengthen and increase our monitoring capacity and infrastructure to better<br />
understand shifting systems, including rapid and long-term changes and<br />
immediate, chronic, and episodic events; and<br />
Translate science into usable formats and useful knowledge for the public and<br />
decision makers,<br />
THEN:<br />
Information gaps are filled and new knowledge improves strategies and actions<br />
that supports mountain ecosystem resilience;<br />
Decision makers are better informed with improved knowledge and have<br />
relevant data to plan, manage, and set policies for protecting ecosystems; and<br />
Communities and stakeholders will value the importance of mountain<br />
ecosystems to the survival of nature and people,<br />
AND THEREFORE:<br />
The San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong> ecosystems will become resilient,<br />
and the continued and healthy existence of this vital resource will be<br />
assured for future generations.
9<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
EMPOWER COMMUNITIES<br />
ISSUE STATEMENT:<br />
Everyday, the world is becoming more complex and interconnected. We are ever more<br />
dependent on the earth’s limited resources, a fragile climate, and fellow humankind.<br />
As a society, we are more global, technological, and mobile with each generation.<br />
Recent events in 2020 have highlighted the need to address environmental injustice<br />
and inequity in our society and community. Success in the 21st Century—our human<br />
and natural welfare—will depend on our awareness, understanding, collaboration,<br />
and capacity for action. We have a moral imperative to create a sustainable,<br />
equitable, and resilient community and environment that benefits all people.<br />
Achieving environmental integrity, social equity, environmental justice, and economic<br />
prosperity is not a lofty ideal, but a necessity for our planet and people to survive.<br />
Priorities for Action<br />
• Access to resources, information, education, participation, and influence is not equal. As<br />
MSI’s mission is to empower all within our communities, we work to raise awareness and<br />
end systemic racism and environmental injustice that affects Black, Indigenous, and People<br />
of Color. We renew our dedication to elevate all voices, identify and address barriers to<br />
participation, and promote equity and inclusion in our initiatives.<br />
• Knowledge alone does not lead to action. MSI embraces a holistic approach for transformative<br />
action through increasing awareness, connecting people with our unique mountain resources,<br />
building knowledge and skills, and increasing capacity to participate and act.<br />
• Complex problems require collaboration<br />
and connected action. Beyond science, MSI’s<br />
programs need to increase literacy in systems<br />
thinking, problem solving, and 21st century<br />
skills.<br />
• Critical scientific information is being<br />
lost in politicized debate, distrust or<br />
misunderstanding of science and the scientific<br />
process. MSI is uniquely poised to work<br />
toward rebuilding trust and understanding of<br />
the role of science and collaboration through<br />
our community-based initiatives.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 10<br />
IF WE:<br />
Raise awareness, understanding, and a culture of stewardship through<br />
community engagement, collaboration, stewardship actions, and<br />
accomplishments;<br />
Promote learning about mountain systems and scientific literacy in K-12 and<br />
higher education; and<br />
Develop future leaders in all our communities with science skills, understanding<br />
and appreciation for natural resources, and tools through hands-on training and<br />
professional development,<br />
THEN:<br />
People build connections, are better informed, and are equipped to support<br />
scientific endeavors through investing, funding, collaborating, and stewardship<br />
activity;<br />
More youth envision a path as future leaders in science, have opportunities to<br />
explore and practice leadership; and<br />
More people trust science, make informed decisions, and take action to protect<br />
and/or restore our environment,<br />
AND THEREFORE:<br />
A science-literate public will appreciate the value of our unique mountain<br />
systems, understand scientific principles and emerging issues, engage in<br />
stewardship and civic action, apply the knowledge gained to conserve and<br />
protect our natural resources, and inspire the behavior and beliefs of those<br />
around them.
