U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Watershed Academy Web
Distance Learning Modules on Watershed Management
http://wwwfepa.gov/watertrain
Top Ten Watershed Lessons Learned
NOTICE: This PDF file was adapted from an on-line training module of the EPA's
Watershed Academy Web, found at http://www.epa.gov/watertrain. To the extent possible,
it contains the same material as the on-line version. Some interactive parts of the module
had to be reformatted for this non-interactive text presentation. Review questions are
compiled at the end of the file as a self-test.
This document does not constitute EPA policy. Mention of trade names or commercial
products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Links to non-EPA web sites do not imply any official EPA endorsement of or responsibility for
the opinions, ideas, data, or products presented at those locations or guarantee the validity
of the information provided. Links to non-EPA servers are provided solely as a pointer to
information that might be useful to EPA staff and the public.
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Foreword to Top 10 Watershed Lessons Learned
For many years, EPA, in partnership with many others, has been pursuing a watershed
approach to protecting our lakes, rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and streams. Taking on the role of
community helper and partner has been a challenge. As with change of this magnitude, there has
been a lot of trial and error, and important lessons have been learned by us and our many
partners that are worth sharing. This series of Watershed Lessons Learned is an attempt to
identify the top lessons and present them in one place.
This document meets two real needs. First, it will help readers learn what works and what
does not based on past experience. Second, it will assist people in reaching important resources
and contacts that exist across the nation that can help them. As for how this product was
developed, a focus group of representatives from River Network, Know Your Watershed, Center
for Watershed Protection, Maryland Office of Planning, and EPA Regional Offices among others
was assembled. This group reacted to the idea, refined it, and developed the "top 10" watershed
lessons learned. That list was circulated and improved with the insights of approximately 100
watershed coordinators and their supporters across the nation.
Each lesson is stand-alone and contains a short description of the lesson, a few examples
to illustrate it, and a list of key contacts and resources associated with the lesson. The appendix
includes answers to commonly asked questions - the ones that we heard over and over again as
we developed this piece. So, if you are pressed for time, we suggest you begin there.
This module is one of the Watershed Academy Web Certificate Program's core modules.
After you have finished reading, please go to the self-test at the end of the text (but before
Appendix 1). Answers are provided on a separate page at the end of the Appendices.
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AN INTRODUCTION
For the past six or so years, EPA, in partnership with many others, has been pursuing a
watershed approach* to protecting our lakes, rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and streams. For a
federal agency with a strong regulatory tradition, this is a new way of doing business. Taking on
the role of community helper and partner has been a challenge. As with any change of this
magnitude, there has been a lot of trial and error, and important lessons have been learned by us
and our many partners that are worth sharing. Oftentimes, these lessons have been shared
informally through networking at conferences, by phone, or over various parts of the internet.
This series of Watershed Lessons Learned is an attempt to identify the top lessons and present
them in one place.
The target audience for this web site is what I call "watershed practitioners and those who
support them." By this, I mean anyone who is trying to make watershed work happen or support
it. This can include concerned citizens, scientists, government employees (on the local, state and
federal levels), corporate sponsors, nonprofit groups, among others.
We believe this web site meets two real needs. First, it will help readers learn what works and
does not based on past experience. Second, it will assist people in reaching important resources
and contacts that exist across the nation that can help them. The need for such information was
pointed out in the conclusion of a presentation made by Robert Nuzum, Manager of Natural
Resources, at East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland, CA. After working on a watershed
plan for four years, he said that if he had to do it over again, he would spend more time
educating participants on 'what works' and 'what doesn't' prior to beginning his watershed
planning effort.
As for how this product was developed, a focus group comprised of 20 members of the target
audience was assembled. This included representatives from River Network, Know Your
Watershed, Center for Watershed Protection, Maryland Office of Planning, EPA Regional
Offices among others. This group reacted to the idea, refined it, and developed the "top 10"
watershed lessons learned. That list was circulated and improved with the insights of
approximately 100 watershed coordinators and their supporters across the nation. These
practitioners helped to identify the best examples to illustrate each lesson and the resources that
have worked for them. Such testimony is very powerful.
In terms of using this piece, each lesson is stand-alone and contains a short description of the
lesson, a few examples to illustrate it (with a contact where more information can be obtained)
and a list of key contacts and resources associated with the lesson. In addition, we have included
in the appendix indices to help guide you - the reader - through the information. This includes
answers to commonly asked questions the ones that we heard over and over again as we
developed this piece. So, if you are pressed for time, we suggest you begin there.
EPA wishes to thank the many reviewers and contributors to this piece. Their contributions were
invaluable. It was very rewarding to have the opportunity to connect with so many experienced
practitioners and to learn from them. In addition, the feedback on the first draft was quite
positive, so we feel strongly that we are meeting a true need, and that is exciting. If you have
feedback, please use the form provided.
- Ben Ficks, U.S. EPA
Watershed Outreach Coordinator
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TOP 10 WATERSHED LESSONS LEARNED:
1. The Best Plans Have Clear Visions, Goals, and Action
Items
2. Good Leaders are Committed and Empower Others
3. Having a Coordinator at the Watershed Level is
Desirable
4. Environmental, Economic, and Social Values are
Compatible
5. Plans Only Succeed if Implemented
6. Partnerships Equal Power
7. Good Tools Are Available
8. Measure, Communicate, and Account for Progress
9. Education and Involvement Drive Action
10. Build on Small Successes
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LIST OF APPENDICES
1. Tips from practitioners
2. Questions and answers
3. Water-related news bulletins
4. Index of terms and organizations mentioned in this
document
5. Advisor e-mail list
6. Watershed lessons learned partners
7. Key contacts and resources
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WATERSHED LESSON 1:
The Best Plans Have Clear Visions, Goals, and Action Items
Visions can rally individuals to take action and to focus their efforts on specific goals. The best
visions are graphic in their descriptions and relate to human experience. Bernie Fowler, for
example, former Maryland state senator and a leading voice on environmental issues, brought
instant attention to the problem of sediment in the Patuxent River when he stood chest high in
the river and declared: "I want to be able to see my feet." At the very least, visions must be
scientifically accurate -- represent the facts -- and be understandable to the general public.
"/ want to be able to see my feet." -- Bernie Fowler
So how does a watershed group come up with powerful visions? Experience suggests that before
a group can develop visions and goals, there must be a clear and widely recognized problem
statement. This statement helps to establish a common understanding of the conditions that
warrant a watershed protection effort. The term "problem" does not mean that a water body has
to be actually damaged before action can be taken. Just the threat of damage in a pristine
watershed may prompt a group to take action.
Clear visions help watershed groups understand, relate to, and support protection and restoration
efforts. And, when framed well, they can also help the general public, elected officials, business,
the press, and community leaders understand.
In addition to visions, groups usually develop goals, objectives, and action items. The difference
among them is explained below.
A. Visions - general statements of where the effort wants to go and what it will
accomplish over a given time span (usually 5 to 10+ years). Visions should be
comprehensive enough to capture the thrust of the effort's overall mission.
B. Goals - less general than visions, describe what is needed to obtain vision, refer to
components of overall effort, sometimes quantifiable.
C. Objectives - elaboration of goals, describe types of management or activities and are
quantifiable where possible*.
D. Action Items - explain who is going to do what, where, and when; they generally
articulate how to implement the objectives and should be quantified if possible;
benchmarks of existing conditions and/or indicators should be developed for action
items.
*Note: Objectives are optional. Some watershed groups may find that additional level
of detail confusing.
These four elements are folded into an implementation plan. It is desirable to obtain
commitments to as many of them as possible.
Many watershed groups go through a facilitated workshop process in which they develop their
statements. A facilitator, as a neutral party, can help people reach consensus and avoid getting
bogged down in arguing among interests. It is important not to quibble over whether a particular
statement becomes a goal or an objective. What is important is to get issues on the table.
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Boaters enjoy a cleaner Chesapeake Bay thanks to efforts
across the multistate watershed. Credit: Steve Delaney, EPA
Designating them can come later. The following examples illustrate some lessons learned in
different regions across the nation.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 3
CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED:
The 40 Percent Nutrient Reduction Goal Was Perceived as Fair
In the 1970's, it became increasingly
obvious that the Chesapeake Bay was
degraded. Bay grasses had died back
to a fraction of their historical
coverage, large parts of the bay were
devoid of oxygen, the water was
murky, and some species of fish and
shellfish had dramatically declined. An
extensive series of scientific studies
was undertaken to determine the
causes of the problem. By the early
1980's, a scientific consensus emerged
that nutrients -- both nitrogen and
phosphorus were the primary
pollution problem in the Bay.
Moreover, it was clear that states
throughout the Bay's 64,000 square mile watershed were contributing to the pollution problem.
In 1983, the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed by the Governors of Maryland,
Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission
(representing the legislative bodies of those states), and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. This Agreement represented a vision of creating a regional approach "to improve and
protect water quality and living resources of the Chesapeake Bay estuarine system."
In 1987, the second Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed, which affirmed the regional
watershed approach adopted in 1983, and included specific goals to restore water quality.
Among the most important was the goal to: "develop, adopt, and begin implementation of a
basin-wide strategy to equitably achieve by the year 2000 at least a 40 percent reduction of
nitrogen and phosphorus entering the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay. The strategy should be
based on agreed-upon 1985 point source loads and on nonpoint loads in an average rainfall
year."
A subsequent agreement specified this load in pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus, and allocated
it to the Bay jurisdictions. This goal is notable for several reasons:
It is based on a scientific consensus of perhaps the most well-studied ecosystem in the
world;
The 40 percent reduction is the key to restoring the Bay but is also linked to many
other goals;
It can be communicated to and understood by the general public, elected officials, and
others;
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It is specific, quantifiable and can be allocated to particular political jurisdictions or
river basins;
It is perceived as fair, yet flexible. In order to reach the Bay-wide 40 percent nutrient
reduction goal, each jurisdiction was assigned a 40 percent nutrient reduction goal.
Yet each jurisdiction was free to develop its own strategy to meet that goal, based on
local land uses, existing programs, and resources.
It has the political support of the leaders of the Bay States and the U.S. EPA, as well
as the broad support of local governments, the public, and an array of interest groups.
"The sum of these options results in a 40 percent nutrient reduction for each bay tributary."
