During the 2019 spring semester, Wild Rose Education's intern Jessy Stevenson worked remotely from Missoula, Montana to collaborate on the development of a new deliberative forum guide addressing the challenges of increasing demands on our nation's rivers. 
Using proven tools from the National Environmental Issues Forums, Kettering Foundation and the National Issues Forums, Let's Talk Rivers framework was drafted, edited by national experts in the field, tested in Carbondale, Colorado, and then finalized. 
The internship included the opportunity for Jessy to learn how to name and frame an issue, conduct background research and draft a deliberative forum guide to use with groups. 
The intended use of this guide is for use by trained deliberation moderators with groups of public, university students, and high school students. The guide can be adapted to reflect specific local and regional river issues, opportunities, and trade-offs. The guide will be utilized by teachers and students involved with the Youth Water Leadership Program during 2019 and in years to come as well as during the Western Rivers Teacher Workshops. 
Wild Rose Education was thrilled to work with such a talented and committed university student. Jessy Stevenson graduated on May 4, 2019 from the University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation with a B.S. in Resource Conservation, a double major in Environmental Studies, and a minor in Wilderness Studies.
Read her reflection on this project at the Youth River Voices blog. 
Special thank you to the River Management Society for creating an opportunity to meet and connect with Jessy Stevenson during the annual Symposium. Also special thank you to Bora Simmons (North American Association for Environmental Education), Michele Archie (Harbinger Consulting Group), Kellie Gorman (Yampatika), Hillary Mason (University of Denver), Connor Bailey (Wilderness Society), Dan Kahl (University of Kentucky), and Carla Atkinson (University of Alabama) for their support and edits. 

All this made possible by these generous 2019 Youth Water Leadership Program sponsors. 

In 2014, the North American Association for Environmental Education and the Kettering Foundation renewed their partnership to develop the Environmental Issues Forums (EIF). One of the goals of the partnership is to increase deliberative public dialogue on climate change and other environmental issues. EIF is modeled on the National Issues Forums (NIF)—a nonpartisan, nationwide network of locally sponsored public issues forums. NIF is rooted in the simple notion that democracy requires an ongoing deliberative public dialogue. People need to come together to reason and talk — to deliberate about common problems. Understand together. Decide together. Act together.
Through the partnership with the Kettering Foundation, EIF has involved educators from across the nation, including Sarah R. Johnson from Wild Rose Education, in the development and testing of issue guides and other materials. This publication, Using Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) to Enhance Deliberation: Case Studies documents, through a series of case studies, the journeys taken by these educators. They report on the process of developing locally relevant EIF materials, reflect on their experiences holding forums for a variety of audiences, and report assessment results. Read more

A moderated thoughtful public process where citizens will learn from one another, weighing various approaches, and find courses of action consistent with what the community and individuals hold valuable.  During a deliberative forum, people:

• Look at different ways of thinking about a problem
• Exchange views with others
• Weigh benefit and trade-offs of different options
• Listen and reconsider in a safe environment

Moderating Community Deliberative Forums: Finding Common Ground for Wicked Issues
Deliberate to find common ground for wicked issues including climate change, water availability in Colorado, and energy choices. We can moderate a deliberation for your group of 8-14 adults or students as a method to facilitate learning, improve democratic attitudes, build relationships, and increase civic capacity within any group. View the Deliberating Colorado Water Issues Introduction slide show. 

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Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) provide tools, training, and support for engaging adults and students in meaningful, productive discussions about sticky issues that affect the environment and communities.  -NAAEE, 2016
 
Beginning in November 2015, three members of the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) worked with fellow environmental educators across the country, the Kettering Foundation, and the North American Association for Environmental Education to create a framework for deliberation on national and state-specific water issues. The team included Sarah Johnson of Wild Rose Consulting, Kellie Gorman of Yampatika, and Hillary Mason of CAEE.  In May 2016, the Colorado team tested their draft Colorado framework with two test forums where high school and college-level stakeholders engaged in deliberative decision-making processes focused around water availability across the state. A comprehensive test forum report was produced to contribute to further developing the Colorado Water Issues Deliberation Framework. The team's work culminated in September 2016 with the completion of a deliberative forum guide for navigating Colorado water quantity issues in high school and post-secondary learning environments. 
 
The Colorado team is presenting the new deliberation framework at the October 2016 Western Slope Environmental Education Conference in Ridgway, Colorado. They will also be part of a panel presentation at the North American Association for Environmental Education's annual conference in Madison, Wisconsin in mid October 2016 where they will share the results of the test forums and the final published deliberation framework. 

Download a free pdf of the Colorado Water Availability Deliberative Forum Guide to use with high school and post-secondary learning environments, and click here for  more information about Environmental Issues Forums. 

Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) are a North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiative designed to promote meaningful, productive deliberation about difficult issues that affect the environment and communities.
Environmental Issues Forums in the Classroom - In April 2016, the White House announced the inclusion of NAAEE and Kettering Foundation's Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) in the President's Climate Education and Literacy Initiative. NAAEE is committed to supporting teachers’ use of the Climate Choices issue guide in their classrooms. During the summer of 2016, Sarah Johnson was part of a team who created and drafted the new middle school level teacher's guide. The guide provides an introduction to the EIF issue guide Climate Choices: How should we meet the challenges of a warming planet? Using Climate Choices offers an opportunity for teachers and students to use a deliberative process to consider climate change choices. This resource provides background information on deliberation, how to use Climate Choices in the classroom, and material to help teachers moderate a forum with students. Ito also includes resources on teaching about climate change. Read more about EIF and NAAEE.  

​Environmental Issues Forums (EIF) provide tools, training, and support for engaging adults and students in meaningful, productive discussions about sticky issues that affect the environment and communities.  -NAAEE, 2016

In May 2016, three CAEE members joined fellow environmental educators across the country at the Kettering Foundation Semi-Annual Learning & Research Exchange. Over the course of three days, educators came together to create a framework for deliberation on national and state-specific water issues. The Colorado team presented a full report from two test forums where high school and college-level stakeholders engaged in deliberative decision-making processes focused around water distribution in Colorado.The report will contribute to a national Water Issue Guide prepared for the National Issues Forums Institute in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).The team's work will also culminate in a guidebook for navigating Colorado water quantity issues in high school and post-secondary learning environments.