11<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
INNOVATE SOLUTIONS<br />
ISSUE STATEMENT:<br />
The challenges of our time—environmental degradation, climate change, drought, social<br />
disruption—call us to find new solutions, methods of collaboration, and creativity to<br />
improve lives and the environment. To effect change requires asking questions, challenging<br />
the norms and practices of people and institutions, and thinking differently about our work,<br />
about the way we do our work, and about who is doing the work. It also requires creating a<br />
culture and support network that believes change will result in a better outcome.<br />
Priorities for Action<br />
• Invest in our capacity to facilitate the full cycle of understanding, thereby evolving and solving<br />
complex problems—investigate, define, prototype, test, adapt, and apply—to increase the pace<br />
and scale of developing and adopting solutions that meet community needs.<br />
• Strengthen our ability to facilitate and lead initiatives in design thinking that generates solutions<br />
that are local and generated in partnership with end-users and intended benefactors.<br />
• Enhance support for networks and collaborations which will yield benefits from continuous<br />
learning and emergent organizational practices to accelerate and institutionalize rapid learning.<br />
• Support the design process and new ideas at the peer and institutional levels. MSI models of<br />
collaboration will build networks, support leaders, and reduce risk in innovation.<br />
• Stress the urgency of local context in our<br />
work. There is often a lack of urgency among<br />
governmental and donor decision-makers to<br />
understand local problems and conditions. Instead,<br />
decisions are based on generalized viewpoints<br />
instead of contextualized, local data that carries<br />
significant downstream effects on broader<br />
ecosystems.<br />
• Guide innovation to be local, relevant, and beneficial<br />
for the users of the solutions.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 12<br />
IF WE:<br />
Innovate solutions to address challenges relevant to mountain communities,<br />
now and in the future;<br />
Facilitate new methods of collaboration and science-based initiatives to<br />
promote and sustain social, ecological, and economic resilience; and<br />
Promote innovative solutions at multiple scales, connecting place-based<br />
innovations to higher levels of decision-making and discussion to be<br />
inclusive, diverse, and representative,<br />
THEN:<br />
A network of practitioners with the knowledge, skills, experience, and<br />
confidence to advance the state of practice and policies is active;<br />
Market and donor demand for applied mountain science is increased and<br />
sustained; and<br />
More people and institutions contribute to, support, and activate science,<br />
AND THEREFORE:<br />
The resilience of the mountain ecosystem is strengthened through restorative<br />
and regenerative solutions that are derived from and supported by a<br />
myriad of community voices and institutions. This includes a local economic<br />
ecosystem that supports mountain science and its applications.
13<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
CAPACITY GOALS<br />
Our strategic goals require significant resources and capacity to accomplish. As part of the strategic<br />
planning process, we reviewed our internal capacity and resources. In response, we established a set of<br />
capacity goals to ensure that we have the people, resources, and policies necessary to attain our vision.<br />
1) SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE, ENHANCE OUR CULTURE<br />
Our talented staff and board are the strongest assets of the organization. Our goal is to<br />
maintain a high level of capacity by providing the necessary development and support for<br />
staff and board, as well as ensure our organizational culture fosters teamwork, collaboration,<br />
and positive outlook and growth. Staff professional development will receive greater<br />
attention. We will ensure our work environment is conducive to productive and satisfying<br />
work and reflects the technology needs of the day.<br />
3) DEVELOP A CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS AND ADAPTIVE LEARNING<br />
It is imperative that MSI staff are at the forefront of scientific advancements in mountain<br />
science and are versed, trained, and competent in leading-edge technologies. We must remain<br />
aware of how we impact, or are impacted by, our partners, the political and economic climate,<br />
and current issues that can influence our collective success. The rapidly changing world of<br />
information technology also presents challenges and opportunities. We will ensure resources<br />
are made available and effectively used and that MSI thoughtfully evaluates its work to<br />
understand our effectiveness, adapt as needed, and constantly improve our approaches.<br />
5) EMBRACE STORYTELLING TO SHARE “SCIENCE PEOPLE CAN USE”<br />
MSI strives to fill information needs and knowledge gaps that enhances knowledge and<br />
informs better decisions to sustain our communities and mountain systems. Yet, our<br />
audience—as varied as it gets—has different interests and information needs, as well<br />
as preferred modes of engagement. We will develop and implement a communication<br />
strategy that leverages our work into engaging and relatable stories (Science People Can<br />
Use), enhances our social media presence, and connects to the values and interests of our<br />
communities, policy and decision-makers, and funders.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 14<br />
2) BE A HIGH-LEVEL NONPROFIT INSTITUTION AND TRUSTED PARTNER<br />
We seek to serve a wide geography of the San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s region which spans many<br />
thousands of square miles, is separated by mountain passes, and includes diverse cultures<br />
and values. We receive funding from a variety of sources, and develop and participate in<br />
numerous collaborative partnerships. Our donors, partners, board, and staff deserve nothing<br />
less than absolute transparency, accountability, and fiduciary responsibility, and our growth<br />
depends on it. Therefore, MSI will deliver those attributes.<br />
4) BUILD FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT UNDERGIRD SHORT AND<br />
LONG-TERM STABILITY<br />
We need to ensure that our people and programs have the resources they need to succeed.<br />
To achieve long-term stability, we require a diverse funding portfolio, productive relations<br />
with funders, and strong partnerships. We will strengthen our rainy-day reserve fund and<br />
carve out base-operational funds to support targeted innovative research activities. This<br />
will enhance staff opportunities to contribute directly to the body of mountain science<br />
research and/or its application. We will embark on a comprehensive fundraising strategy that<br />
advances MSI into new markets and revamps its donor giving platform.