The goal's objectives include implementing the conservation practices needed to achieve the 40
percent nutrient reduction goal. This is being done through the development of Tributary
Strategies -- watershed-based plans to reduce nutrient pollution through wastewater treatment
plants, agricultural best management practices, and resource protection, and growth management
activities. The sum of these options results in a 40 percent nutrient reduction for each bay
tributary.
The evolution of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement illustrates the progression from a common
vision to a specific goal that is implemented through a series of specific actions. In the Bay
watershed, the emphasis has evolved from an initial focus on the main stem of the Bay to the
actions taken by individuals and local governments throughout the watershed. Other Bay goals
have been established, including those for acres of submerged aquatic vegetation, number of fish
passages, and miles of riparian forest. The community is still working on addressing goals
associated with growth management, local government involvement, and freshwater streams.
For more information: contact Rich Hall, Maryland Office of Planning, 410-767-4560, 410-
225-4480 (fax), Rich@mail.mop.md.gov or Lauren Wenzel, Maryland Department of Natural
Resources, LWENZELฎ dnr.state.md.us, 410-974-2784, 410-974-2833 (fax).
EXAMPLE 2 OF 3
THE STATE OF
OKLAHOMA:
Where Visions Must be
Embraced by Locals
For the Illinois River in
Oklahoma, the Oklahoma State
Conservation Commission
(Soil and Water Conservation
Agency), "the Commission",
which has the legislative
authority for nonpoint source
issues, came up with a vision
that was not embraced at the
local level. At the beginning of
their efforts in the Peacheater
Agricultural nonpoint source pollution has impacted stream banks
along stretches such as this one in Oklahoma. Credit: John Hassell,
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
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Creek Watershed demonstration project, the State went to the local community and described for
them the impression they had of water quality problems in the creek: nutrients, cattle in the
stream, and animal waste. They found, however, that when they went out to view the stream
with the landowners, the stream appeared clear; only the reservoir way downstream showed the
effects of excessive nutrient loads. The locals were more interested in water for livestock, while
the state was more interested in good water quality.
The Commission was able to engage local landowners only when they questioned what the
stream was like when the landowners were growing up. Together, they discovered that the
stream had been deep and had contained a lot of fish. This contrasted with its present state: wide
and shallow with few fish. After establishing the difference, the community was able to isolate
the reason for the change: removal of riparian vegetation, cattle in the stream, and stream bank
erosion.
"The locals were more interested in water for livestock, while the state was more interested in
good water quality."
The Commission learned lessons that it will apply in future efforts in the Peacheater Creek
Watershed and when it undertakes another watershed project:
First, they will identify local people who care to lead a watershed restoration project.
If none can be found, then their energy is better spent in watersheds where there is
local interest.
Second, they will ask the landowners to identify the problems (the first step in
developing a vision). The State will limit its role to offering technical, education, and
financial assistance.
Third, the State will not take on the role of facilitator/moderator at the meetings.
Finally, the State will be careful not to overwhelm citizens with large numbers of
bureaucrats. At one night meeting, the State outnumbered landowners 2:1. Needless
to say, there was a sense that taxpayer money was going to waste.
For more information: contact, John A. Hassell, Director, Water Quality Programs, Oklahoma
Conservation Commission, 1000 West Wilshire, Suite 123, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73116,
405-979-2204, 405-979-2212 (fax), jhassell@occwq.state.ok.us
EXAMPLE 3 OF 3
The Tampa Bay National Estuary Program:
Citizens Relate to Sea Grasses
Charting the Course, the National Estuary Program's (NEP) Comprehensive Conservation and
Management Plan for Tampa Bay, stresses measurable, resource-based goals that are realistic
and achievable. A key goal of the plan is to cap nitrogen loadings at current levels (1992 to 1994
average) to enable the continued recovery of sea grasses, which are important nursery and
feeding areas for fish and other marine life. Sea grasses have become a driving force in the bay
restoration blueprint because of their importance to the ecosystem. In addition, most citizens can
relate to this tangible, resource-based goal.
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Since the 1950's,
Tampa Bay has lost
about 15,000 acres of
sea grasses due to
excess nutrients,
which have fueled the
growth of algae and
limited the amount of
light reaching
underwater grass
beds. Water quality
in Tampa Bay has
improved
significantly since the
1970's, largely due to
improvements in
wastewater treatment
which have reduced
the flow of nitrogen to
the bay. Studies by
the NEP indicate that
an additional 12,000 acres of sea grass can be recovered by preventing future increases in
nitrogen loadings. Achieving that goal will require local communities and industries to offset
their nitrogen loadings by about 17 tons each year to compensate for anticipated nitrogen
increases from growth.
Local governments have agreed to reduce their future loadings by 6 tons per year, that portion of
the load attributed to municipal storm water runoff and sewage treatment plants. The remaining
reductions will be addressed by a Nitrogen Management Consortium made up of the NEP's local
government and agency partners, working with local electric utilities and agricultural and
phosphate shipping interests. Instead of allocating specific reductions to each party, the
Consortium is working to identify individual or group projects that would achieve the
reductions. This innovative approach will help identify the most cost-effective and
environmentally beneficial projects.
For more information: contact Holly Greening, National Estuary Program, 813-893-2765, 813-
893-2767 (fax).
The dramatic decline in the amount of sea grass beds from the 1950's to the
1990's is a powerful rallying force for the need for a concerted approach to
protect the Tampa Bay estuary. Credit: the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program
Key Contacts and Resources
GUIDES FOR PLANNING AND VISIONING
Building a Local Watershed Partnership and Putting Together a Watershed Plan,
Know Your Watershed. Describes step-by-step process for developing consensus
around the purpose statement, measurable goals and objectives, and action items.
Conservation Technology Information Center, 1220 Potter Drive, Room 170, West
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Lafayette, IN 47906, 765-494-9555, 765-494-5969 (fax), kyw@ctic.purdue.edu,
http://ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html
Casco Bay Plan, Chapter 11: Developing the Casco Bay Plan describes the process
used to set priorities and develop the plan. Regarded by many as a successful process
that made use of focus groups and newspaper inserts. Contact: Katherine Groves,
Casco Bay Estuary Project, 246 Deering Avenue, Portland, ME, 04102, 207-780-
4820, 207-780-4913 (fax), kgroves@usm.maine.edu
Sourcebook for Watershed Education, provides details on creating or enhancing
programmatic support for watershed education and problem solving. It includes
information on developing program vision and goals, obtaining community support
and participation, program review and assessment, and sharing your story with others.
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, 206 South Fifth Avenue, Suite
150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, http://www.econet.apc.org/green/ (313) 761-8142
Riverwork Book: A Step-By-Step Guide for Citizens and Communities Developing
River Planning and Conservation Efforts, U.S. Department of Interior/National Park
Service, P.O. Box 37127, Room 3606, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127, 202-565-1200,
96 pages. Produced in 1988 (may be updating but still useful). Contacts: Charly
Stockman or Jennifer Pitt.
Community Visioning, video, 2 hours, 1994, $94.95; APA members $89.95. Planners
Book Service, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603, 312-786-6344,
312-431-9985 (fax), web address: http://www.planning.org/books/bookstor.html
EXAMPLES OF GOALS AND VISIONS
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas on Working in Partnership for Clean
Water, Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1997. Useful guide. Stories of Daryl
Lawon and Shirely Blackwell discuss vision and goals. Kathleen O'Brien, editor,
423-632-8502, 423-632-3188 (fax).
Reducing Agricultural Pesticide Use in Sweden, Journal of Soil and Water
Conservation, November-December 1990, Volume 45, Number 6, describes Sweden's
goal to cut pesticide use on farms by 50 percent. Contact: Anne Weinberg, US EPA,
401 M St., S.W. 4503F, Washington, D.C. 20460, 202-260-7107
weinberg.anne@epamail.epa.gov
The Visioning Process and Its Role in Consensus-Building, Richard Volk, Program
Director, Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program, Corpus Christi, TX, paper
delivered at Watershed '96. http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/volk.html
EPA Region 3 Chesapeake Bay Program Website, http://www.epa.gov/r3chespk/,
EPA BAY PROGRAM WEBSITE Patuxent River Tributary Strategy,
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/tribstrat/index.html
1995-2020 Vision for the Nashua River Watershed, Nashua River Watershed
Association, 592 Main Street, Groton, MA 01450, December 1995, 508-448-0299,
508-448-0941 (fax). Nice example of a locally-developed watershed plan with three
clear goals and discrete action items.
Diverse Partners with One Vision: The Bear Creek Watershed Restoration Plan
Carol C. Chandler, Biologist, L. Michelle Beasley, Economist, USDA, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, Gallatin, TN paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/chandler.html
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Moving the Watershed Planning Process from Quagmire to Success, B. Fritts
Golden, Vice President & Senior Environmental Planner, CH2M HILL, Oakland,
CA, John W. Rogers, Senior Vice President & Senior Environmental Planner, CH2M
HILL, Philadelphia, PA, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/golden.html
Maryland's Tributary Strategies: Statewide Nutrient Reduction Through a
Watershed Approach, Lauren Wenzel, Roger Banting, and Danielle Lucid, Maryland
Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD, paper presented at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/wenzel.html
NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Water Quality Goals and Indicators - Draft February 15,1996, Elizabeth Fellows,
Mary Belefski, Sarah Lehmann, US EPA, Washington, D.C., Andy Robertson,
NOAA, Washington, D.C. paper delivered at Watershed '96.,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/fellows.html
The Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Ecosystem Management, Final Report,
October 1996, result of a dialogue among 50 high ranking representatives from
various levels of government, the private sector and important stakeholder interests.
Lists the key aspects of making ecosystem protection happen. Includes Regional
examples. Keystone Center, CO, P.O. Box 8606, Keystone, CO 80435-7998, 970-
468-5822.
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WATERSHED LESSON 2:
Good Leaders are Committed and Empower Others
"A Great Leader is One Whose Followers Say: 'We Did It Ourselves'." - Lao-tzu
Leadership is a critical factor in making the watershed approach work. Watersheds can be large
or small, urban or rural, degraded or pristine. They can have resources of local or national
importance, and they can have little or great development pressure on them. Government may
be trusted and relied upon or distrusted and feared. Likewise, the leader that emerges in any
given watershed varies. He or she can be a farmer or rancher, coal miner, nonprofit organization
member, local council person, or a government person from the state, tribal or federal level. Or,
leadership can come in the form of a group or entity, such as a local board, State agency, or the
Federal government. Essentially, leaders are individuals or groups who care about the watershed
and its future.
