Is the OI a new model for dealing with federal land management issues in the West?
The collaborative process used to formulate the OI agreement could certainly serve as a model for addressing public lands issues in other states, but the OI agreement itself is not intended to be replicated. While the Initiative is a place-based agreement that worked successfully for southwestern Idaho at this particular time, different regions are going to have different political, community, and economic dynamics. What has become clear from the Owyhee collaborative process is that, even when dealing with some of the most polarized land management issues in recent western history, when diverse stakeholders are brought together as individuals, and listen to the needs and concerns of the others, real understanding and progress can be achieved.
