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Britt mediator has 'history of success' Photo by Andy Atkinson Keri Green is the mediator charged with helping the Britt Festivals, the city of Jacksonville, the county and Britt neighbors reach common ground over the popular summer concerts. Keri Green Personal : Raised in Sacramento and the Bay area; lived for five years in Pinecrest, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada near Yosemite National Park. Age : 42 Education : Bachelor's degree in human relations and organizational behavior. Experience : Work as a mediator since 1981, first director of Community Dispute Resolution Center, now Mediation Works, 1992-94; self-employed since 1988. Interests : Co-host of "The Folk Show," eclectic and traditional folk music, 6 to 9 p.m. Sundays on Jefferson Public Radio, KSMF, 89.1 FM. She also plays flute and violin. Green helps adversaries see value of cooperation By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE -- Keri Green's job is to help people learn how to get along. She tries to get them to listen to each other, control their tempers and find a happy medium. Green is not on playground duty. She's a mediator working with city, county and Britt Music Festivals officials to find a way for Jacksonville neighbors and the outdoor concert series to live in peace. "I like seeing people break away from their idea of how things ought to be and seeing them decide that working together is going to be OK and even better in the long run," Green says. "What we're doing when we come together and collaborate is helping people learn a new set of skills that they didn't learn in school or in the process of growing up -- communication." Green was hired last month to meet with a negotiating team of 12 people who represent the five stakeholders in the Britt dispute: Jackson County, the city of Jacksonville, the Britt Music Festivals, neighbors, and Jacksonville business owners. The dispute is mainly over loud music and heavy traffic. "The education system teaches professional and technical skills that we need to know, but it's only recently that schools have begun to teach conflict resolution," Green says. "Yet, that's what we need to know how to do every day, to find out how our needs and others' needs can meld together. "I get to see people do that, and it's very rewarding." Green's job as a mediator has taken her to farms in Coquille and watersheds in the Grande Ronde Valley. She's sat at a table with the Eugene Water and Electric Board and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife talking about fish passages on the McKenzie River. "She definitely has a history of success," says Dale Blanton. He's the dispute resolution coordinator for natural resources agencies, a position created 10 years ago by a Legislature that wanted to try to solve land-use issues outside the courtroom. Blanton recommended Green to the Britt players from a list of 16 qualified mediators. The list includes mediators from Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, B.C., and Massachusetts, and nationally known mediator Howard Bellman of Wisconsin. Another Ashland mediator is on the list, David Schieber. "It's unusual, given the makeup of this panel, to have two Ashland people," Blanton says. Mediation is becoming a popular way to resolve disputes outside the courtroom. "Many prefer mediation because they get the opportunity to participate in the settlement," Green says. "Once you get to court, it's costly and people can become entrenched in their ideas. Mediation provides the opportunity to be flexible. "I think people bring their better selves to a mediation situation than they would to a court situation because they are still open. By the time they get to court, they just want a judge to decide in their favor." Green saw an openness when she worked on a land-use case in Coos and Curry counties. The mediation process included driving to a farm to hear from frustrated farmers who feel buried under the mounds of paperwork required before they can dredge canals on their own land. "The result was that the regulatory agencies changed the way they did the permit review in order to make it easier for the farmers to apply for the permits. And now the farmers are getting to participate more in the decision-making about what is appropriate on their lands," Green says. When she's not traveling the countryside, Green teaches communication skills or facilitates retreats and meetings for a variety of groups: Mediation Works, the county's first mediation center formed in 1992; Jackson County Public Service Academy, sponsored by the Rogue Valley Council of Governments; the Rogue Institute for Ecology and Economy; the Governor's Conference on Collaborating and Decision Making; and the Applegate Partnership. Green says she doesn't have to become an expert on fish passageways, cattle management, music festivals or other issues. She just has to be an expert in peacemaking. "I ask the questions that will unlock the solutions," she says. "I'm convinced that good questions are an important tool of the trade, as well as understanding how people work." And when she encounters angry people along the way, Green takes a two-step approach -- validate the reason for their anger and listen to their side of the story. Sometimes it's as simple as saying, "If I were in your shoes, I would feel that way, too." "There's a piece of this work that can be very healing. This work bridges deep divisions in people and it really does start with listening. It's all about listening." Green thinks Britt dispute can be resolved JACKSONVILLE -- Mediator Keri Green is optimistic that all parties involved in the Britt Music Festivals dispute can find common ground. "I think we have a high likelihood of reaching resolution in this case based on longstanding relationships that the parties have had over the years," Green says. "The issues are well represented by the negotiation team." The team is made up of 12 people representing five different interests: Jackson County Parks, which owns the property where the 44 summer concerts are held; the city of Jacksonville, where the park is situated; the Britt Music Festivals, which manages the 35-year-old concert series; Britt neighbors who live next to the concert noise and summer traffic jams; and Jacksonville business owners who depend on tourist dollars. The team met for the first time in December and will meet again at the end of January. Green's salary is being paid partly by a $5,000 grant from the Department of Land Conservation and Development. The DLCD gives out $200,000 in grants for mediation every two years, says Dale Blanton, a manager in Salem. The team hopes the negotiations will be completed by spring. The mediation will not affect Britt's 1999 season. "Any decisions we make will result in a more positive experience for neighbors and concertgoers," Green says. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA