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/ Methods for involving the public in natural resource management are changing as agencies adjust to an increasingly turbulent social and political environment. There is growing interest among managers and scholars in collaborative approaches to public involvement.Collaboration is conceptually defined and elaborated using examples from the natural resource management field. This paper then examines how collaboration theory from the organizational behavior field can help environmental managers to better understand those factors that facilitate and inhibit collaborative solutions to resource problems. A process-oriented model is presented that proposes that collaboration emerges out of an environmental context and then proceeds sequentially through a problem-setting, direction-setting, and structuring phase. Factors constraining collaboration are also specified, including organizational culture and power differentials. Designs for managing collaboration are identified, which include appreciative planning, joint agreements, dialogues, and negotiated settlements. Environmental managers need new skills to manage collaboration within a dynamic social and political environment. Further research is needed to test the propositions outlined here.Methods to involve the public in environmental planning and management are changing rapidly as agencies attempt to pursue management objectives within an increasingly turbulent social and political environment. The traditional role of the environmental manager as a technician, exercising professional judgment on behalf of the public (Baskerville 1988), is being challenged. Increasingly, public interest groups exercise their legal right to delay and at times halt the implementation of land management plans and timber sales through law suits and administrative appeals. Managers face a crisis of control as resource policy and management plan disputes are increasingly resolved by Congress or in the courts (Wondolleck 1988).Among resource management agencies searching for solutions to these problems, there has been a growing interest in collaborative approaches to natural resource decision making. Either voluntarily or induced by public pressure, agencies have improved

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This paper explores the positive aspects of collaboration in natural resources. Its purpose was to investigate participants' overall attitudes about keys to successful collaboration. The sample for the study consisted of 671 participants involved in 30 collaborative initiatives (CI) with the Forest Service. Using a mailed questionnaire, this study profiled the collaborative initiatives investigating purpose, problems addressed, groups involved, and years in existence. Respondents were queried on their overall perspectives on keys to successful collaboration. A total of more than 300 comments was collected from respondents and six categories emerged: development, information exchange, organizational support, personal communication, relationships/team building, and accomplishments. Continued research will need to explore the short- and long-term impacts of collaboration in natural resources.

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This article describes deer hunters' profiles and assesses the applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in predicting deer hunting intentions. Model assessment was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The TPB model successfully predicted hunting intentions. Perceived behavioral control (PBC) emerged as the strongest predictor of hunting intentions, followed by subjective norms, while the effect of attitudes was not significant. These findings imply that TPB could be useful for understanding why people participate in deer hunting and deer hunting is not under complete volitional control. The findings suggest that hunters fully intended to participate in deer hunting. Resource managers may want to consider initiating viable programs and strategies to enhance hunting success rate and quality of experiences by enhancing control beliefs through enhancing opportunities and skills.

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