CARA Advisory Council
CARA success depends on how easy it is to access and use its information and tools, and whether users feel this information has affected their choices and decisions. The CARA Advisory Council’s 200-plus members represent stakeholders—any person, group, organization or institution that might be affected by changes in land use or climate—with a diversity of concerns, experiences and responsibilities. Members come from local, state, and federal government, industry, non-governmental organizations, academia, and other groups.
The CARA team engages stakeholders early and often, valuing their help to:
- Identify assessment questions;
- Enhance technical quality (by identifying additional data sets or tools);
- Share ideas;
- Enhance the legitimacy of the assessment process;
- Raise awareness of impacts AND the potential for adapting to them; and
- Disseminate findings
Members of the CARA Advisory Council provide input about what to include and how to present it, as well as enhancing strengths and improving weaknesses. They also provide an important link to other stakeholders in the region. Some members of the CARA Advisory Council provide input and feedback for the region-wide scale. Others provide insights on a specific case study or decision tool.
The CARA Advisory Council interacts with the CARA research team mostly through phone, e-mail, and website feedback. Group meetings (workshops once or twice a year) also spark a synergism for efficient progress. The CARA research team provides feedback to the CARA Advisory Council about how their input makes a difference.
Payoffs for CARA Advisory Council members include enhanced skills for engaging stakeholders in decision making and planning activities, understanding what makes information useful to others and what leads them to use it effectively, and improved ability to use science information for issues important to stakeholders and society.