There have been no injuries. Dave Pearce of Bismarck has been facilitating meetings of the North Dakota Missouri River Coordinated Resource Management Program, where the air can become charged with emotion. When he gavels a three-hour meeting to order, Pearce faces no fewer than 30 conservation groups, development interests and government agencies plus staff from the state's congressional delegation and the office of Gov. Ed Schafer. To date, those attending the CRMP meetings have worked on identifying issues, writing a vision statement and listening to different points of view. The most difficult work is more than a month away, when the participants tackle details such as how far to keep development away from the shoreline that in many areas still looks like the world of the 19th century.
Most groups have distinct agendas when it comes to management of the river.
More importantly, Pearce said, everyone is listening to each other, professionally and politely. We're smart enough to find an alternative that will work for all of us when it comes to the Missouri River. It does not have to be dictated to us by people who don't live here. There is a common bond, even among those people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to river development along the 86-mile stretch from Garrison Dam to Apple Creek south of Bismarck. Balance could be a trick on what CRMP participants call the Garrison Reach.