Our people have a history of leadership; below are a few notable firsts.

Water
Taking a new approach to addressing the water rights conflicts arising out of the Columbia River mitigation plan: Economic analyses were conducted to estimate appropriate mitigation PAF values for the issuance of new and/or the conversion of water rights resulting in additional withdrawals from the River. The study also assessed the amount of mitigation that could be purchased at different rates over various time periods. Results were used to support Pollution Control Hearings Board negotiations between the state and tribal governments. (more)

Protecting the Land
Developed the first fully integrated regional GIS-based land conservation decision-support tool. The ILCDS model, developed in the 1990s, incorporated economics, community values, regulatory frameworks, and environmental and planning criteria to enable a real-time “what-if” application. The ILCDS model was developed to aid government agencies, communities, and conservation organizations in the assessment, identification, and development of sound planning processes for conservation programs and related planning efforts. This early work spawned platforms that are commercially available today. (more)

Social Capital
At the forefront of the work on social capital in resource-dependent communities, Resource Dimensions ecological economists and resource social scientists collaborated with a collective of scientists to develop and pilot a formal rapid assessment protocol for conducting community-level social capital assessments in forest associated-communities. (more)

Community Planning
Resource Dimensions conducted a cutting-edge valuation on core public services provided by the Ross & Cromarty District. The valuation employed novel approaches to glean what residents wanted from the public sector (and thus were willing to pay for), given resource limitations. (more)

Sustainability
Since the early 1980’s we have assisted communities, counties, states, and various agencies in the U.S., Britain and Canada in developing integrated sustainable community planning processes and policies. Through such efforts, we have developed GIS-based asset and issue mapping tools, computer-based decision-support tools, sustainability matrices, and a range of aids to facilitate diverse stakeholder involvement through collaborative sustainability processes…(more)

Renewable Energy
On the national and international frontline of renewable energy exploration is the Tacoma Power tidal energy project. With recognized expertise in power economics and renewables, Resource Dimensions conducted the economic feasibility analysis and related preliminary assessments for the pilot and future commercial array proposed for the Tacoma Narrows in Pierce County, Washington. (more)