Facilitation Training and Focus Group Support for Conversations Around Offshore Wind, Changing Ocean Conditions, and Fisheries

CLIENT NEED

The Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) at the University of California, Santa Barbara is interested in understanding the potential impacts of changing ocean conditions to offshore wind energy development on fisheries and fishing communities in California, Oregon, and Washington. Strategic Earth is collaborating with emLab staff to design, coordinate, and facilitate focus groups with commercial fishermen for productive information sharing and relationship-building.

STRATEGY

Strategic Earth will provide informal training to emLab researchers in compassionate communications and appreciative inquiry to support their skills-building in whole-hearted facilitation. Our goal is to help emLab strengthen their relationships with the fishing community and increase their confidence in engaging in productive conversations about offshore wind energy and changing ocean conditions. Our team will lead the development of focus group agendas, discussion support tools, facilitation plans, and support emLab with on-the-ground implementation of focus groups.

KEY RESULTS AND OUTCOMES

Through this work, Strategic Earth aims to build the skills, confidence, and capacity of emLab to facilitate  trust-centered conversations with the fishing community in the near- and long-term, with the ultimate goal of supporting their ongoing research on the interaction of offshore wind energy development, changing ocean conditions, and fisheries. We will work in close collaboration with the emLab staff to understand the knowledge, questions, priorities, concerns, and needs of commercial fishermen who may be affected by proposed offshore wind energy development and changing ocean conditions along the West Coast.