Public involvement can mean different things to different people and organizations.  This manual uses the following general definition in relation to public land management agencies:

Public involvement includes all activities used by public land management agencies to inform and educate the public about the agency’s land management activities, and/or to gather information from the public, and/or to include public input in making decisions about public land management. The public is defined as individuals and organizations (both public and private) outside the agency.

Other definitions have been used by the government and its agencies.  At the time most US public land management agencies were beginning legally-mandated public involvement activities the US Congress defined public involvement in the Land Use and Resource Conservation Act of 1975 as:

The opportunity for maximum feasible participation by citizens in rulemaking, decision making and land use planning, including public hearings, advisory mechanisms and such other procedures as may be necessary to provide public input in a particular instance.

In 1973 the USDA Forest Service in its Forest Service Manual 8212 defined public involvement as:

The use of appropriate procedures for informing the public, obtaining early and continuing public participation and considering the views of interested parties in planning and decision-making processes. The "public" referred to includes individuals, local, state, regional and national public service organizations and interest groups. It also includes state, local and other Federal agencies which have jurisdiction, special expertise or information to offer relevant to the total planning and implementation picture.

This definition was still widely used in the forestry profession 25 years later.  New Forest Service rules may contain an expanded collaborative role for the public in the planning process.

In 1998 the National Park Service's "Directors Order #2: Park Planning defined public involvement as:

Public participation in planning and decision making will ensure that the National Park Service fully understands and considers the publics’ interests in the parks as part of their national heritage, cultural traditions, and community surroundings. To the maximum extent possible, the National Park Service will actively seek out and consult with existing and potential visitors, neighbors, people with traditional cultural ties to park lands, scientists and scholars, concessionaires, cooperating associations, other partners, and government agencies. The Park Service will work cooperatively with others to improve the conditions of parks, to expand public service, and to integrate parks into sustainable ecological, cultural, and socioeconomic systems.

Public involvement activities can take a variety of forms and agency control varies depending on the type of activity and who initiates it.  The following table illustrates the categories within which public involvement may occur with some illustrative examples.

Public involvement is a process.  The tools and techniques used, time frame, facilitators, and outcomes will vary depending on the objectives of the activities.   Nonetheless some general recommendations for effective public involvement are possible.

Clarify the goals of public involvement. Is the purpose to provide the public with information about an agency decision, to gain input from the public, or to share decision making? The methods to be used and the expectations of the agency and the public will vary depending on the goals. The goals need to be explicit from the outset and understood by both the agency and the public.

The public involvement process as well as the outcome is important. The public should be involved early and continuously in the planning process. Including the public from the time the scope of the issue is defined throughout the entire planning process can increase a sense of participation and ownership in the outcome and make implementation of the plan possible.

In order to be most effective, public involvement must include a two-way flow of information. While simple education efforts may be appropriate in limited circumstances, maximum benefit can be obtained from a sharing of information and solicitation of input. Public involvement must build a bridge between the agency and the public so that they may share expertise and concerns to develop better plans.

Using a variety of public involvement methods will help to reach a diversity of stakeholders and solicit different types of input. Public involvement practitioners have found that people get their information from different sources and are willing to participate in different forums. In order to fully understand and consider public opinions, a variety of methods are necessary. Some factors to consider when determining which methods to use include the topic, the number and type of stakeholders, the amount of controversy associated with the issue, citizen understanding of the issue, available resources, and agency credibility.

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