Clients & Publications
Junction City Citizen Comprehensive Plan Committee Facilitation: June 2010-present. Facilitator for a large committee of the City Council, Planning Commission, and representatives of various citizen and stakeholder interests to review and make a set of recommendations for the Commercial Land Needs as part of Junction City’s Urban Growth Boundary 20-year review process. Established ground rules, decision-making protocols, and a consensus-based process to work through a broad range of contentious and difficult legal and land use issues. The goal is to create a set of recommendations for Commercial and Residential Lands as part of the expansion of Junction City’s Urban Growth Boundary that was precipitated by the new State Prison and Mental Health Hospital which are in construction stages in Junction City’s recently expanded UGB.
Oregon Department of Energy: May-December, 2010. Facilitator and technical writer/editor for the Oregon Energy Planning Council to help develop an energy planning process and documents for the Governor’s Office. Paul Hoobyar was the facilitator of the Executive Plannning Council, and wrote and edited the “Energy Planning Report.” The Energy Planning Council was composed of executives from Oregon’s large utility companies, consumer advocate organizations, regulatory agency representatives, and others.
National Marine Fisheries Service: July, 2006-March, 2009. Project manager to develop a collaborative, consensus-based process and tools for improving coordination of monitoring, research and restoration efforts in the Klamath Basin. Project involves facilitation and negotiations between federal agencies, tribal entities, state natural resource agencies and stakeholders. A pilot online survey is being developed for use by basin agencies, tribes, stakeholders and other interested parties.
Oregon Board Of Geology Examiners: Jan, 2009. Facilitated a board retreat to identify the key issues associated with, and gain broad agreement on, changes needed to the Board’s compliance review process, and gain agreement on associated changes to statutory language that provides Board guidance in compliance review cases. The Board has a list of recommended changes that it is taking to the Oregon Legislature for adoption during the 2009 Legislative Session.
Oregon Water Resources Department: July-December 2008. Facilitated key stakeholder group convened by the OWRD to assess and make recommendations for improvements to the Deschutes Basin Groundwater Mitigation Program. The group met four times over five months, and developed a suite of recommendations for improving the program. OWRD staff used the group’s recommendations as guidance for legislation during the 2009 Oregon Legislative session.
National Marine Fisheries Service: July, 2007-June 2008. Meeting design and facilitation of public meetings required for listing of resident Puget Sound Orca Whales under the federal ESA, and for the Draft EIS for the Makah Tribe’s request to resume gray whale hunting under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
City of Eugene, Ore.: Jan. 2007-August, 2008. Facilitator of a citizen’s advisory group convened to assist the Department of Public Works in studying and assessing the effects of changing a section of Willamette Street, one of Eugene’s major arterials through downtown, from one-way to two-way. The group is composed of representatives from a broad array of stakeholders concerned about traffic, safety, and livability, in Eugene. The group has prepared a draft report to submit to City Council.
Oregon Department of Forestry: Jan-May, 2007. Facilitator/Quality Assurance for independent assessment of ODF’s recreation management plan. Facilitated meetings w/staff and consultants; evaluated criteria for assessing status and adequacy of current management program; editor of final report.
National Marine Fisheries Service: April 2006-August, 2007. Designed and facilitated public workshops for salmon recovery in California’s Central Valley, North Coast, and Southern California. Participants helped identify threats, recovery actions and reviewed draft recovery plans for salmonid species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: May 2003-Dec. 2005. Project manager to develop a technical framework for prioritizing watershed restoration projects based on broadly accepted conservation biology principles. This project incorporated solid technical skills and analysis with strong group process facilitation. Endorsed by Oregon’s Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team and approved by OWEB Board. Applied in the Willamette River Basin in 2005, and in the Rogue and Columbia Basins.
City of Eugene, Ore.: April, 2005-June, 2006. Facilitator and project planner for the River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project to develop a transition plan for the River Road/Santa Clara area and rationalize urban services among a number of service providers. Facilitated a stakeholder group for improvements to River Ave., a major arterial in North Eugene, Aug-Oct. 2005. The group approved a design that had support of property owners and most of the represented stakeholders.
National Marine Fisheries Service: May 2001-Aug, 2002. Helped create and facilitate meetings with the Executive Committee for the Willamette/Lower Columbia salmon recover domain. Representatives included the Washington and Oregon Governor’s offices, NMFS, USFWS, ODFW, WDFW, City of Portland, Lower Columbia Estuary Project and others. The group was charged with overseeing the salmon recovery efforts within the region, providing coordination between groups and governmental entities in both states, and providing monitoring and evaluation of efforts.
National Marine Fisheries Service: August, 2000-November, 2000. Designed/facilitated/trained NMFS staff in public ed. workshops designed to: educate the public about the habitat needs of salmon; help identify local roles in protecting and recovering salmon; increase understanding about salmon recovery under the ESA, and learn more about the then-recent 4(d) ruling by NMFS. Workshops held in twelve different communities in Washington and Oregon, on both the west and east sides of the Cascades. Workshops were well attended and well received by local governments, landowners, stakeholder groups and agency representatives.
Willamette River Keepers: May, 2001. Planned and facilitated a board/strategic planning retreat with staff and board members. Helped identify strategic priorities, staff and funding needs, and strategy for implementing next steps.
Hendricks Park Citizen’s Advisory Committee: May,1998-Feb, 2000. Facilitated a citizen’s advisory group of stakeholder representatives, city staff, and starting January, 1999, he facilitated meetings and negotiations between the CAD and management consultants to create a management plan for Hendrick’s Park in the City of Eugene. The City experienced huge controversy over tree removals and urban forest management from diverse sectors of the public. A draft management plan was presented to the general public in September, 1999. The final plan was approved by City Council in April, 2000.
Wild Salmon Center: May, 1999. Designed and facilitated a three-day workshop for scientists from Russia, Japan, Alaska, Canada and the Pacific Northwest. The group, with simultaneous language translators, developed a conservation strategy for salmon and steelhead stocks for the entire North Pacific Basin. The group developed consensus on key technical issues for organizing data by watersheds, fish stocks, and biological refugia throughout the North Pacific region as a basis for establishing future priorities.
Lobster Creek Watershed Restoration Project: February, 1997-November, 1999. Project Manager for a multi-stakeholder whole-basin watershed restoration project to identify habitats and recovery strategies for all four Pacific salmon species native to the Southern Oregon Coast. The restoration project spanned the entire 5th field HUC, with the USFS, ODFW, Lower Rogue Watershed Council, Hancock Timber Resources Group, and The Pacific Rivers Council as partners.
Selected Publications and Presentations:
Paul Hoobyar, 2007. “Vital Linkages Learned at Salmon River,” feature article published by The Sea Grant Program at Oregon State University. July 2007.
Paul Hoobyar, 2007, “Regulatory Shoals Par for Pacific Whiting,” feature article published in Pacific Fishing Magazine, June 2007.
Editor, Restoration Newsletter, published by Sea Grant Communications at Oregon State University (1997-2003).
Editor of technical manuals for the Oregon Plan including the Riparian Assessment Framework, (2004) Water Quality Monitoring Guidebook, and the Oregon Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Manual.
For more information about any of the above projects, please contact Watershed Initiatives, LLC at info@watersheds.com.