To: All Employees

From: Service Directorate

Subject: Directorate Decision on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Approach to Ecosystem Conservation: An Assessment by Ohio State University

The precious fish, wildlife, and land resources to which we, and all of you, as Fish and Wildlife Service employees, are committed to protecting and conserving are under increasing pressures. Our dedication, both as an agency and as individuals, to conservation of the resource is unchallenged. However, in order to maintain and increase our leadership in fish and wildlife conservation, we must continually engage in processes that fine-tune and adjust our practices and organization to meet these challenges. One such process is the recent assessment of our approach to ecosystem conservation and the resultant recommendations from our consultant, Ohio State University. We, the Directorate, therefore, commissioned the assessment so as to provide an objective set of observations supported by data on which to base decisions for what we see as the most efficient and effective means to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitats. That assessment is now complete and it is time to move forward.

We appreciate the efforts of employees who participated in the study by contributing time, energy and ideas to the assessment. We would like to thank the OSU Assessment Team for its extra efforts by helping employees to participate, to analyze the results, and to provide its report and recommendations in a comprehensive, expeditious manner.

The OSU Assessment Team provided an Executive Summary and a final report that included 12 recommendations. We discussed at length the data collected, the Assessment Team's reports, and their recommendations. We adopted many of the recommendations, modified a few, rejected one, and have delayed a small number of them. Our responses to each of the recommendations are provided below. They represent our unanimous decision. We believe that the result of implementing these actions will be a strong reaffirmation of our commitment to the Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

OSU Recommendation 1: The Service Directorate must work in concert to formulate, communicate, and implement a direction for the Service that is consistent. This direction will undoubtedly change over time, but changes will be implemented through coordinated understanding and action.

The Service Directorate developed and supports a shared vision for the Service:

"Unite all Service programs to lead or support ecosystem level conservation. We will achieve this by becoming a more technically capable and culturally diverse organization and by involving stakeholders through local action, scientific expertise, land and water management, and appropriate regulation."

The Service Directorate, through our common understanding of this vision statement, will communicate in a consistent manner the direction which we intend to lead the Service.

OSU Recommendation 2: The Service Directorate must have a consistent definition and intent of the Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation that can be communicated across the agency through multiple channels.

The report indicates that the Service employees are confused about the meaning of the term "ecosystem approach" and uncertain of the dedication of the Service leadership to the Ecosystem Approach philosophy.

The Directorate is fully committed to implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation. The Ecosystem Approach achieves landscape-level conservation of fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats through cross-program coordination within the Service and partnership with organizations and individuals external to the Service.

Neither the approach nor the philosophy is new, but they are challenging, and we must continually recommit ourselves to them as an organization and as conservation professionals. Ecosystem conservation is the job of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; it is the "normal work" of all Service employees, to which all of our individual and collective efforts must contribute.

The Directorate is determined that Service employees receive clear and consistent direction and have a common technical understanding of the Ecosystem Approach. We will ensure that our training programs clearly reflect the leadership vision regarding the Ecosystem Approach. To enable us to better support the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach, the Directorate will participate as a team in the National Conservation Training Center course on Ecosystem Approach. All ecosystem team members and Service leaders will be encouraged to take this training and we urge all other appropriate Service employees to take advantage of this valuable training.

OSU Recommendation 3: Leaders at all levels must actively communicate the definition, expectations, and rationale for the Ecosystem Approach, orally and through written communication. Leaders must be visible proponents of the Ecosystem Approach.

The Directorate expects leaders at all levels in the Service to be visible proponents of the concept, philosophy, and application of the Ecosystem Approach. Leaders must increase their level of education in ecosystem management, celebrate ecosystem success stories, and recognize and reward employees who model behavior that is supportive of the Ecosystem Approach. Leaders must personally communicate the importance of the Ecosystem Approach for conservation of fish and wildlife resources to the Service. The Directorate agrees that those of us who will not support the direction of the Service must be prepared to step aside.

OSU Recommendation 4: Eliminate or change organizational practices that are not consistent with an Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Leaders must be the problem solvers who ensure that people will take an Ecosystem Approach.

The Directorate firmly believes that maintaining programmatic strength is intrinsic to successful implementation of the Ecosystem Approach. Additionally, we believe that in order to successfully implement the Ecosystem Approach, we must infuse that programmatic strength into the geographically-based landscapes within which we operate. The Directorate is committed to accomplish this through clear and concise guidance, ecosystem and team building training, performance management, and effective, ongoing communication.