As for common characteristics of successful watershed leaders, they tend to reflect the values of
the community and to know what works there. They generally are good communicators, have the
ability to bring about change and set things in motion, and are committed to making their (or a
group's) vision a reality. They also tend to know how to engage, respect, and empower others
and are able to find new or leverage existing resources.
Because leadership is so important, many seek to encourage and nurture it. Some states offer
grants to budding watershed associations. Several nonprofits maintain lists of watershed leaders
who are willing to talk to others about their success. Other groups offer training and leadership
workshops.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 3
NAP A COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT:
How You Get There is Flexible
Dennis Bowker, Resource Conservationist for the Napa County Resource Conservation District
(RCD), has worked with several groups in the Napa River Watershed community to address
environmental and economic concerns. These groups have been instrumental in working together
to develop and implement a management plan for the watershed called the Napa River
Watershed Owner's Manual. Dennis' experience in Napa, as well as with other watershed groups
around the country, has reinforced the value of leadership emerging from and driven by the
ideas of a community, rather than from any one individual. This view is quite different from the
traditional one in which an expert figures out what is needed and then leads the troops. Ideas,
developed and embraced by the community are not personality dependent and do not collapse
with the departure of an individual. Different people are active at different times and use these
community-driven goals to motivate, but the mutual overall effort remains paramount.
Dennis has found in working with community groups that focusing on improving environmental
conditions and developing inclusive common goals, rather than on implementing policies and
regulations has been vital to the implementation of management activities and the success of
community-based efforts. This reinforces the community role. While subtle, it is an important
difference that can lead to more effective partnerships. Individuals can work on the environment
and can promote the development of common strategies without demanding common values. In
fact, involving people with different values in working on a common strategy to implement those
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values reinforces the benefits of considering different perspectives and value systems from the
beginning.
Examples in the Napa Watershed that demonstrate the value of this approach include:
The Conservation Regulations Community Task Force prepared an ordinance that
requires an erosion control and water protection plan for all development on slopes
exceeding five percent. This was in response to an erosion incident that caused a
large amount of sediment to enter a local city water supply, The ordinance does not
require implementation of a specific set of best management practices, but instead
simply requires that the project prevent erosion and protect water quality, with
professional review of the plans before permit issuance. The participation of the
entire community in the watershed management effort is further demonstrated by the
passage in 1996 of a county-wide parcel tax earmarked exclusively for watershed
management.
The Napa Community Coalition for a Flood Plain Management Plan arose to take a
major role in redefining an often-rejected plan by the Corps of Engineers first
proposed over 30 years ago. The Community Coalition stepped forward to take
leadership of the project, and turned it from a Corps of Engineers Project to a Napa
Community Project with Corps participation as a partner. The Community assumed
leadership of the effort in order to clearly state their desire for a living river with
ecologically sound methods to address flooding, and participated aggressively in the
design of a new program that better addresses community interests in accomplishing
flood threat reduction, while maintaining close partnership with the Corps of
Engineers.
The Napa Sustainable Wine Growing Group is working to establish voluntary farm
management guidelines to ensure that world quality wine will still be made
commercially in the Napa Valley 200 years from now. A diverse group of
commercial grape growers, agency employees, and university representatives are
donating their time to develop a training and assistance program to promote
environmentally sound long term farm management that will support community
environmental and public health interests while also developing profitable farm
operations.
So where did this philosophy or approach come from? Dennis says this approach is a shift from
hierarchical management to more horizontal, network-based management, used in evolutionary
biology and in business. The approach increases the emphasis on desired outcomes and measured
results in terms of environmental improvement, rather than on adherence to rules or to methods
chosen to reach those outcomes. In watershed management, the focus becomes the watershed
resource, not the policy meant to protect the resource. The purpose of the effort - environmental
improvement - is paramount; how you get there is fluid and flexible.
For more information: contact Dennis Bowker, Napa County Resource Conservation District,
707-252-4188, 707-252-4219 (fax) 102223.2012@compuserve.com. See Key Contacts and
Resources in this lesson for more information on his stewardship guide.
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EXAMPLE 2 OF 3
ADAMS COUNTY, PA CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Where Locals Guide the Action
The Adams County
Conservation
District has acted as one
of 37 "local arms" for
the State of
Pennsylvania,
Department of
Environmental
Protection (DEP) which
is trying to reduce
nitrogen loads in the
Chesapeake Bay
watershed by
empowering local
communities. Largely
due to the Conservation
District's leadership,
more than 60 Adams
County farmers now
participate in a program
which pays up to 80
percent of the costs (not
to exceed $30,000) of installing best management practices (BMPs) for controlling nutrient
problems from erosion, barnyard runoff, and excess manure.
A secret to the District's success is that it has sought and followed the advice of its board which
is comprised of people from the area. The board members are the community leaders who
understand how the District might be able to get community landowners to participate. The
District has used twilight meetings, farm open houses, news releases, and public speaking
engagements to reach farmers. Thus far, they have allocated over $1 million for the installation
of BMPs by Adams County farmers, and the results have been more than gratifyingexpected
savings in total nitrogen, alone, amount to over 150,000 pounds over the life of the program.
Funding for the program comes largely from EPA and the Pennsylvania DEP.
"-expectedsavings in total nitrogen, alone, amount to over 150,000pounds-"
In terms of lessons learned, Larry Martick of the District, explains that he has learned that
landowners care about local water quality conservation, and, to the extent he talks about that, it
helps to sell the program.
For more information: contact Larry Martick, Adams County Conservation District, 717-334-
0636, 717-334-5999 (fax), adams.conservation@al.dep.state.pa.45
Brian Sneeringer of the Adams County Conservation District explains the
benefits of a recently installed manure storage facility to the Conservation
District Board. Photo Courtesy of Larry Martick, Adams County Conservation District.
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EXAMPLE 3 OF 3
MASSACHUSETTS
Where Community Teams Make the Decisions
In Massachusetts, there have been leaders on many different levels. For example, Trudy Coxe,
Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, at the State level, has been
instrumental in ushering in fundamental changes in the way the State manages its water
resources, aligning it around watersheds. She says that "government's job is to serve the
watershed." And she means it. Ed Himlan, who had been a leader in an individual watershed, is
now with the statewide coalition of watershed organizations. This coalition is working in
concert with state and federal agencies to forge partnerships among government, business, civic,
and environmental interests to enable sustainable watershed communities. Through this
approach, decisions by informed individuals, organizations, and communities guide the
application of local, state, and federal resources for ecosystem protection and management
projects. Watershed Community Councils, designed as multi-interest, multi-stakeholder forums,
are being established to serve a leadership role. They will provide a local voice for management
of the watershed through consensus-based decision-making and priority setting.
This local-state integration is a key to the future success of management by watersheds, and it
takes leadership to make it occur. Massachusetts is far along in the effort. A recent assessment
by the Park Service and the Appalachian Mountain Club of New York and the New England
States compared the number of groups dedicated primarily to river and watershed conservation.
Not surprisingly, Massachusetts had the largest number. Citizen watershed associations have
formed in almost all of Massachusetts' 28 major watershed basins, and more than 500 citizen
groups are active in the Commonwealth, counting lake and pond groups, water monitoring
projects, land trusts, sportsmen groups, and others.
Aerial view of the Charles River Watershed in Massachusetts where wetlands
provide natural flood control functions. Credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Slide Collection.
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For more information: contact Ed Himlan, Massachusetts Watershed Coalition, 508-534-0379,
508-534-1329 (fax) or the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs,
Massachusetts Watershed Initiative, 617-727-9800, x 227.
Key Contacts and Resources
YOUTH LEADER GUIDES AND TRAINING
Give Water A Hand, handbook on how to be a good leader and what makes water
protection work. Helpful tool for watershed coordinators. University of Wisconsin,
216 Agriculture Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, Madison, WI53706, (608) 262-2031 fax,
erc@uwex.edu, 1-800-WATER20, http://www.uwex.edu/erc, Elaine Andrews, 608-
262-0142.
Watershed Leadership Institute, a program that Adopt-A-Watershed has developed
to train local leaders on their curriculum. They have found that local leaders are
critical to making watershed education happen in schools and act not only as leaders
but as ambassadors, consultants and facilitators. P.O. Box 1850, Hayfork, CA 96041-
1850, 916-628-5334, 916-628-4212 (fax).
http://www.tcoe.trinity.kl2.ca.us/aaw/adopt.html.
LOCAL LEADERSHIP
Land Stewardship Watershed Plan Development: Cooperative Voluntary Natural
Resource Protection, Enhancement and Management, Dennis Bowker, NAPA
County Resource Conservation District, 1303 Jefferson Street, Suite 500B, NAPA,
California, 94559, 707-252-4188, 707-252-4219 (fax),
102223.2012@compuserv.com
Observations for Fostering Grass Roots Leadership in Your Watershed Program
short piece developed by Dennis Hall - (see Appendix 1). Operation Future
Association (OFA), Big Darby Creek, County Extension Agent, Ohio State
University Extension, Columbus, OH, 937-644-3162, hall.16@osu.edu. OFA takes
farmers, developers and others on canoe trips that serve to inspire and nurture
leadership. Started small, but it is now a flourishing nonprofit with 100+ members.
STATE AND REGIONAL NETWORKING MODELS
West Virginia Leadership Workshops. West Virginia Division of Environmental
Protection has held workshops where leaders of inclusive, consensus-based watershed
associations gather to exchange information and inspire and challenge each other. In
addition, the State has a new small grants program to nurture budding associations.
In the first cycle, 19 $5,000 grants were awarded. Contact: George Constantz, West
Virginia DEP, 304-856-3911, 304-856-3889 (fax).
Watershed Progress: Massachusetts' Approach, US EPA Publication EPA840-F-96-
004, describes how the watershed approach is making a difference in Massachusetts,
call 800-490-9198 for a copy.
