 Advisory Group
An Advisory Committee to the Foundation was initiated in January, 2004, with an original intent of increasing Foundation visibility in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond in order to better achieve our mission of funding GSA programs. The Committee includes geosciences community and business leaders from the Greater Denver Metro area and elsewhere (see Attachment). Subsequent meetings of this group led to identifying activities that would be of direct interest and value to the applied geosciences community and to the general public. Early discussions focused on how GSA could move from being predominantly reactive to being proactive on major geosciences issues that impact the well-being of the general public. After considering a number of specific activities, the Committee developed a proposal for a GSA Partners for Public Engagement. The GSA approved the proposal and invited the Committee to develop a pilot program, with all costs borne from new sources of contributions to the Foundation. A candidate pilot activity will be developing a collaborative program on drought along the Front Range, building on the scheduled GSA conference in September, 2006, on managing Drought and Water Scarcity in Vulnerable Environments. A second candidate program would be on issues relating to resources development within the Green River Basin of Wyoming. Collaborative problem solving is a framework in which science can contribute to the solution of societal problems by using agenda-less science. Representatives of various interest groups can be heard without instructing. Issues of uncertainty are identified. The pilot program will involve those who perceive a problem (such as County Commissioners, State Geologists, agency staff), those who are concerned on the consequences of an activity (environmental groups, citizens), and those who can provide scientific, unbiased facts. GSA's role is to be a non-advocating moderator for the collaborative forums and field excursions. If the pilot program is successful, the goal is to implement a permanent activity within GSA on developing collaborative programs nationwide. Contact us for more info. | 
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