CRMP HANDBOOK 

The CRMP approach to land management and planning originated in the early 1950s. “Speed” Agee and Chet Cleary of the Soil Conservation Service, now the Natural Resources C onservation Service (NRCS), established a model program in northeast Nevada. E. William Anderson, also working for NRCS, pioneered a similar approach in Oregon. Coordinated management and planning efforts in California began in the early 1960s, mainly involving public land administrators, private landowners and public grazing land permittees.

Increasing demand for natural resources and their byproducts resulted in intensified conflicts between interests, groups and individuals. This is particularly true in the western U.S. where public land ownership and management is extensive and where logical resource management boundaries often include both public and private lands. This prompted an agreement between NRCS and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1971, sanctioning coordinated resource planning nationwide. Further governmental recognition of the utility of the CRMP process continued throughout the 1970s. By 1980, 11 state and federal agencies had signed a Memorandum of Understanding that outlined their authority to engage in and commit resources to CRMP.

Currently, there are 15 entities that have signed the Memorandum of Understanding:

California Association of Resource Conservation Districts	California Department of Conservation
California Department of Fish and Game	California Department of Food and Agriculture
California Department of Forestery and Fire Protection	California Department of Water Resources
California State Lands Commission	University of California Cooperative Extension
US Bureau of Land Management	Us Bureau of Reclamation
US Environmental Protection Agency	US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Forest Service	US Natural Resources Conservation Service

These 15 agencies have organized a formal California CRMP support group with the Executive and Technical Advisory Councils. The Executive Council consists of the heads of the agencies listed above and functions to provide overall direction and support to CRMP in California. The Council meets annually to review progress, set policy and offer guidance to CRMP groups. The second arm is the Technical Advisory Council (TAC), consisting of representatives from the agencies listed above. TAC functions to promote the CRMP process, support selected plans, monitor process effectiveness, and identify and resolve field problems. TAC meets several times a year and encourages participation by individual CRMPs.

While the CRMP process is support by a state CRMP group in California, the primary focus of all CRMP efforts remains at the local level. Local participation and control are what distinguishes the CRMP process from other planning efforts and is the key to success. The California CRMP effort is dedicated to stimulating and facilitating this local action. Resolutions are reached at the local level and decisions are reached by consensus of the local participants. CRMP plans are implemented through appropriate agreements between participating individuals and agencies.

California Coordinated Resource Management & Planning Council

contact: 916-447-7237, staff@carcd.org

site location: www.crmp.org/download/hb/hb-hist.html