Chesapeake Bay Communities: Making the Connection, A Catalog of Local
Initiatives to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. US EPA
Chesapeake Bay Program, EPA 903-R-95-108, April 1996. Describes local efforts to
protect the Chesapeake Bay. 1-800-YOURBAY and press "1".
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NATIONAL NETWORKING LISTS
River Network Watershed National Leaders List - key network point for watershed
leaders http://www.teleport.com/~rivernet/rivernet/leader2.htm
National Watershed Network makes it easy for coordinators to network with each
other, kyw@ctic.purdue.edu, http://ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html In addition,
they have a guide called Leading and Communicating that discusses the traits of
effective leaders.
NATIONAL AND STATE LEADERSHIP
Watershed Approach Framework, EPA 840-S-96-001,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/framework.html, describes what EPA means by
the watershed approach. Watershed Protection: A Statewide Approach, describes the
benefits of a rotating watershed approach, EPA841-R-95-004,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/state/ Call 1-800-490-9198 for a free copy.
Developing Leadership, Spring 1996, article on leadership by Abby Markowitz,
Volunteer Monitor, http://www.epa.gov/volunteer/spring96/promanl6.html or contact
Eleanor Ely, Editor, The Volunteer Monitor, 1318 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco,
CA 94117 for a copy. Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Watershed Management: Toward Local Initiative in Solving Water Problems and
Watershed Legislation: What Works and Why, useful brochures analyzing the role
of State legislatures in watershed protection. National Conference of State
Legislatures, 1560 Broadway, Suite 700, Denver, CO, 80202, 303-830-2200,
larry.morandi@ncsl.org. Larry Morandi.
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WATERSHED LESSON 3:
Having a Coordinator at the Watershed Level is Desirable
The watershed approach to protecting our lakes and streams and other water bodies involves
many stakeholders and, as a result, requires a lot of coordination. A good coordinator is key to a
successful watershed protection effort.
Having a coordinator based within the watershed is important because it provides a focal point
for the watershed effort and helps to ensure that someone is paying attention to moving group
activities along. The coordinator's role varies depending on the needs of the watershed, but
generally it includes maintaining contact with members of the watershed group; performing
liaison with interested parties beyond the group; celebrating success; calling, facilitating, and
summarizing meetings; helping to secure funding and training; and ensuring that watershed plans
are developed, implemented, and effective in achieving the desired outcomes.
A coordinator may be a volunteer or a part-time or full-time paid staff person. He or she may be
housed in government offices, a non-profit organization, or out of someone's basement. In
general, they should be from a group that is trusted and that has the power to make a difference.
The ideal coordinator is one who can commit to spending enough time to really make a
difference. Part-time and volunteer coordinators have been able to accomplish a lot for
watersheds, as have individuals located outside the watershed. As for funds, securing financial
resources to support a staff person is not always easy; fortunately, many groups have been
creative in establishing multiple funding sources to support watershed coordinators.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 2
TENS AS RIVER WATERSHED
Benefits from Having a "Homegrown" Coordinator
The Tensas River Watershed, Louisiana, has benefited from the attention of Mike Adcock, born
and raised in the area. His position has been funded through the U.S. EPA wetlands and
nonpoint source programs, USDA Conservation District program, and the Nature Conservancy.
The McKnight and National Fish and Wildlife Foundations have also provided funds.
"Duck hunters love it --"
Mike has been working in the Tensas River watershed for over four years. The major issue in
the watershed is the severe loss of wetlands. Originally, 90 percent of the watershed was
bottomland hardwood wetlands. Over 80 percent of these wetlands have been lost, resulting in
flooding and in sediment and nutrient runoff to the river.
Since most of the remaining wetlands are on privately owned farms, landowner involvement is
critical to restoring the water quality in the watershed. Being present in the community has
helped Mike build trust with the farming community. This has involved a lot of one-on-one
interaction. Mike began by identifying farmers in the watershed who were willing to
demonstrate the economic benefits of wetlands restoration and conservation tillage practices.
For example, one farmer restored 640 acres of bottomland hardwood wetlands, then arranged for
other farmers to visit his farm and see the benefits for themselves. Farmers listen to one another,
which is demonstrated by the fact that the demand for enrollment in the Wetlands Reserve
Program far exceeded the supply of funds in this watershed.
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Mike Adcock emphasizes with farmers that the measures are voluntary, and he sees his role as a
supportive one. Many farmers, he says, are interested in the economic benefits associated with
good management practices, including such things as precision farming and water quality control
structures. Water control structures not only allow for seasonal flooding of farm land, thereby
providing increased time for sediments to settle out, but they have the added benefit of providing
good habitat for waterfowl. Duck hunters love it, as do the farmers who receive the revenue.
For more information: contact Mike Adcock, NE Delta RCD, 4274 Front Street, Winnsboro,
LA 71295, 318-435-7328.
EXAMPLE 2 OF 2
STONY BROOK WATERSHED, MASSACHUSETTS
Where It Was Hard to Sustain the Effort with Just Volunteers
Ginny Scarlet, member of the Stony
Brook Watershed Association in the
Merrimack River Watershed, attests to
the fact that it is difficult to sustain
efforts without a dedicated coordinator.
The group had funds to support a part-
time coordinator to help develop a
watershed 'report card'. When the funds
ran out, volunteers had to jump in and
finish the final report. After its
completion, the group lost momentum to
a large degree. Ginny says that they
would like to be able to update the
watershed report card and continue the
monitoring necessary to assess the status
of the watershed's resources, but it is on
hold until the Association can get the
ball rolling again.
For more information: contact
Virginia Scarlet, 508-263-5710
Volunteer monitors sample water quality in the Stony
Brook Watershed. Credit: Ginny Scarlet,
Stony Brook Watershed Association
Volunteers remove trash from impacted stream in the
Stony Brook Watershed. Credit: Ginny Scarlet, Stony Brook
Watershed Association
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Key Contacts and Resources
FUNDING SOURCES
Watershed Protection: Catalog of Federal Programs, describes federal programs
that provide funding or technical assistance for watershed projects, EPA-841-B-93-
002, available from EPA's publication clearinghouse, 1-800-490-9198. EPA staff
contact, Joan Warren, 202-260-7796 (updating).
EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 Grants Guidance, grant support through states to
support nonpoint source control, http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/guide.html or
contact EPA Nonpoint Source Branch, US EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., 4503F,
Washington, D.C. 20460, 202-260-7100.
EPA Wetlands Grant Guidance, grant support to locals and states to protect
wetlands. Contact Lori Williams, USEPA, Wetlands Division, 401 M Street, S.W.,
4502F, Washington, DC 20460, 202-260-5084.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/98grant.html
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 900,
Washington, DC 20036, 202-857-0166, 202-857-0162 (fax), http://www.nfwf.org.
Contact: Kathleen Pickering. Since 1990, this group has invested more than $1
million in federal matching funds toward formal and informal watershed education
programs for youth, teachers, and other community members.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT TOOL
Sourcebook for Watershed Education provides details on creating or enhancing
programmatic support for watershed education and problem solving. It includes
information on developing program vision and goals, obtaining community support
and participation, program review and assessment, and sharing your story with others.
Developed by Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, 206 South Fifth
Avenue, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, http://www.econet.ape.org/green/ (313)
761-8142.
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WATERSHED LESSON 4:
Environmental, Economic, and Social Values are Compatible
At the national conference Watershed '96 held in Baltimore, Jonathan Lash, from the President's
Council on Sustainable Development, reported on his team's survey of communities across the
nation and approaches they were taking to achieve sustainability. In many instances, his group
found watershed management was the approach they were taking. In his remarks, John
recognized the watershed work going on across the nation and encouraged more as a means to
achieving sustainability. While definitions of 'sustainability' differ, it generally means viewing
economic, environmental, and social values as complementary and interdependent and working
to sustain all three over time (typically more than one generation).
Too often in the past, environmental and economic and social issues have polarized people,
making it impossible to achieve a common vision of sustainability. For the watershed approach
to become a reality, there must be widespread recognition in the community that people and
nature can coexist within the watershed. This can pave the way for partnerships of diverse
interests to form around a sustainable vision.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 2
NASHUA RIVER WATERSHED, MASSACHUSETTS
Can Sustainability Be Achieved Through Management?
The Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA), in its long-range plan, 7995 to 2020 Vision
for the Nashua River
Watershed, gives high
priority to the need to
^trปป "support resource-based
economic activities,
including sustainable
farming, forestry and eco-
tourism." Residents of the
watershed recognize that
protecting open space will
provide positive economic
returns. Through
environmental education,
resource-based community
planning, and advocacy for
resource stewardship, the
NRWA attempts to achieve
greater sustainability
6th Grade students celebrate after a successful clean-up along through cooperative
Monoosnoc Brook and the North Nashua River. Credit: Mrs. Wironen management.
"Utilize those individuals who know how to manage forests to help educate those who
do not."
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Some farming practices can have severe impacts on water quality by causing erosion,
sedimentation, and fertilizer and pesticide runoff. Taking a sustainable approach, the NRWA
suggests, means encouraging farmers to use integrated pest management and cost effective
organic farming. An important goal of the plan is to seek the enlargement of greenway buffers
along wetlands and other water bodies. To achieve this end, the NRWA's 2020 Plan calls for a
mix of new incentives to farmers and additional support from the State agricultural department,
local conservation districts, and extension services.
According to the NRWA, the key to sustainable forests is the involvement of forest
professionals: connecting those individuals who know how to manage forests to help educate
landowners who want to learn. Currently, some property owners do not understand measures
they could take to preserve high quality trees. Consultations with professional foresters will help
fix that.
The NRWA also calls for the
cooperation of local
Chambers of Commerce,
cultural groups, recreational
enterprises, and other travel-
related businesses to work
together to foster "eco-
tourism" in the Nashua River
Watershed. Possible tour
themes designed to attract
visitors to the region include
visits to "pick-your-own"
apple orchards, farm stands,
concerts, artisan studios,
restaurants, and festivals.
The tours would be small,
Local stakeholders at a kick-off meeting to develop the Nashua utilizing vans rather than
River 2020 Watershed Plan. Credit: Nashua River Watershed buses.
