WestCAN

The Western Collaboration Assistance Network (WestCAN) offers technical assistance to community-based groups and Forest Service employees involved in collaborative stewardship on National Forest System lands. Our technical assistance programs complement the NFF's grants programs. WestCAN's objectives are to:

  • Foster peer-to-peer and community-to-agency connections among people working in rural and underserved communities;
  • Support exchange of knowledge, identify common challenges and move to team problem-solving;
  • Promote the development of new understanding around the ecological, social and economic objectives of collaborative forest stewardship; and
  • Build the organizational capacity of collaborative groups.

WestCAN services are grounded in the belief that peer learning is the key to moving the field of collaborative stewardship forward. Our services include:

  • Peer learning opportunities, including peer learning sessions, coaching<, and mentoring;
  • Information and referral;
  • Technical assistance for short-term needs; and
  • Documentation of tools and best practices.

To request technical assistance, email Karen DiBari or call (406) 542-2805, ex. 13 or 1-866-773-4633, ex. 13.

Peer Learning Philosophy

Community-based conservation-especially in the realm of collaborative stewardship and restoration-continues to grow and evolve. We have built WestCAN services around peer learning because:

  • Community-based collaborators are experts in their work;
  • Much of the knowledge gained through the experience of collaborative groups is on the cutting edge of the field and has not yet been documented;
  • People naturally learn by working on current, real-world challenges and sharing ideas with each other along the way;
  • Peer learning is an efficient way to share knowledge with others; and
  • By connecting people across rural areas, states and regions, we are fostering a network that we hope will sustain itself beyond specific learning opportunities.

As one participant in a WestCAN peer learning session said in an evaluation form,

World-class organizations are fully committed to learning and self-criticism. The "expert model" is being replaced by "communities of practice" and through knowledge sharing. This format is an excellent venue for achieving these aims. Keep it up!

Peer Learning Sessions

Peer learning sessions are 90-minute teleconferences on specific topics that are facilitated in a roundtable format. Objectives include:

  • Supporting shared learning and exchange of knowledge among community-based collaborative groups and Forest Service employees;
  • Identifying lessons learned and best practices;
  • Building relationships among people working on similar issues across distances; and
  • Identifying common challenges and moving to team problem-solving.

Information and Referral to Coaches

WestCAN provides coaching over the phone ((406) 542-2805, ex.13 or 1-866-773-4633, ex. 13) and email, offering information and referral on a variety of topics related to collaborative stewardship of National Forests and Grasslands. Our coaching is customized and service-oriented. Through discussion with you, we can often help identify other needs and more effectively match you with the resource contacts, Web links and documents appropriate to the issue. We refer people to the community-based collaborators, agency resource contacts, and consultants who offer specific expertise relevant to your request.

Technical Assistance

WestCAN offers consultative assistance to groups in a variety of ways, either directly from the NFF or with other skilled experts. Assistance is provided through information and referral requests, as well as through trainings or consultation on specific issues. For example, in 2009, nine community groups are participating in a structured Grassroots Fundraising training and peer learning opportunity. In the past, consultations have included strategic planning, organizational development issues, communications, and how to structure a collaborative process.

Tools and Best Practices

Through WestCAN, the NFF documents tools, best practices and structural examples of collaborative processes in short, readable formats to create a "toolbox" of shared knowledge. The best practices and tools generally provide a brief summary to give context to the issue, with the actual tool or model document attached. The collaborative examples offer a description of process structure, how challenges were overcome, keys to success and lessons learned. The purpose of these documents is to enable easy sharing of innovation and creativity in the field of collaborative stewardship. Tools and best practices are housed on the Resource Center and Learning Network pages.

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