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Stakeholder engagement is a vital, yet under-accessed and under-studied, resource for tackling wicked environmental problems. This paper examines mental models – cognitive representations of “real” systems – refined through group model building (GMB) with stakeholders concerned with environmental issues in the US state of Oklahoma. During GMB, a diverse group of high-level decision makers met with a variety of physical and social scientists to collaborate on mental models concerning three environmental focus areas in Oklahoma: encroachment of eastern red cedar, grid and infrastructure resilience, and marginal water use and re-use. We ask: how do individuals from diverse stakeholder groups describe causes and consequences of key environmental problems in Oklahoma? Results from this analysis advance efforts toward developing socially sustainable solutions for environmental problems in Oklahoma and beyond. 

Abstract The overuse and expansion of artificial light at night (ALAN) has emerged from complex social, economic, and political factors, making it a societal problem that negatively impacts wildlife and people. We propose that a convergence research approach combining ecological forecasting with community engagement and public policy is needed to address this diverse societal problem. To begin this convergence research approach, we hosted a workshop to strengthen connections among key biodiversity‐oriented ALAN stakeholders and to better understand how stakeholder groups function across the United States through facilitated discussions. We have prioritized the input of stakeholders early in our research design by including them in the formulation of a national survey on public perceptions surrounding ALAN and received their input on existing ecological forecasting tools to improve those research products for their future use.