ASSOCiatiฐni The NRWA developed the
2020 Plan with extensive
community input. Consensus was achieved around an overarching vision for the watershed that
was so compelling the NRWA adopted it as its own mission statement in 1996: "a healthy
ecosystem with clean water and open spaces for human and wildlife communities, where people
work together to sustain mutual economic and environmental well-being." Throughout all its
work, the NRWA recognizes that economic, social, and environmental needs are compatible.
For more information: contact Robert Levite, 508-448-0299, 508-448-0941 (fax),
nrwa@ma.ultranet.com
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EXAMPLE 2 OF 2
BLACKSTONE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
Quality is the Key to Community Development
Blackstone River located in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is rich in historic and natural
resources. The Blackstone Valley is noted as the "birthplace of the American Industrial
Revolution." In 1790, Samuel Slater established in the valley the first successful water-powered
textile mill in America. As a result of this new technology, mills and industry flourished -
dramatically transforming the American landscape. While industrialization of the Valley
produced economic prosperity, there were adverse side effects. Over a century of industrial use
has taken its toll on the Blackstone River, which had served as a disposal site for pollutants
incidental to the textile, leather making, woodworking, and metal working industries. The result
was an extremely polluted river, and as industry migrated south, the pollution issues remained.
Many historic sites such as old textile mills, are being converted to schools, parks, and
tourist sites.
1986, the region's significance as an important part of America's cultural heritage was recognized
when Congress established the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Commission. The Commission consists of federal, state, and local representatives, as well as
private citizens. The Commission's ability to leverage a relatively small federal investment with
state and private funds has made it a model for conservation and economic development.
Although the Commission owns no land, it is responsible for preserving and interpreting the
significant stories and landscape features of the Blackstone Corridor.
The Commission invests in activities such as community and land use planning, heritage
tourism, downtown revitalization, river restoration, recreation development along the river,
interpretation, and environmental education. Many mill villages and communities throughout
the river valley have realized the importance of working together. Many of the old mills have
been retrofitted for a new century, supporting incubator businesses, residential businesses,
residential housing, and retail outlets. Mill villages recognize the importance of maintaining
their historic character while developing sustainable economies. And the river itself is now
looked upon as an asset again. The Blackstone River Valley Explorer, a river classroom vessel
has carried over 70,000 people on the river for tours and educational field trips.
Communities throughout the Heritage Corridor recognize that a clean river is critical to
revitalization. In a major restoration effort, Federal and state agencies are working with
communities and organizations to improve the environment along the riverway. Current
planning efforts by the Commission, the U.S. Army Corps, EPA, and others will address issues
related to environmental restoration needs: waste water treatment, toxic sedimentation, historic
dams, reintroduction of anadromous fish, water quantity and flows, and wetland restoration and
creation. The Commission understands the need to work at both a grand scale (that will take
years and need major investments) as well as at the grassroots level. Most importantly, the river
has once again become a focal for communities and businesses.
For more information: Michael Creasey, National Park Service, Blackstone River Valley,
National Heritage Corridor Commission, One Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI, 02895, 401-762-
0250, michael creasev@nps.gov or A. Elizabeth Watson, 301-262-5064, 301-805-8959 (fax),
watsonae w @ aol.com
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Key Contacts and Resources
GREEN DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING
Green Development: Literature Summary and Benefits Associated with Alternative
Development Approaches, US EPA, EPA 841-B-97-001, September 1996. Contact:
Jessica Cogan, 202-260-7154. Includes information on environmentally sensitive
infrastructure program and projects, case studies on urbanizing suburbs, model
ordinances and plans, and environmentally friendly transportation plans. Call 1-800-
490-9198 for a copy.
Sustainable Watershed Management at the Rapidly Growing Urban Fringe, T. H.
Cahill, J. McGuire, W. R. Horner, Cahill Associates, West Chester, PA, Dr. R. E.
Heister, Executive Director, Green Valleys Association, Birchrunville, PA, paper
delivered at Watershed '96. http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/cahill.html
LOCAL EXAMPLES OF AND GUIDES FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Chesapeake Bay Communities: Making the Connection, A Catalog of Local
Initiatives to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. US EPA
Chesapeake Bay Program, EPA 903-R-95-108, April 1996, 1-800-YOUR-BAY.
Describes local efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay, many of which have
sustainable development components, including Northampton County, VA's Coastal
Program Special Area Management Plan for Sustainable Development, Sustainable
Technologies Industrial Park, Prince William County, VA Watershed Management
Program.
Saving America's Countryside: A Guide to Rural Conservation, Samuel N. Stokes,
A. Elizabeth Watson, and Shelley S. Mastran. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1997 (first published in 1989). Order by calling 1-800-537-JHUP ($29.95 plus
shipping and handling). Popular citizen's guide to rural resource planning and
development issues with extensive bibliography. Uses case studies and covers
economic development, rural issues, citizen organizing, resource inventories,
planning basics, state and federal programs, and community education. Water
quality, rivers, and watersheds are covered throughout and integrated with other
planning issues.
Watershed Progress: New York City Watershed Agreement, EPA 840-F-96-005,
describes New York's approach to sustainable development to protect drinking water
while saving money. Available for free by calling 1-800-490-9198 or on the web at
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/nv/nycitvfi.html
Sustainability through Restoration: Experiences of the White Mountain Apache
Tribe, Jonathan Long, Watershed Planner, White Mountain Apache Tribe, White
River, AZ, paper given at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/long.html
The NAPA River Watershed Owner's Manual: A Framework for Integrated
Resource Management. 1994. NAPA County Resource Conservation District.
Contact: Dennis Bowker, 1303 Jefferson Street, Suite 500B, NAPA, California,
94559, 707-252-4188, 707-252-4219 (fax), 102223.2012@compuserv.com
Return to the Future: Watershed Planning-The Quest for a New Paradigm, Eugene
Z. Stakhiv Policy and Special Studies Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
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Institute for Water Resources, Alexandria, VA, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/stakhiv.html
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
Taking Nature Into Account, a nationally-publicized study that concluded the value
of natural systems was nearly twice that of the combined value of the World's GDP
($33 vs. 18 trillion). Conducted by International Society for Ecological Economics,
P.O. Box 1589, Solomons, MD 20608, 410-326-0794, Robert Constanza and Douglas
Hinrichs, hinrichs@cbl.cees.edu, http://www.ecologicaleconomics.org/
MARKET INCENTIVES
Appendix D: Examples of Market-Based Incentives, The Keystone National Policy
Dialogue on Ecosystem Management, Final Report October 1996, P.O. Box 8606,
Keystone, CO, 970-468-5822. Includes description of Assurances, Conservation
Banking, Forest Certification, Forest Legacy and Stewardship Programs, Public
Benefits Rating System, Property Tax Stabilization in Growth Areas, Instream Flow
Rights, Commercial and Recreational Use of Species, and Effluent Trading in
Watersheds, Grass Banking, Air Quality Incentives, Local Wetlands Mitigation
Banks, and Individual Transferable Quotas.
Forming a Partnership to Preserve Resources - The Virginia Beach Agricultural
Reserve Program Mary M. Heinricht, Coordinator Southeastern Association for
Virginia's Environment, Virginia Beach, VA, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/heinrich.html They succeeded in
having the City Council adopt an easement program in 55 percent of the upland area
of the watershed. Mary Heinricht, SAVE, P.O. Box 6733, Virginia Beach, VA,
23456, 757-460-0750.
NATIONAL EFFORTS
Watersheds and Cultural Landscapes: Sustainable Development through Heritage
Areas, A. Elizabeth Watson, Chair, National Coalition for Heritage Areas,
Washington, DC, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/watson.html, Heritage and
Conservation Consultant, 5103 Grain Highway, Bowie, MD 20715, 301-262-5064,
301-805-8959 (fax)
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Web Site, Department of Energy,
http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/ Cited by the Planner's Web as a "top sustainability
site." The toolkit includes pages that explain what sustainable development is, the
role of indicators, and associated publications, software and educational resources.
The toolkit's URL is http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/toolkit/toolkit.shtml
Wildlife Habitat Council, has succeeded in putting on the ground, in partnership with
corporations and others, enhancement projects on over 400,000 acres in 41 states.
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 920, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, 301-588-8994, 301-588-
4629 (fax), whc@cais.com, http://www.wildlifehc.org/index.html Regional offices
located in South Carolina, Michigan, and Kentucky. Robert Johnson, Vice President.
The Cooper River Corridor Project Community-Based Planning Initiative is a key
example of the power of partnerships to achieve sustainable development within a
watershed context.
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National Watershed Coalition, 9150 W. Jewell Avenue, Suite 102, Lake wood, CO,
80232-6469, promotes the use of the watershed concept when dealing with natural
resource issues.
Conservation Partnership Forum, where conservation-oriented agencies, businesses,
and organizations meet informally to share information and explore opportunities for
more effective public/private conservation partnerships. Contact: Don Wells,
National Association of Conservation Districts, 804-746-0148, 804-730-5911 (fax).
Golf and the Environment: Creating a Sustainable Future, short pamphlet that
describes environmental principles for golf courses in the United States, The Center
for Resource Management, 1104 East Ashton Avenue, Suite 210, Salt Lake City,
Utah, 84106, provides recommendations for environmentally sensitive golf courses.
EPA contact: Phil Oshida, 202-260-6045.
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WATERSHED LESSON 5:
Plans Only Succeed if Implemented
Plans are essential in that they represent the consensus achieved among watershed stakeholders.
Typical components of a plan include: vision, goals, action items, and time frame (see Watershed
Lesson 1). Time frames for plans typically range from 5 to 20 years. The best plans allow for
the incorporation of new information, reflect the needs of the watershed, and have the
commitment of the community behind them.
The greatest challenge associated with watershed planning is to ensure that the recommendations
called for within a plan are implemented and that the plan does not sit on a shelf gathering dust
in some office. A key element in implementing a plan is charging an individual or organization
with the responsibility to follow through and work with key constituencies to take the actions
laid out in the plan (see Watershed Lesson 3). It is also important to break things down to a
manageable scale. This often involves a "nested approach" in which broad goals are set for large
watersheds but subwatersheds are used to implement and achieve those goals.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 3
AN ANALYSIS OF URBAN WATERSHED PLANS
Tom Schueler's Insights into What Works and What Doesn't
Tom Schueler, Executive Director, Center for Watershed Protection, interviewed a number of
watershed practitioners from a wide cross-section of disciplines (planners, municipal officials,
consultants, scientists, and others) and found that most agree that the majority of plans developed
in the past have failed to adequately protect their watersheds. A chief reason is that they were
drawn up on too large a scale -- 50 square miles or more. Too many subwatersheds and their
individual problems had to be consolidated, and the focus of the plans became blurred. As the
number of stakeholders proliferated, responsibility for implementing the plans became diffused.