15<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
NEXT STEPS<br />
MSI’s <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> sets forth the organization’s vision, three strategic goals, and<br />
internal organizational capacity goals. Each strategic goal is supported by a defining issue<br />
statement, priorities for action, a theory of change, and concrete objectives and initiatives<br />
designed to meet the goal. A set of capacity goals completes the <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>, communicating<br />
the strengths MSI will build on and the gaps it will address to realize the plan. MSI’s <strong>Strategic</strong><br />
<strong>Plan</strong> is co-created by MSI’s Board of Directors and all staff every three years. It is approved by the<br />
Board of Directors and enacted by MSI’s senior<br />
leadership through annual workplans, with highlevel<br />
results reported quarterly to the Board.<br />
Staff’s individual contributions to goal attainment<br />
will be inscribed in annual workplans and<br />
measured in annual performance reviews.<br />
Our goal is to attain our vision by working<br />
collectively toward our strategic and capacity<br />
goals to ensure MSI contributes effectively<br />
to advancing mountain science that provides<br />
solutions for strengthening the resilience of the<br />
San Juan <strong>Mountain</strong>s, as well as demonstrates<br />
best practices and models that can be replicated<br />
further afield. MSI’s work is indeed place-based<br />
and local—but it carries global impact on the<br />
world’s resources.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 16<br />
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>, Work <strong>Plan</strong>ning, and Evaluation Process<br />
MSI Executive Team<br />
measures progress and<br />
reports to staff and the<br />
Board; adapts and adjusts<br />
plan goals and objectives<br />
as needed<br />
Board and staff<br />
co-develop <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong><br />
in participatory process<br />
Quarterly &<br />
Annual<br />
Reporting<br />
3-Year<br />
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong><br />
Adopted<br />
MSI supervisors work<br />
with direct reports on<br />
staff workplans aligned<br />
to annual organizational<br />
workplan; hold regular<br />
check-ins on progress<br />
and issues<br />
Annual Staff<br />
Workplans<br />
Implemented<br />
Annual<br />
Organizational<br />
Workplan<br />
Enacted<br />
MSI Leadership Team<br />
develops annual plan<br />
aligned to <strong>Strategic</strong><br />
<strong>Plan</strong> with clear roles,<br />
responsibilities, and<br />
accountability
17<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
APPENDIX<br />
GOAL 1: ADVANCE MOUNTAIN SCIENCE<br />
Objectives<br />
Objective 1: Identify scientific<br />
information needs and<br />
knowledge gaps relevant to<br />
the resilience of people and<br />
mountain ecosystems<br />
Objective 2: Recruit and include<br />
diverse voices, perspectives, and<br />
under-represented people in our<br />
work, on our staff, and in our<br />
collaboratives<br />
Objective 3: Collaborate with<br />
community members and<br />
stakeholders to design and<br />
conduct research relevant to<br />
emerging issues<br />
Objective 4: Strengthen and<br />
increase our monitoring capacity<br />
and infrastructure to better<br />
understand shifting systems,<br />
including rapid and long-term<br />
changes and immediate, chronic,<br />
and episodic events<br />
Initiatives<br />
• Establish a system to prioritize research initiatives and<br />
investments; ensure the entire mountain system, from high<br />
alpine elevation to downstream gradients, is addressed.<br />
• Grow MSI’s ability to lead research and monitoring efforts, as<br />
well as data management, through strengthening expertise, both<br />
internally and externally, to support research initiatives.<br />
• Re-establish the San Juan Collaboratory to advance and formalize<br />
research partnerships, especially with local and regional-based<br />
educational institutions.<br />
• Increase efforts to recruit and hire diverse staff, board members,<br />
interns, and researchers.<br />
• Analyze and improve efforts for our collaborations to be more<br />
inclusive and representative of the communities in which we<br />
work.<br />
• Provide appropriate inclusiveness training to all staff and make it<br />
available to collaborators.<br />
• Demonstrate thought leadership such as through development<br />
of science communications, papers, and journal articles that<br />
represent our place and build integrated perspectives in our<br />
ecologies and communities.<br />
• Connect science to decision-makers and the public through<br />
workshops, forums, media, and MSI communication initiatives.<br />
• Develop strategy with partners to harness diverse perspectives<br />
and enhance collaborative research design and implementation.<br />
• Assess monitoring infrastructure needs to support emerging and<br />
prioritized research initiatives.<br />
• Prepare and train for planned and unplanned monitoring events<br />
in order to respond during disturbance and rapid changes.<br />
• Obtain funding, tools, and methods for relevant monitoring that<br />
are cost effective, robust, and sustainable, such as automation,<br />
citizen science, and remote sensing.<br />
Objective 5: Translate science<br />
into usable formats and useful<br />
knowledge for the public and<br />
decision makers<br />
• Develop communication and marketing tools to better<br />
