Cultivating collaboration in a rural public park setting: A case study of the Dakota Nature Park as a new common pool resource

Given the uncertain cultural climate regarding federal protection of public lands and limited resources available to current park management regimes, a local-level understanding of the sustainability of parks as Common Pool... [ view full abstract ]

Given the uncertain cultural climate regarding federal protection of public lands and limited resources available to current park management regimes, a local-level understanding of the sustainability of parks as Common Pool Resources is crucial. The purpose of this research is to expand upon Common Pool Resource theories while providing insight regarding innovative uses of rural public spaces. Applying Elinor Ostrom’s eight principals of a common pool resource to the Dakota Nature Park, a 135-acre multipurpose natural area, will determine if the park is successful (as an institutional arrangement) in sustaining itself as a CPR and in gaining the compliance of future generations of appropriators. The Dakota Nature Park (DNP), in Brookings, SD, operates under a collaborative structure. It is owned by the city of Brookings, making it a government property, but exhibits group property characteristics. The basic needs for park maintenance (cleaning, teaching, grant writing) are met by the part-time paid employees, but care and improvements to the facilities are often done by volunteers. Community member involvement comprises a diverse range of activities, including recreational swimmers, bird watchers, and unpermitted self-subsistence fisherman. Proposal formulation began in September 2017 and the study will conclude in May 2018. This is a qualitative study and participants were selected using non-probability sampling methods. The primary methods of data collection are interviews, observation and review of documents. Using the DNP this study addresses the variability of what can be defined as commons and advances the understanding of commons to better serve stakeholders. The results will contribute to scholarship on rural city parks as new commons and design principles for new common pool regimes. The results of this study also indicate best practices for the sustainability of environmentally-conscious recreational park design for future city parks in the region.