Hibbard, Michael

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    The economic and community effects of Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board investments in watershed restoration
    (Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002-07-15) Bonner, Kristin; Hibbard, Michael
    Cooperative, community-level approaches to environmental management are emerging in a variety of contexts, in Oregon and elsewhere. The rise of these approaches has led to a new appreciation of the possibility of watershed restoration projects that also foster good jobs and strong local businesses. With millions of dollars to spend on its mission, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) plays a significant role in supporting local economies through grants to watershed councils, Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), and other local restoration activities. The aim of this study is to document the level of that support. The specific question addressed by the study is: Did OWEB's 1997-99 grants improve socio-economic conditions in local communities in Oregon? To answer this question, the Ecosystem Workforce Program reviewed a sample of 1997-99 OWEB grants and also conducted telephone interviews with selected grantees. The purpose of the interviews was to help us understand the patterns of expenditure we found while reviewing the files. In conclusion, this study finds that OWEB grants and program expenditures improve or maintain economic stability in Oregon communities.
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    Issues in monitoring the socio-economic effects of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grant program
    (Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2002) Bonner, Kristin; Hibbard, Michael
    This report examines some of the issues involved in setting up a system for monitoring the socio-economic effects of Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (O-WEB) grants on an on-going basis. We conducted telephone interviews with 20 individuals from watershed councils, Soil and Water Conservation Districts and state agencies, to learn their attitudes toward monitoring the socio-economic impacts of their projects as well as to gain an understanding of any potential barriers to monitoring. The majority of respondents recognize the socio-economic impact of watershed enhancement projects and are willing to implement a clearly defined and simple monitoring system to measure these impacts. However, many stated the need for a clear definition of “local,” both geographically and in terms of business ownership. This is a complex issue that needs to be fully explored before implementing any system. In addition, there was some reluctance on the part of some respondents to monitor these impacts because of the heavy administrative burden. A couple of respondents thought that evaluative questions in the final report could be as effective as tracking individual expenditures.
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    The Scope and Future Prospects : Oregon's Ecosystem Management Industry
    (Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2001) Beltram, James; Evans, Rock; Hibbard, Michael; Luzzi, James
    Reports the findings of a joint study by the Organization for Economic Initiatives, Inc. (OEI) and the Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon (UO). OEI is an Oregon 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation that administers several economic development and business assistance programs throughout the State, including those related to the development of the ecosystem management industry. EWP is located at the UO Institute for a Sustainable Environment. EWP provides technical assistance, research, and facilitation for watershed councils, public land management agencies, local economic development staff, contractors and workers in promoting stable business and workforce capacity for the emerging ecosystem management industry. EWP receives funding support from the Ford Foundation, USDA Forest Service Rural Community Assistance and Old Growth Diversification funds administered by the State of Oregon Economic and Community Development Department.
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    Healthy communities and healthy ecosystems: the community development potential of ecosystem restoration work
    (Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2001) Hibbard, Michael
    The Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP) at the University of Oregon is conducting a three year demonstration project to test the possibilities of collaborative stewardship for community development. Key to this is a monitoring and evaluation component that tries to assess the community impact of collaborative stewardship – to try to measure community changes. Such assessments are very difficult to do. The effects of community change efforts generally take a long time to manifest themselves, and it is difficult to show that whatever changes have occurred are the product of the change effort. We are in the second year of the project. This paper is an interim report focusing on our attempt to monitor community impacts. I begin by summarizing the background situation and introducing the demonstration project. I then describe the theoretical rationale for collaborative stewardship as community development. Finally, I present aspects of the project methodology, based on the experience thus far.
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    Ecosystem restoration as socio-economic development? An assessment of the possibilities
    (Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon, 2001) Hibbard, Michael; Karle, Kristen M., 1975-
    This paper is an assessment of a three year demonstration project to test the possibilities of community forestry for community development. The demonstration actively promotes community forestry in four rural Oregon communities. The research question is: To what extent does the community forestry approach to environmental management contribute to enhancing community problem solving capacity? The assessment uses a quasi-experimental design, comparing the four demonstration (“experimental”) communities with two control communities. Baseline socio-economic data were collected on all six communities in 1998, and follow-up data in Summer, 2001. Data sources include existing demographic, social, and economic statistics; household surveys; and indepth interviews. We begin by describing the situation of our study communities and, by extension, that of agricultural and resource-based communities in general. We then briefly discuss some of the theoretical underpinnings of collaborative stewardship and community forestry in the context of community development. Next we present the results of the demonstration project. And finally, we draw conclusions.