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Graduation Date
Spring 5-2026
Document Type
Portfolio
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
Environmental Philosophy
School or Department
Philosophy
Abstract
Despite beavers’ recent surge in popularity, prevailing negative attitudes and the persistence of beaver removal practices remain obstacles for those advocating living with beavers. The Montana Beaver Working Group (BWG) advances beavers’ role in ecological and community resilience through members’ collaborative efforts, including beaver-related restoration and conflict resolution projects. Bringing together people with diverse values and perspectives, the BWG builds collective understanding, develops a holistic vision for beavers in Montana, and supports members in pursuing it. As the group’s impacts and membership have grown, so too has their need to adapt. For my Civic Engagement Project, I strengthened the BWG’s organizational capacity and public image by taking the lead in designing and facilitating a collaborative process to develop their first formal charter. The resulting charter—enthusiastically supported by members—articulates the BWG’s identity, mission, guiding principles, and governance structure in ways that accurately reflect their values, commitments, and collaborative practices. By clarifying what the BWG is and how they operate, the charter provides a clear foundation for member engagement and public outreach. This project illuminates how relationships, attention, and inclusive collaboration can help reconcile conflicting mindsets and environmental values, reshaping our relationships with the land and its inhabitants. By fostering moral attention, dialogue, and respect for diverse perspectives, the BWG models a practical and ethical transition from a logic of domination toward one of coexistence. Their efforts show how communities with a shared vision can co-create resilient landscapes that sustain both humans and the more-than-human world.
Keywords
Montana Beaver Working Group, collaboration, collaborative process, collaborative governance, organizational capacity, beavers, restoration, beaver restoration, ecological resilience, coexistence, living with beavers, environmental change, social change, attention, ecofeminism, environmental ethics
Subject Categories
American Politics | Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Civic and Community Engagement | Cognition and Perception | Community-Based Learning | Community Psychology | Environmental Policy | Environmental Studies | Ethics and Political Philosophy | Feminist Philosophy | Human Ecology | Interpersonal and Small Group Communication | Nature and Society Relations | Organizational Behavior and Theory | Organizational Communication | Philosophy | Place and Environment | Politics and Social Change | Theory and Philosophy | Theory, Knowledge and Science | Work, Economy and Organizations
Recommended Citation
Randle, Shane, "Building Collaborative Capacity for Coexistence with the Montana Beaver Working Group" (2026). Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects. 588.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/grad_portfolios/588
Included in
American Politics Commons, Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons
© Copyright 2026 Shane Randle