Dr. Heikkila is also engaged in a comparative study of collaborative management institutions at regional scales (with Dr. Andrea Gerlak, University of Arizona). These include four regional institutions in the United States: the Columbia River’s Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program, the Chesapeake Bay Program, the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. These institutions involve multiple states, federal agencies, and local governments working collaboratively under formal agreements to manage watersheds and their ecosystems. This research has examined how these complex institutions emerge, are structured and evolve, building a theory of collective action in large-scale resource settings. The research has also applied the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework to understand the organization of these complex institutions across constitutional, collective choice, and operational levels. Finally, the study is examining the institutional endurance of these institutions and the role of collaborative learning in the process.