In short, says Schueler, the planning process got too big, too complicated to be effective.
"A typical municipality or county might have 10 to 50 subwatersheds to manage."
Based on their analysis of these first-generation watershed plans, the Center proposed a dozen
elements that every plan should incorporate. Chief among them, the plan should be developed
around the subwatershed unit-one having a drainage area of 2 to 15 square miles. Due to their
size, many subwatersheds are entirely contained within a single political jurisdiction, which
helps to establish a clear regulatory authority. A typical municipality or county might have 10 to
50 subwatersheds to manage. Or a small scale, such as this, subwatershed mapping, monitoring,
and other study tasks can be completed relatively quickly (6 to 12 months) and the entire
management plan completed within a year.
The Center also underscored the need to create an authority, either at the watershed or
subwatershed level, that is invested with the primary responsibility for implementing the plan.
Perhaps the greatest reason cited for consigning plans to the bookshelf where they languished in
obscurity was that no one was required to pull them down and use them as a routine part of the
land development process
For more information: contact Thomas R. Schueler, 301-589-1890, 301-589-8745 (fax).
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EXAMPLE 2 OF 3
CEDAR RIVER, WASHINGTON
Local Government Is Not a Missing Piece
Jean White, project manager for the Cedar River Basin Plan in Washington State and with the
King County Water and Land Resources Division, has been charged with implementing the plan
that was developed for Cedar River by a variety of interests including state, local, and tribal
governments, business and community representatives. Essentially, her goal is to make the
plan's recommendations a reality on the ground. Part of this includes having it formally adopted
by King County as policy; the other part is getting projects in place.
"Two homes have been purchased and four others are in negotiation to be purchased."
As Jean describes it, the plan is quite ambitious with about $64 million worth of effort and three
priorities: habitat protection and restoration, flood protection, and water quality improvement. A
list of priority habitat acquisition sites has been developed and many sites have already been
purchased. A list of 80 potential habitat restoration projects has also been developed and several
have been completed. The plan calls for purchasing and relocating over 100 homes in the most
flood prone areas on a voluntary basis. Two homes have been purchased and four others are in
negotiation to be purchased. To improve water quality, the plan calls for improved storm water
control in new developments and emphasizes reducing problems before they start.
The formation of the Cedar River Council as a public forum to address Cedar River issues has
raised public awareness, understanding, and support for the actions called for in the plan. In
addition, the leadership of Larry Phillips, chair of the Cedar River Council, has been critical,
especially in helping to obtain funds to support plan implementation.
Demonstrating success has also been important. For example, it is very persuasive to be able to
take residents to one of the stream restoration sites and show the progress that has been made.
As for lessons to share, Jean, who has worked with nonprofits as well as at the State level, feels
that getting the local government involved is often a missing piece. Given the fact that local
government controls land use and has access to funding and decision-making authority, she
believes they are critical players in making the watershed approach a reality.
Another thing that has worked well for King County is their River Basin Stewards. A Basin
Steward acts as a community contact who answers citizen questions and requests and organizes
volunteer stewardship events.
For more information: contact Jean White, Project Manager, Cedar River Basin Plan, Staff for
Cedar River Council, Surface Water Management Division 206-296-1479, 206-296-0192 (fax),
jean.white@metrokc.gov.
EXAMPLE 3 OF 3
MCKENZIE WATERSHED COUNCIL, OREGON
Action at the Subwatershed Level
Over 200,000 residents of Lane County, Oregon, depend on the McKenzie River watershed for
their drinking water. They also use the river for fishing, rafting, and other recreational activities.
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Agricultural and other industrial users rely on the river to supply them with large amounts of
high quality water for their operations. Development in the McKenzie Watershed and other
pressures have in recent years threatened the capacity of the river to sustain the quality of its
water.
A partnership of two local governments led to the creation of the McKenzie Watershed Council.
Lane County and the Eugene Water & Electric Board acted as conveners to organize, seek start-
up funds, and provide early support and direction. The Council's mission statement reads: "To
foster better stewardship of the McKenzie River Watershed resources, deal with issues in
advance of resource degradation and ensure sustainable health, functions, and uses." The 20-
member council was formed in 1993 and is made up of private citizens, public interest groups,
locally elected officials, representatives of state government, as well as representatives of the
Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Forest Service. EPA
provided start-up funds and the NRCS and BPA (Bonneville Power Administration) have
contributed funds for completing the action plans and public outreach.
The Council adopted a work program which focused on four topics: water quality, fish and
wildlife habitat, recreation, and human habitat. The Council has adopted Action Plans for all
four work program topics and has begun implementing several of the prescribed actions,
including three key programs: watershed-wide water quality monitoring, citizen water quality
monitoring, and restoration and enhancement projects.
Watershed-wide Water Quality Monitoring Program
With the Eugene Water & Electric Board, a local utility, taking the lead, the Council worked
with a team of technical advisors to put into place a coordinated approach to long-term water
quality monitoring. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality conducts the monitoring
at seven stations in the watershed, as well as providing part of the funding. Other funding comes
from council partners Eugene Water & Electric Board, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of
Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service. Since its inception in November of 1995, the
monitoring program has expanded cooperation among the council, the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality, and technical advisors from both the public and private sectors.
Citizen Monitoring Program
A partnership with RARE (Resource Assistance to Rural Environments, part of the President's
Americorps Program) has been critical to the success of the McKenzie Watershed Council's
Citizen Monitoring Program. This volunteer program engages students throughout the watershed
in the evaluation and monitoring of water quality parameters, and has been a very effective
outreach tool. Started with a grant from the state in 1995, the program now involves over 200
students from six schools monitoring five sites on a weekly basis. RARE workers have been
involved from the beginningfrom designing the pilot program to training students and working
with them on a weekly basis to do the sampling over the last two years.
Restoration and Enhancement Projects in the Mohawk Watershed
The East Lane Soil and Water Conservation District, with funding and technical assistance from
the Natural Resources Conservation Service, targeted the Mohawk subwatershed, the largest
tributary to the McKenzie, for establishing demonstration projects and conducting outreach.
They have been assisting the Mohawk Watershed Planning Group, comprised of local
landowners, in developing and implementing a plan at a subwatershed level. The Council serves
as an umbrella organization for the Mohawk group and others like it, providing broad direction,
support, and assistance in seeking resources for implementation.
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The efforts in the Mohawk have resulted in over two dozen local landowners coming forward to
enhance their own stream banks. The projects have ranged from fencing cattle away from
streams to plantings along riparian areas on golf courses. In addition, over 9,000 native trees and
shrubs have been planted in partnership with several programs, including the Youth Corps, the
Jobs-in-the-Woods dislocated timber workers program, students from five schools, and
innumerable community volunteers. Students at Mohawk High School have planted an
arboretum, and a local science teacher and garden club have adopted a Native Plant Salvage
Nursery.
For more information: John Runyon, Watershed Coordinator, McKenzie Watershed Council,
P.O. Box 1025, Corvallis, OR 97333, 541-758-0947, 541-766-8336 (fax), runyon@poraxis.com:
Laurie Power, Environmental Manager, Eugene Water & Electric Board, PO Box 10148,
Eugene, OR 97440, 541-341-8525, FAX 541-984-4724, laurie.power@eweb.eugene.or.us;
Megan Smith, RARE Coordinator, UO Community Planning Workshop, 1209 UO, Eugene, OR
97403, 541-346-3889, FAX 541-346-2040, smith@darkwing.uoregon.edu; Lorna Baldwin,
Watershed Planner, East Lane Watershed Soil and Water Conservation District, 541-465-6648,
541-465-6483 (fax), lbaldwin@efn.org
Key Contacts and Resources
IMPLEMENTING URBAN PLANS
Crafting Better Urban Watershed Protection Plans, Thomas R. Schueler, Center for
Watershed Protection, 8737 Colesville Road, Suite 300, Silver Spring, MD 20910,
301-589-1890, 301-589-8745(fax), http://www.pipeline.com/~mrrunoff/ Nice
analysis of how to keep local watershed plans from sitting on the shelf. Addresses
impervious surfaces as a key indicator in watersheds.
FINANCING PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Beyond SRF: A Workbook for Financing CCMP Implementation, US EPA, EPA
842-B-96-002, August 1996. Guide designed to provide innovative financing ideas
for implementation of plans under the National Estuary Program. 1-800-490-9198.
Ideas are transferrable beyond the NEP program.
EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 Grants Guidance, grant support through states to
support nonpoint source control, http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/guide.html or
contact EPA Nonpoint Source Branch, US EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., 4503F,
Washington, D.C. 20460, 202-260-7100.
EXAMPLE PLAN
McKenzie Watershed Council, Action Plan for Recreation and Human Habitat and
Summary and Highlights of Accomplishments, March 1997, John Runyon,
Coordinator, McKenzie Watershed Council, 541-758-0947, 541-766-8336 (fax) Plan
outlines vision, goals, and priority action items.
GUIDANCE FOR STIMULATING SUPPORT
Sourcebook for Watershed Education provides details on creating or enhancing
programmatic support for watershed education and problem solving. It includes
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information on developing program vision and goals, obtaining community support
and participation, program review and assessment, and sharing your story with others.
Developed by Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, 206 South Fifth
Avenue, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, http://www.econet.ape.org/green/ (313)
761-8142.
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WATERSHED LESSON 6:
Partnerships Equal Power
"Far different from the adversarial emphasis of traditional environmentalism, the
focus of the watershed approach is to work cooperatively to build healthy watershed
communities."
-- Joy Huber, River Voices, Fall/Winter, 1995
Watershed work is about partnerships. Essential ingredients for effective partnerships include:
focusing on common interests, respecting each participant's view point, thanking each other,
being willing to learn about others' needs and positions, and building trust. The important thing
is to pull together a partnership that is of manageable size, creates synergy, and represents the
key interests in the watershed.
