Fwd: BCP Trail Master Plan, Call for Stakeholders
Charlie McCabe
From: "Conrad, William" <William...@ci.austin.tx.us>This is the email call for stakeholders for the BCP Trail Master Plan. Please share it as you see fit.
Willy Conrad
BCCP Secretary
Dear BCP Supporter:
On November 28, 2007 the BCCP Coordinating Committee approved a new policy to increase, where appropriate and consistent with our Federal permit, public access on the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) through the development of a Trail Master Plan. At this time the plan will only involve City of Austin BCP properties. The Coordinating Committee also directed staff to directly involve the public in developing the Trail Master Plan and any subsequent site specific trail plans. To that end, we are preparing to initiate a consensus based collaborative planning process to develop the Trail Master Plan.
One of the initial steps of this process is to identify stakeholders who have a stake in the outcome of the Trail Master Plan and might be willing to participate in this collaborative process. We are seeking representatives from organizations that have an interest in trails on BCP or whose members share that interest. This representative would have authority to make decisions for his or her organization during the upcoming collaboration, and would be representing their organizations and member’s interests rather than only their personal interests.
Each stakeholder representative must be willing to commit to participate in frequent meetings over a four to six month period. We also ask that the organization they represent be willing to bring resources to the project through information or data, defining needs for expected trail users, and/or providing volunteers or other resources for development and implementation of the plan.
As you consider nominating your organization to participate in this process we ask you to consider the following constraints that all stakeholders are expected to work within:
§ The charge of the stakeholder process is to develop a trail master plan. Whether or not additional BCP trail access should be allowed is not within the scope of this process.
§ The Goal of the process is: To identify opportunities to increase recreational access within identified Preserve land consistent with existing conditions of the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan and associated permit.
§ The Objective of the process is: To complete a Trail Master Plan that would identify public access locations and activities within less sensitive areas of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve and ensure adequate monitoring and adaptive management.
§ All plans are constrained and must conform to both the federal permit and the BCCP Habitat Conservation plan.
§ Planned actions must not create the need for a permit amendment.
§ The represented constituency must have an interest in the charge.
§ Stakeholders must have an interest in developing a strategic vision for trails/access/recreation on BCP.
§ Stakeholders must have an interest in developing an operational trail(s) on a site(s).
§ A stakeholder organization must have a process in place to authorize a representative to make decisions on behalf of the organization.
§ Stakeholder organizations may authorize a representative and an alternate.
§ Stakeholder must represent a constituency and not an individual’s personal self interest.
§ Stakeholders must bring resources to the process.
§ Stakeholders must agree to support consensus decision making where all stakeholders agree to publicly support any decisions.
Also, please note that we will only be inviting a limited number of organizations to serve as stakeholders representing a broad cross section of our community. Not everyone who is nominated will be selected. Those who are selected will be committing to a very intensive process. We expect to meet once every two weeks over a six month period, beginning this spring and running through next fall. In the period between meetings stakeholders will be responsible for assisting with development of the plan, and communicating with their constituencies to report on the process and to receive direction.
We are asking organizations interested in participating in this process to nominate themselves. If you are a member of an organization that has a stake in the outcome of this process please share this email with them and ask them to nominate themselves by responding to the questionnaire that is attached.
Also, we are seeking involvement from the broadest cross section of our community. Therefore, we ask that you forward this email to anyone you feel might have an interest in this process so that they may consider participation.
Please submit the completed questionnaires via email to BCPT...@ci.austin.tx.us before close of business February 29, 2008.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
BCCP Trail Master Plan Convening Committee:
Willy Conrad, Secretary Ted Siff, Chair
BCCP Coordinating Committee BCCP Citizens Advisory Committee
David Steed, Chair Rose Farmer
BCCP Scientific Advisory Committee Travis County BCP
Scott Rowin Bill Seawell
City of Austin BCP U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ricardo Soliz
Austin Parks and Recreation Department