Critical environmental areas program workshops: A synopsis of results

Problems besetting the development of State Critical Environmental Areas Programs were discussed at a series of six workshops sponsored by the Resource and Land Investigations (RALI) Program and Office of Land Use and Water Policy (OLUWP) of the Department of the Interior. The major problems were determined to be: program justification, effective utilization of existing institutions, the individuality of State needs, the length of time over which benefits would accrue to such programs, the roles and interactions of different levels of government, an acceptable measure for program success, public involvement in program development, information and data handling problems, and program priorities.

The role of the Federal Government was thought to be a critical factor in developing such programs, especially in the western States where Federal land ownership may subordinate State planning efforts.

Priorities in Critical Environmental Areas Programs were seen to be closely tied to concern for preservation of ways-of-life, a concern which broadens the Critical Environmental Areas concept from mainly environmental to societal in scope.

The utility of the workshop format as a means of idea exchange is discussed in light of these examples.