No one entity can solve all the issues in any given watershed. Watershed partnerships come in
all shapes and sizes, with each partner having a different interest. Some partnerships are loosely
structured, while others are quite formal. Some groups are open, while others are closed --
meaning they do not allow anyone else to join. Regardless of how they are structured, making
partnerships work is challenging and takes commitment. Common issues that partnerships face
include selecting a leader, ensuring that all the right people are involved, and moving beyond any
hostility that may exist among members. If a group is able to develop esprit de corps, they can be
quite effective. To get past the "forming and storming stages," some groups have set ground
rules under which individuals can complain for only a certain amount of time, after which they
must move on. Some groups have decided to say that issues that are too divisive are not to be
discussed.
Partners can include any one who has an interest in the watershed. This ranges from conservation
groups, local elected officials, chambers of commerce, environmental education organizations,
local military bases, farm groups, students, senior citizen and religious organizations, financial
groups, credit unions, and land developers, among others. The important thing is to include all
the key interest groups so that you can tap into their strengths, increase your credibility, reduce
duplication of effort, and make optimal use of limited funds.
In terms of lessons learned, experienced watershed practitioners say that one-on-one contact is
most effective in eliciting support. Further, building partnerships takes time and commitment,
and once built they need to be nurtured. However, their benefits are clear as they can lead to
wider acceptance and quicker implementation of projects.
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EXAMPLE 1 OF 3
CHEAT RIVER, WEST VIRGINIA
Where Partnership Improves Everyone's Quality of Life
When a major acid mine blowout
turned the Cheat River orange,
concerned stakeholders in the
watershed mobilized to form
Friends of the Cheat. Water
quality had been bad for many
years, but now it was much worse
and time to address the runoff from
over a century of coal mining.
"We could have focused all of our
energy on confronting the parties
responsible for the degradation,
but we recognized that this was
just one part of a much greater
issue," says Dave Bassage, FOC
Executive Director. "Acid mine
drainage is a huge problem in the
Cheat, and we knew we would
need to tap into every possible
resource to address it.
White water rafters enjoy the 'big nasty' rapid on the Cheat
River in West Virginia. Credit: Wild Rivers Photography
Friends of the Cheat brought together over 20 groups to restore the Cheat watershed by
collaborating, sharing information, and building on each other's work. The various interests
developed and signed a proclamation called "River of Promise: A Shared Commitment for the
Restoration of the Cheat River, West Virginia." Signatories included federal and state agencies,
environmental groups, local
government, and a coal company.
"The 'River of Promise' is a
perfect example of [a]
partnership approach in
action."
-- Joe Piotrowski, Associate
Director, Office of Watersheds,
U.S. EPA Region 3
The River of Promise Task Force
meets quarterly to monitor
progress and coordinate future
projects. In 1996, reclamation
projects funded at a total of more
Ground breaking ceremony for the Green Run Reclamation than $6 million were initiated;
Project in the Cheat River Watershed. Credit: Dave Bassage, the state took on a
Friends of the Cheat
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comprehensive water quality assessment, the USGS installed a critical sampling station, and
EPA made available $200,000 for Friends of the Cheat to implement projects in the watershed
under the direction of the River of Promise Technical committee.
"We 'd rather shake hands than raise our fists, and that strategy has really paid off."
"We've got a long way to go," says Bassage, "but water quality has already started to improve.
By focusing on partnerships and including a broad range of interests, we have eliminated hurdles
and opened doors. We'd rather shake hands than raise our fists, and that strategy has really paid
off." The key to effective partnerships, he feels, is to get all potential interests in a room together
and work towards consensus, rather than trying to coordinate from a distance. He notes that the
spirit of cooperation is now so strong that it is often difficult to tell which groups individuals
represent.
One important lesson, he believes, is the value of involving local industry in the effort. This
lends much needed credibility to the partnership, and allows the community as a whole to see
that the effort works and is not about big government, special issues, and confrontation. On the
contrary, it is inclusive, broad-based and focused on a goal (clean water) that benefits everyone
and improves the quality of life.
For more information: contact Dave Bassage, Friends of the Cheat, 304-379-3141, 304-379-
3142 (fax), dbassage@access.mountain.net
EXAMPLE 2 OF 3
FISH CREEK WATERSHED, INDIANA AND OHIO
Can Partners Look Beyond Their Individual Interests?
The effectiveness of
stakeholder partnerships
is well illustrated in the
work being done at the
Fish Creek Watershed,
which drains 110 square
miles of agricultural land
in northeast Indiana and
northwest Ohio. The
creek is noted for having
the most diverse
assemblage of freshwater
mussels in the Great
Lakes Basin: 31 species
inhabit the creek. Of
these, three are
endangered. Soil erosion
and loss of wetlands and
forest land threaten the
system.
Reforestation along the Fish Creek Watershed in Indiana. Credit: Larry
Clemens
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"The project manager shared this information with the partners, who then stepped
forward with the funds.
Together, partners from a multitude of public and private organizations have succeeded in
reforesting land along the creek, fencing livestock, restoring wetlands, and creating a nature
reserve. Larry Clemens, of the Nature Conservancy, attributes the success of the project to the
fact that each partner is able to look beyond his or her organization's 'traditional' interest and
focus on the needs of the watershed.
The partners share a vision that water quality should be protected in a way that allows for
economic development. Implementing the vision requires a lot of "cold calling" on the part of the
partners to build bridges with landowners. They also use a local advisory group to solicit the
input of local citizens in individual projects.
The reforestation project, which affected some 265 acres of row crop (corn and soy beans) fields
along the creek, is a tangible example of how the partnership works. Not sure of where to begin,
the project manager turned to the local advisory group and asked for guidance. Knowing the
community, the group strongly recommended that, as a first step, the Fish Creek Watershed
Project should offer to pay 100 percent of the reforestation costs. The project manager shared
this information with the partners, who then stepped forward with the funds. Funding partners
included US Fish and Wildlife Service, Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources
Conservation Service), local soil and water conservation districts, OH Department of Natural
Resources, IN Department of Natural Resources, National Turkey Federation, US EPA, and the
Nature Conservancy.
For more information: contact Larry Clemens, 219-665-9141, 219-665-9141 (fax) or visit the
Nature Conservancy's home page and see the Indiana subsection, www.tnc.org.
EXAMPLE 3 OF 3
KNOW YOUR WATERSHED
A Key Resource for All Partnerships
Know Your Watershed, a public-private partnership operating out of West Lafayette, Indiana,
supports existing watershed partnerships and helps in the creation of new ones. Its goal is to
have 2000 watershed partnerships in the nation by the year 2000. As of mid-1997, it had
identified over 1000. Know Your Watershed supports watershed-to-watershed networking,
technology transfer efforts, and capacity building at the regional, state, and local levels. Their
Starter Kit (see Lesson 7 Key Contacts and Resources) hones in on the keys to making watershed
groups work. Project Manager Karol Keppy explains, "Lack of funds and lack of a full-time
watershed coordinator are often excuses. The real problem usually lies deeper. It centers on fear
of conflict, fear of working with the 'opposition,' or lack of sincere understanding of all the sides
of issues."
Know Your Watershed works with national and state partners to multiply the watershed approach
message. For example, partners like Tennessee Valley Authority, River Network, North
American Lake Management Society, and others joined together in 1997 to sponsor a Southeast
Regional Watershed workshop in Chattanooga, TN. Another example is a Farmer-Led
Watershed Initiatives Conference sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council, Dupont,
Novartis, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and the McKnight Foundation in
Mankato, Minnesota. Further, in the Elk Creek Watershed in Montana, the Adopt-A-Stream
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project and the local conservation district worked with the Montana-based Know Your
Watershed, an independent state effort that utilizes materials created by the national partnership,
to hold a workshop at which local residents decided to establish a watershed council. A 20-year
vision was also developed: the creek was to be "running full length with good water" and was to
have "numerous fish" and "happy neighbors." The new council wanted to correct the severe
erosion problems in the creek that had begun with a 1995 flooding. This new partnership has
been successful in securing a Section 319 grant and State Fishery grants to help support their
pilot restoration project.
For more information: contact Jill Davies, 14 Old Bull River Road, Noxon, MT 59853,
nox2228@montana.com (email) or Know Your Watershed, 765-494-9555, 765-494-5969 (fax),
kyw@ctic.purdue.edu (See also Appendix 1.)
Key Contacts and Resources
PARTNERSHIP SUCCESS STORIES AND INITIATIVES
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas on Working in Partnership for Clean
Water: 1997, Tennessee Valley Authority, Water Management, 400 West Summit
Hill Drive, WT 10D, Knoxville, TN, 37902-1499, Kathleen O'Brien, (lead author),
423-632-8502, 423-632-3188 (fax), kobrien@tva.gov, guide describing Tennessee
Valley community leaders' efforts to form groups and keep their momentum -
journalistic approach with on-the-ground examples. Provides many ideas for
developing partnerships that work. Stories of Shirley Turner, Larry Zehnder, and
Lynn Smith in particular.
Watershed Management: Four Examples, 60 minute video featured at Watershed
'96 conference satellite down link, $34. Great partnership examples, especially
Henry's Fork, ID. Other case studies are Greenwich Bay, RI, Milwaukee River, WI,
and Edward's Aquifer/Seco Creek, TX. Produced by Department of Soil and
Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension,
Cornell University Resource Center, 7 Business/Technology Park, Ithaca, NY 14850,
Phone: (607) 255-2090, Fax: (607) 255-9946, e-mail: Dist Center@cce.cornell.edu
Mark Twain Water Quality Initiative: an alliance of farmers, soil and water
conservation districts, government, agri-business, community officials, educators,
schools, financial institutions, health departments, private industries, real estate
boards, trade and commodity organizations, and special-interest groups to safeguard
the water quality of Mark Twain Lake and six other public water supply reservoirs.
This 18,000 acre lake is an important drinking water source in Northeast Missouri
being threatened by agri-chemicals, nutrients, and sediment. Contact: Ray C.
Archuleta, Water Quality Project Manager, Mark Twain Water Quality Initiative,
USDA-NRCS Macon, MO (816) 385-6359 for additional information.
