If consensus groups are going to truly represent the public interest in public lands here are some basic rules they should follow.

• Membership must include people from outside the committee’s area who have no economic interest in the decisions.

• Voting must never be allowed. Voting lessens the chance that logic will prevail.

• Discussions must be conducted in a way that highlights and protects minority opinions

• No one should be put in the position of having to back off of their convictions in public.

• The agency hosting the discussion must draw very clear constraints on the discussion.

• They must set a deadline that gives them adequate time to solve the problems at hand but tight enough to keep the group on task.

• The agency must make it clear that when time is up they will make the final decision based on the discussion they have heard.

• It should never be implied that the group has the final authority to make a decision.

• The constraints of law and science must be clear. Participants must understand the laws governing the public lands. And they must be presented with the best current science about their ecosystem.

• Some subjects are OK for compromise and others are not. Whether horses or motorcycles use a given stretch of trail is an issue demanding compromise. Exceeding biological limits for grazing damages the resource and cannot ever be up for discussion.