OSU Recommendation 5: Hold people accountable for taking actions that are in concert with an Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

The Directorate is committed to fully embracing the Ecosystem Approach and supporting all aspects of its implementation. Furthermore, we will provide clear and consistent guidance through both formal and informal means of communication to Service management who will, in turn, ensure that all Service employees are knowledgeable and equipped to implement the Ecosystem Approach.

The following actions will be required of Service management:

- Service management is expected to serve as a role model to Service employees in both words and actions related to the Ecosystem Approach.

- Service management will encourage employees to pursue innovative approaches that enhance fish and wildlife conservation efforts.

- Service management will explore mechanisms to reward individuals or ecosystem teams who have successfully implemented the Ecosystem Approach.

- Service management will further explore incentive programs to reward those ecosystem teams that have accomplished exceptional on-the-ground conservation activities.

- Service management will provide continuing feedback to employees and ecosystem teams to enhance overall performance and team effectiveness. In turn, ecosystem teams will be asked to provide feedback to management's support and effectiveness.

- Service management will ensure that performance plans for all employees include a critical element related to the employee's contribution toward successful implementation of the Ecosystem Approach.

- Service management will ensure that all employees are held accountable for implementing key actions related to the Ecosystem Approach (e.g., cross-program collaboration, establishing and utilizing partnerships where appropriate). Employees will be provided appropriate training, counseling, and guidance.

OSU Recommendation 6: Select and promote people who have demonstrated the understanding and ability to use an Ecosystem Approach, regardless of their position. Provide training and experiences to prepare people for opportunities.

The Directorate believes that knowledge of fish and wildlife management, biological diversity, conservation biology and cross-program knowledge and experience, including requirements in administrative processes, are critical to leadership positions. The Directorate recognizes that if employees' actions are to be successful within the broad parameters of the Service's vision, the full complement of a diverse Service workforce must be involved in the ongoing process of organizational renewal. Toward this end, the Directorate encourages and supports intensive training and educational development efforts and rotational assignments of a Service-wide nature for all employees. Those people who demonstrate the above understanding and experience, as well as the ability to use the Ecosystem Approach, will be afforded strong consideration in selections and promotional opportunities.

OSU Recommendation 7: Leave the ecosystem boundaries as they are.

The Directorate supports the current established ecosystem boundaries drawn primarily along watershed boundaries. If the current boundaries are found to negatively impact resource management decision making or impede the establishment and utilization of partnerships, Regional Directors may raise these issues for discussion and resolution.

OSU Recommendation 8: Keep the ecosystem teams in place; however, support them in becoming more issue-focused.

The Directorate supports the ecosystem teams as established, and expects them to meet at least twice a year. Furthermore, we encourage the teams to become more focused on specific resource issues and support the establishment of subteams within an ecosystem.

Subteams should become the norm rather than the exception. Membership on teams and subteams should not be constrained by ecosystem boundaries or administrative jurisdictions. Team and subteam membership should not be limited to project leaders. Regional and Washington Office staff should participate in team meetings as often as possible and as issues warrant.

Service leaders will ensure that ecosystem team members are adequately trained, educated, and informed about the philosophy and practice of the Ecosystem Approach and the resource issues that they are expected to address. This will lead to effective problem solving and decision making and allow ecosystem teams to be held accountable for actions taken.

OSU Recommendation 9: More fully incorporate partners and stakeholders into teams.

The OSU Assessment Team identified several issues that need to be addressed in the area of relationships with partners. These include:

- Coaching teams on how to involve partners more effectively;

- Validating and acknowledging the variety of relationships with partners (i.e., informal, non-leadership, formal);

- Increasing involvement of potential partners who are not "friends of the Service"; and

- Clarifying stakeholder/partner terminology.

The Service has greatly increased the extent of partnership activity in our day-to-day operations, however, there is room for improvement. There is a special need for the Fish and Wildlife Service to reach out to potential partners and stakeholders who do not always agree with Service policies.

To address the concerns identified in the OSU assessment, the Directorate will take the following actions:

- Clarify and define the role of "partners" and "stakeholders" and ensure this is consistently presented in all training programs.

- Coach the ecosystem teams to form more effective partnerships. Teams are encouraged to take advantage of training to better equip them to establish productive partnerships.

- Clarify the Service policy to acknowledge that valid partnerships can be accomplished not only through formal agreements, but also through informal working relationships.

- Work with the teams to identify those partner relationships in which the Service will play a supporting role in projects or activities being lead by other organizations, as well as those in which we will lead others.

OSU Recommendation 10: Strengthen programmatic focus consistently across Regions.

