WF&Co. Help the BLM Hit the Road
The public
involvement process is most meaningful when the public is
engaged and participates in the process. Getting
participation is usually accomplished with public meetings
or open houses. One of the challenges associated with this
approach is that attendance at these meetings is
unpredictable and participation can be disappointing.
WF&Co.’s public involvement group decided a unique approach
was needed to collect public comments for a project with the
Bureau of Land Management in southeastern Utah. We wanted to
implement a program that was different from the norm and
would encourage participation from individuals who might not
usually attend a public meeting. We also wanted to make it
convenient for people to participate in the public
involvement process. So we took the project to the
people—where they live, work and play.
Thus, the Comment Cruiser was born. Using the latest in
vinyl wrap technology, we outfitted a SUV to create a roving
public involvement vehicle. In the fall of 2003, the Comment
Cruiser was launched and we hit the road for southeastern
Utah, seeking comments over a two-week period.
The Comment Cruiser scheduled stops in campgrounds,
trailheads, visitor information centers, grocery stores,
retail stores and river takeouts. While we were taking
comments, we also provided information about open houses
that were scheduled later in the week. We also discussed
additional ways to participate in the comment process,
through the web site or on mail-in comment sheets. The web
site address was enlarged on the back of the Comment
Cruiser, further reinforcing the brand.
The results? More than 200 comments were gathered from
locals and out-of-state travelers, providing opinions from a
cross section of people who were in the region during a
two-week period. Several comments were received about the
novel approach and how positively it reflected on the BLM’s
image. In the end, the public involvement process provided a
new approach to comment gathering which yielded a better
representation of comments and better result for the
project. –Mimi Charles & Joni Dykstra
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