The Western Collaboration Center is designed to bring alternative dispute resolution tools to Western disputes.  We believe that Western disputes should be solved in the West, by local stakeholders, with access to neutral facts and legitimate science.  We treasure our Western heritage and want to continue the Western tradition of facing and overcoming tremendous obstacles.

Collaboration is not about winning or losing; it is about consensus building.  For far too long, Western issues have been polarized by politics and kidnapped by groups not part of the conversation in the West.  Whether it be the government, large non-governmental organizations, non-local energy companies or other foreign development interests, the great treasure that is the West has been exploited without the essential participation of Westerners at the table.  Collaboration brings everyone with an interest to the table and discusses approaches to both smart resource use and resource conservation.  Collaboration is working all over the West--on watershed, wildlife, energy and other natural resource issues.  We want to bring the consensus approach to the West and train those resident stakeholders in how to best use the process for dispute resolution.

True consensus building requires building trust.  At the Western Collaboration Center we know that education of the participants is a key element to building that trust.  Cornerstones to true collaboration include the actual and perceived neutrality of the science and the facts advanced, the ability to candidly discuss opinions and options and an on-going respect for the necessity of sharing information and sharing and preserving resources.  We know that we build consensus one step at a time.  But the values and the land we share are worth the effort.  Explore the various opportunities we offer.  We hope we will have the oppportunity to work with you towards building reliable and trustworthy agreements in the future.  Thanks for visiting our site.