The Directorate considered the spectrum of data and recommendations presented in selecting the organizational structure that will best allow the Service to meet present and future resource challenges. We agreed that the organization must meet the challenge of moving the Service forward by strengthening both the ecosystem philosophy and program integrity and consistency.

We selected a geographic line/programmatic staff structure as the organization that will best fit the Service's needs. The rationale for this decision is as follows:

(a) This structure directly responds to the employees' recommendations as identified in the OSU Assessment document. Those recommendations call for increased staff in the Regional Office, parallel Washington Office and Regional organization, consistent Regional Office organization, and programmatic supervision. The organizational structure we selected separates geographic and programmatic duties of the existing Geographic ARDs while maintaining and supporting the ecosystem teams. These recommendations are presented in Table 10 of Part IV Findings in the OSU Assessment document.

(b) It strengthens both programmatic integrity and consistency and the ecosystem focus of the organization. It clearly distinguishes line organization from programmatic implementation by providing each with equal status within the Regional and Washington Office structure.

(c) It promotes organizational consistency. Both the Regional and Washington Offices will be similar in structure with line field supervisors (Regional Directors and Geographic ARDs) and strong programmatic support (Assistant Directors and Program ARDs).

(d) Geographic ARDs will have appropriate support staff with training and experience in specific programmatic areas. Field stations will be supervised directly by Regional Office staff with knowledge and or experience in, their programmatic area. Programmatic ARDs and staff will provide programmatic policy and budgetary support to the Regional Office and will serve as the primary point of contact for Washington programmatic issues.

The OSU Assessment Team recommended that a set of Science and Policy Offices be established in each Regional Office. They proposed that Wildlife and Fisheries Resources be combined and that a separate Refuges SPO be established that would also include the Hatchery program. We chose not to adopt this recommendation but rather to establish separate Programmatic ARD offices for Refuges and Wildlife, Ecological Services, and Fisheries.

(e) The organizational structure directly supports the ecosystem teams. Whereas geographic management is not automatically dictated by an ecosystem philosophy, a basic building block and unified structure of that management approach is dictated. The identified building block is the ecosystem team and the Directorate believes that the most efficient and appropriate management structure that supports the teams is geographic management. Under this management structure, supervision and direct accountability at all levels of the organization are focused on the ecosystem; the relationship of the Regional Office to the field team is direct and formal.

(f) The organization we have selected provides great breadth and opportunity in career paths and choices. The Service is experiencing a shortfall in the number of individuals prepared for advancement to higher level positions. This structure provides greater flexibility in developmental paths for employees to follow in preparation for higher leadership positions.

Diagrams depicting the new Regional organizational structure and the current Washington Office organizational structure are included below. The organizational structure we have selected will best address the concerns and recommendations of Service employees and serve the needs of the Fish and Wildlife Service for the future.

In order to ensure consistent implementation of the organizational structure at both the Regional and Washington Office levels, the Service Directorate will be meeting again on March 22, 1998 to discuss this matter in further detail. Employees are encouraged to participate by providing input to their managers for this upcoming meeting to ensure complete consideration is given to all aspects of implementing this organizational structure.

OSU Recommendation 11: Strengthen the ecosystem focus at the Washington level by creating a Landscape Ecology Office at the Assistant Director level.

We do not agree that establishing a Landscape Ecology Office at the Assistant Director level in Washington is necessary. However, we believe that the Washington Office needs to support the Ecosystem Approach by providing an advocate for team process, a provider of cross regional information on team successes, and to provide information to the Service Director. To provide this support while not creating a new bureaucratic structure, the Assistant Directors will work together to provide a recommendation to the Directorate in March.

OSU Recommendation 12: Reconstitute the budget process.

We acknowledge the value of maintaining a budget structure that will continue to be recognized and supported by Congress. However, we recognize the results of the survey which recommend that we include ecosystem packages as identifiable units. We will seek additional methods to allow a greater participation in budget development and allocation from the ecosystem teams. This will be explored further at the March 22 meeting of the Directorate.

We, the Directorate, want to thank you again for your participation in this assessment. We are grateful to OSU for completion of this study in a timely manner and providing us with a quality product that will be invaluable to us as we continue our Ecosystem Approach to Fish and Wildlife Conservation. The services of OSU are concluded, however, we may consider having them, or another consultant, to assist us in implementation and future evaluations of our agency's performance in responding to upcoming challenges. If you have questions or concerns regarding this study or the Directorate's decisions, please consult the appropriate managers in your Regional or Washington Offices.

We look forward to working together to ensure that the Fish and Wildlife Service remains the leader in species and habitat conservation as we evolve and adapt to meet the new challenges of the 21st Century.