disseminate scientific activity and findings.<br />
• Offer science-based forums presenting best available science<br />
and lead debate on the research questions.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 18<br />
GOAL 2: EMPOWER COMMUNITIES<br />
Objectives<br />
Objective 1: Raise awareness,<br />
understanding, and a culture of<br />
stewardship through community<br />
engagement, collaboration,<br />
stewardship actions, and<br />
accomplishments.<br />
Objective 2: Promote learning<br />
about mountain systems and<br />
scientific literacy in K-12 and<br />
higher education.<br />
Objective 3: Develop<br />
future leaders in all our<br />
communities with science skills,<br />
understanding and appreciation<br />
for natural resources, and tools<br />
through hands-on training and<br />
professional development.<br />
Initiatives<br />
• Develop curriculum for the public and students combining<br />
science, collaboration, and systems thinking, and take it to scale.<br />
• Provide opportunities to build environmental and scientific<br />
literacy through developing digital and dispersed offerings,<br />
including virtual and online options, citizen science, and<br />
trainings, including summer work-learn programs.<br />
• Develop partnerships with local businesses and organizations<br />
to promote mountain science, stewardship and conservation<br />
through co-creation and sponsorship.<br />
• Build trust and reduce polarization of information through<br />
programs that is are relevant to people’s interests and locales.<br />
• Advance our facilitative skills in supporting dialogue, diverse<br />
perspectives, and representation.<br />
• Strengthen existing and develop new partnerships with schools<br />
and other environmental organizations with participatory action<br />
goals in order to reach broader audiences, as well as enhance<br />
our work and that of our partners.<br />
• Communicate the outcomes- transformative experiences, media,<br />
videos, and testimonials; identify key contacts and partners<br />
within communities and partner organizations who will have a<br />
multiplier effect on our activities and messaging by encouraging<br />
others in their circle to act and spread the word.<br />
• Identify and engage underrepresented people and voices<br />
in science learning, career development, and community<br />
conversation opportunities.<br />
• Partner with social science experts to improve the outcomes and<br />
beneficial impacts of community discussions and participatory<br />
science for all.<br />
• Work with local (Four Corner states) higher education institutions<br />
to facilitate professional development in the natural science and<br />
natural resource management fields.<br />
• Share success stories from champions and interns on how MSI<br />
programs impacted their professional development.
19<br />
<strong>Mountain</strong> <strong>Studies</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><br />
GOAL 3: INNOVATE SOLUTIONS<br />
Objectives<br />
Objective 1: Innovate solutions<br />
to address challenges relevant to<br />
mountain communities, now and<br />
in the future.<br />
Objective 2: Facilitate new<br />
methods of collaboration and<br />
science-based initiatives to<br />
promote and sustain social,<br />
ecological, and economic<br />
resilience.<br />
Objective 3: Promote innovative<br />
solutions at multiple scales,<br />
connecting place-based<br />
innovations to higher levels of<br />
decision-making and discussion<br />
to be inclusive, diverse, and<br />
representative.<br />
Initiatives<br />
• Deploy cutting edge design thinking/methods to elicit innovative<br />
solutions, including using tried and true approaches in new<br />
contexts or with new partnerships.<br />
• Test and prototype new ideas and technologies through pilot<br />
projects, partnerships, incubators, adaptive management, and<br />
resource generation.<br />
• Continuously monitor and evaluate programs to improve<br />
program delivery for transformative experiences and innovative<br />
best practices.<br />
• Build diverse and inclusive networks of leaders and scientists<br />
who initiate and promote innovative approaches to sciencebased<br />
problem-solving through MSI’s Science & Innovation<br />
Center.<br />
• Position MSI in science-based coalitions and formal networks as<br />
the science advisor, fluent in design techniques.<br />
• Explore creative market approaches to conservation finance<br />
and partnerships with corporate/business partners whose<br />
actions and values align with and support MSI’s mission and<br />
organizational goals.<br />
• Document the impact of learning and adaptation, then<br />
disseminate the results and impacts widely; identify avenues for<br />
putting results in the hands of decision-makers at all levels.<br />
• Elevate new or underserved voices in MSI work through inclusive<br />
recruiting practices for partners, staff, and internships in order to<br />
generate new perspectives and experiences.<br />
• Develop long-term relationships with interns, volunteers, and<br />
young professionals for mutual learning and generation of new<br />
ideas which will advance through their careers.
<strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>2021</strong>-<strong>2023</strong> 20<br />
Students get hands-on experience in monitoring their local watershed as part of MSI’s Silverton Ecology Camp.
970-387-5161<br />
info@mountainstudies.org<br />
P.O. Box 426 Silverton, CO 81433<br />
679 E 2nd Ave #8 Durango, CO 81301