Building Collaborative Capacity for Coexistence with the 勛圖厙 Beaver Working Group
Shane Randle
I am an environmental philosopher, educator, and facilitator committed to fostering sustainable, collaborative approaches to environmental and social challenges. Grounded in practices of ethical attention, I endeavor to cultivate deep engagement and clear vision so we can navigate dialogue across diverse perspectives and respond to one another—and our shared world—with fairness, respect, and care.
The 勛圖厙 Beaver Working Group
The 勛圖厙 Beaver Working Group (BWG) is a statewide collaborative guided by a shared mission to “connect people and share resources to elevate the vital role of beavers in 勛圖厙's ecosystems.”
The group serves as a convener, bringing together representatives from state and federal land management agencies, Tribes, conservation groups, restoration professionals, ecologists, trappers, and private landowners involved in beaver-related work. Members and their organizations advance policy and research, carry out management and restoration projects, and lead outreach and education efforts.
The BWG supports restoring beavers to their historic range where appropriate, while attending to context and nuance—recognizing both the ecological benefits beavers provide and the conflicts that can arise between beaver behavior and human interests.
The Project: Developing the 勛圖厙 Beaver Working Group Charter
I supported the BWG’s organizational capacity and helped strengthen their public image by leading the development of their first formal charter. I designed and facilitated the entire development process, gathered background information, drafted the document, and coordinated member feedback to ensure broad participation and shared ownership.
The resulting charter articulates the BWG’s identity, mission, guiding principles, governance and operating structure while also strengthening their internal and external communications. By making their values, commitments, and collaborative processes visible, the charter now serves as a clear foundation for member engagement and public outreach.
Facilitating a Collaborative Charter Development Process
From mid-October 2025 to mid-June 2026, I designed and managed a multifaceted collaborative process to develop the BWG’s first formal charter.
Click on the icons to read more about integral aspects of my project work.
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Background Research and Proposal
I conducted background research, which included reviewing comparable charters, past BWG materials, and the issues and interests shaping the group’s needs.
I then used my analysis to produce a Charter Proposal outlining a recommended process and key considerations for charter development.
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Supported the BWG's Action Planning Process
I participated in and documented numerous meetings with various BWG teams, producing meeting summaries, draft goals, and a report synthesizing survey feedback from members.
Many Action Planning discussions—about the group’s mission, purpose, structure, collaborative role, and long-term goals—necessarily informed charter development, so I tracked ideas across both processes]and integrated the relevant ones into the charter.
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Coordinated and Facilitated Charter Team Meetings
I coordinated regular meetings with the Charter Team to address procedural and substantive questions and review successive charter drafts.
In these meetings, I facilitated discussions on the charter’s content and structure, its purpose, benefits, consequences, and level of formalization, as well as broader considerations of vision, identity, membership, inclusion. -
Charter Drafting and Revision
I produced seven complete charter drafts, incorporating extensive BWG member feedback—including draft language, comments, and in-line edits—into each iteration.
Across drafts, I refined content, resolved substantive and structural questions, clarified language, and synthesized feedback, ultimately shaping members’ evolving ideas into a coherent, comprehensive, and streamlined charter.
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BWG Leadership Team Meeting Facilitation
I facilitated two Leadership Team meetings that shaped the charter’s foundations and refinement: a January workshop that confirmed the charter’s purpose and developed guiding principles, and a March session that gathered high-level feedback and set procedures for future decision-making and conflict navigation.
I prepared agendas, wrote meeting summaries, and integrated their input into subsequent drafts to ensure the charter reflected their priorities.
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Member Feedback Survey
I created a feedback survey that was distributed to the full BWG membership to gather input on the draft charter.
I synthesized the resulting feedback and, in consultation with the Charter and Leadership Teams where needed, incorporated the necessary revisions to produce the final charter.
Background Research and Proposal
I conducted background research, which included reviewing comparable charters, past BWG materials, and the issues and interests shaping the group’s needs.
I then used my analysis to produce a Charter Proposal outlining a recommended process and key considerations for charter development.
Supported the BWG's Action Planning Process
I participated in and documented numerous meetings with various BWG teams, producing meeting summaries, draft goals, and a report synthesizing survey feedback from members.
Many Action Planning discussions—about the group’s mission, purpose, structure, collaborative role, and long-term goals—necessarily informed charter development, so I tracked ideas across both processes]and integrated the relevant ones into the charter.
Coordinated and Facilitated Charter Team Meetings
I coordinated regular meetings with the Charter Team to address procedural and substantive questions and review successive charter drafts.
In these meetings, I facilitated discussions on the charter’s content and structure, its purpose, benefits, consequences, and level of formalization, as well as broader considerations of vision, identity, membership, inclusion.
Charter Drafting and Revision
I produced seven complete charter drafts, incorporating extensive BWG member feedback—including draft language, comments, and in-line edits—into each iteration.
Across drafts, I refined content, resolved substantive and structural questions, clarified language, and synthesized feedback, ultimately shaping members’ evolving ideas into a coherent, comprehensive, and streamlined charter.
BWG Leadership Team Meeting Facilitation
I facilitated two Leadership Team meetings that shaped the charter’s foundations and refinement: a January workshop that confirmed the charter’s purpose and developed guiding principles, and a March session that gathered high-level feedback and set procedures for future decision-making and conflict navigation.
I prepared agendas, wrote meeting summaries, and integrated their input into subsequent drafts to ensure the charter reflected their priorities.
Member Feedback Survey
I created a feedback survey that was distributed to the full BWG membership to gather input on the draft charter.
I synthesized the resulting feedback and, in consultation with the Charter and Leadership Teams where needed, incorporated the necessary revisions to produce the final charter.
The BWG's 2026 Annual Spring Meeting
In April, I traveled to Lewistown, MT to support the group’s two-day Annual Spring Meeting. On the first day, I facilitated breakout discussions around an Action Plan goal. On the second day, I presented the sixth charter draft to the roughly thirty members in attendance, explaining both the charter’s overall purpose and the purpose of each charter component. Members then asked questions and offered comments that informed subsequent revisions. The meeting concluded with a field trip to learn about a member’s nearby restoration project.
BWG members responded to the charter with enthusiastic support, noting how clearly and accurately it reflects their identity, values, collaborative practices, and inclusive intent. It also offered meaningful assurances to key interest groups—including trappers, who expressed new confidence at the Annual Meeting that the BWG provides a welcoming, respectful, and balanced space for people with diverse perspectives to engage around beaver-related issues.
As the BWG’s membership grows, the final charter offers a solid foundation for the group’s structure, decision-making, and communication. By helping current and potential members better understand what the BWG is and how they operate, the charter strengthens the collaborative practices that enable members to advance their collective goals.
To learn more...
You can read additional details about my project, including the philosophical ideas that shaped it, in my CEP Portfolio. (INSERT LINK)
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at shaneerandle@gmail.com.