Coastal America: A Partnership Paradigm for Protecting and Restoring
Ecosystems and Watersheds, Virginia Tippie, Director, Gail Updegraff, Deputy
Director, Coastal America, Silver Spring, MD, paper delivered at Watershed '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/tippie.html
Grande Ronde Model Watershed Program "Partnership for Success," Patty Perry,
Executive Director Grande Ronde Model Watershed Program, LaGrande, OR, paper
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delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/perry.html
McKenzie Watershed Council's Water Quality Partnership, (funded by several
Council partners) has been instrumental in developing and implementing a long-term
water quality monitoring program that will assist in monitoring the health of the river
over time. Coordinator, John Runyon, 541-752-0947, P.O. Box 1025, Corvallis, OR
97333, 541-766-8336 (fax), runyon@poraxis.com
Partnerships That Pay Off: TVA 's Watershed Approach, Wayne Poppe, Acting
Manager Renee Hurst, Education Specialist, Clean Water Initiative, Tennessee Valley
Authority, Knoxville, TN, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/poppe.html
National Nonpoint Source Forum, Larry Selzer, Conservation Fund and Chair of
Forum, remarks at Watershed '96 http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/selzer.html
Excellent example of broad-based partnerships involving the public and private
sectors. Tangible result is the National Watershed Awards. EPA Contact: Carl
Myers, 202-260-7040, myers.carl@epamail.epa.gov
CREEC: A Central Oregon Partnership Focused on Watershed Education and
Restoration, Dean Grover, Forest Fisheries Biologist, Ochoco National Forest,
Prineville, OR, David A. Nolte, Bring Back the Natives Project Coordinator, Trout
Unlimited, Redmond, OR, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/grover.html
Rathbun Land and Water Alliance, broad-based alliance, established as a non-profit,
working to protect the drinking water supply in south central Iowa (rural
community). Contact: Jim Cooper, 515-437-4376.
China Lake Watershed Restoration Project Alliance, established in 1994 as a
regional nonprofit corporation to protect their drinking water and other uses of the
lake. Involves three lake associations, three towns, a water district and a local water
utility. Contact: Tony St. Peter, Maine Department of Environmental Protection,
207-287-3901, or Norm Marcotte, 207-287-7727,
http://www.state.me.us/dep/npst54.htm
Golf and the Environment: Creating a Sustainable Future, Environmental
Principles for Golf Courses in the United States, short pamphlet developed by The
Center for Resource Management, 1104 East Ashton Avenue, Suite 210, Salt Lake
City, Utah, 84106, provides recommendations for environmentally sensitive golf
courses. EPA contact: Phil Oshida, 202-260-6045.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH CORPORATIONS AND FARMERS
Wildlife Habitat Council, has succeeded in putting on the ground, in partnership with
corporations and others, enhancement projects on over 400,000 acres in 41 states.
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 920, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, 301-588-8994, 301-588-
4629 (fax), whc@cais.com, http://www.wildlifehc.org/ Regional offices located in
South Carolina, Michigan, and Kentucky. Robert Johnson, Vice President. The
Cooper River Corridor Project Community-Based Planning Initiative is a key
example of the power of partnerships to achieve sustainable development within a
watershed context.
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The Pork Industry's Environmental Partnerships, Environmental Services, National
Pork Producers Council, paper delivered by Jeff Gabriel at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/gabriel.html
Farm-A-Syst, Gary Jackson, 608-265-2773, 608-265-2775 (fax), paper presented at
Watershed '96, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/jackson.html
GENERAL PARTNERSHIP NETWORKING TOOLS AND MODELS
Watershed Education: Goals and Strategies for Training, Communication and
Partnerships, short piece summarizing the outcome of a session that the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation hosted in 1996 where approximately 60 key watershed
educators gathered. Good discussion of partnerships., 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW,
Suite 900, Washington, DC 20036, 202-857-0166, 202-857-0162 (fax),
http://www.nfwf.org. Contact: Kathleen Pickering.
West Virginia Watershed Network coordinates financial and technical assistance to
local watershed associations, including newsletters to groups, statewide networking.
Contact: George Constantz, West Virginia DEP, 304-856-3911, 304-856-3889 (fax).
National Watershed Network, Know Your Watershed, 765-494-9555, 765-494-5969
(fax), kyw@ctic.purdue.edu, http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html
Sourcebook for Watershed Education provides details on creating or enhancing
programmatic support for watershed education and problem solving. It includes
information on developing program vision and goals, obtaining community support
and participation, program review and assessment, and sharing your story with others.
Developed by Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, 206 South Fifth
Avenue, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, http://www.econet.ape.org/green/ (313)
761-8142.
1996-1997 River and Watershed Conservation Directory, River Network, and the
Department of Interior National Park Service, includes approximately 3,000
organizations whose missions directly involve river and/or watershed conservation.
River Network, P.O. Box 8787, Portland, OR, (503) 241-3506, rivernet@igc.apc.org,
(503) 241-9256 (fax)
Missouri Watershed Information Network, clearinghouse for watershed information
in Missouri, Jerry Carpenter, University of Missouri Extension, 573-882-0085,
jerry d. carpenter@muccmail.missouri.edu, Chris Bromley, administrative assistant,
Chris Bromley@muccmail.missouri.edu. Partnership of state and federal agencies,
non-governmental organizations, natural resource interest groups, and private
industries.
PARTNERSHIP GUIDES AND RECOGNITION PROGRAMS
Using Nonprofit Organizations to Advance Estuary Program Goals,
EPA842B093008, November 1993, 1-800-490-9198. While designed for estuaries,
this document examines how nonprofit organizations can fulfill the role of attracting
and receiving funds as well as carrying out implementation and oversight. This
document may be useful to watershed groups who are considering working with or
setting up a nonprofit. Contact: Betsy Tarn, EPA, 202-260-6502.
Watershed Partnerships: A Strategic Guide for Local Conservation Efforts in the
West, 1997, Western Governors' Association, 600 17th Street, Suite 1705, South
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Tower, Denver, CO, 80202-5452, http://www.westgov.org, 81 pages,
http://www.westgov.org/wga/publicat/wsweb.htm
National Watershed Awards, annual award program to recognize innovative
watershed protection by communities, http://www.terrene.org/cfaward.htm,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/cfindust.html,
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html
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WATERSHED LESSON 7:
Good Tools Are Available
Good tools are essential to the success of the watershed approach. Tools are broadly defined to
include geographic information systems, "how to" guides, funding sources, regulations (when
appropriate), and monitoring and modeling programs. The sources of funds and technical
assistance vary widely, from corporate, government, to nonprofit organizations.
In many watersheds, technical advisors are critical to the effort as watershed residents need a
sound, scientifically-based understanding of the resource in order to make good decisions. Some
studies suggest that one of the biggest challenges for watershed groups is securing funding.
Many states have special funds to support watershed groups, but using creativity in finding other
sources is always needed. GIS maps have been very helpful to watershed efforts and have
served to educate constituency groups such as town councils and landowners. Fortunately, many
tools are available to assist watershed groups.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 2
PROJECT NEMO
Impervious Surface Analysis Can Be Startling
The Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Project of University of Connecticut
Cooperative Extension is demonstrating the power of using Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) to advance watershed protection. And, while NEMO uses GIS and remote sensing (RS)
for limited watershed analysis, NEMO Project Director Chester Arnold stresses that the most
important and most often overlooked use of these high-tech tools is for education.
"One aspect of NEMO that really gets people's attention is the project's analysis of
impervious surfaces"
NEMO uses the power of computerized GIS maps to educate busy local land use decision
makers on the complexities of the land use/water quality connection. The maps help to
graphically and simply illustrate the concept of watersheds, the role of land use in determining
water resource health, the relationship between watershed boundaries and political jurisdictions,
and the location of key natural resources. Arnold emphasizes that the maps are not complicated,
and are combined with local photographs and computer graphics to make them as simple and
understandable as possible. The idea is catching on adaptations of NEMO are springing up
around the country.
One aspect of NEMO that really gets people's attention is the project's analysis of impervious
surfaces, which is recognized as a key indicator of watershed health. NEMO conducts an
impervious surface "build-out" analysis, which compares current levels to future levels projected
from local zoning regulations. The difference is often startling to local officials, and can help
direct changes to land use policies and management that are more protective of water resources.
In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, the UConn NEMO team has been working on two pilot watershed
projects in the lower Connecticut River valley. These projects use additional GIS data layers,
like soils and parcel (property line) information, to lend more in-depth educational and analytical
assistance to the watershed communities. For instance, GIS is used to target high priority large
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woodlot and stream side property owners for educational programs. In addition, maps of priority
conservation areas and areas best suited for development are being prepared.
For more information: contact Chester Arnold, (860) 345-4511 (complete listing under Key
Contacts and Resources in this lesson)
EXAMPLE 2 OF 2
SAVE OUR STREAMS, IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE
Stream Restoration Services for Local Watershed Projects
Through workshops, guides and a 1-
800 number, Save Our Streams
(SOS), operating out of
Gaithersburg, MD, provides
technical assistance on stream
restoration and volunteer monitoring
techniques to local watershed
groups. Training is designed for all
ages. SOS maintains a nationwide
computer database of roughly 4,000
projects through which groups can
coordinate their efforts with others.
A typical hotline call might be a
water watch group wanting to know
techniques and plant types for
restoring grass beds, plants that work
well in sandy soils, and techniques
Save Our Streams volunteers working together to lay a facine
in a trench. Credit: Jay West
for planting on steep slopes where the bank can not be graded. Save Our Streams is able to refer
the caller to projects across the nation who have tackled and solved similar issues.
"Some groups are able to get enough outside funding support that they can restore a
stream with as little as $500-$1000 of their own money."
SOS encourages local groups to partner with federal and state agencies and private sector
sponsors to bring costs down. Some groups are able to get enough outside funding support that
they can restore a stream with as little as $500-$ 1000 of their own money. This partnering can
pay off in other ways: in several states, like Virginia and West Virginia, data collected by
volunteer monitors has been used in the States' official water quality reports.
The typical SOS workshop lasts 1 to 2 days and covers materials developed by SOS and others.
For example, besides using the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network's teacher
manual, they also use the SOS wetlands assessment handbook that they developed with the aid of
citizen's groups.
Karen Firehock always takes time to learn the watershed's history before she goes into a
community to conduct a workshop. By this Karen means not just the events but the culture and
the people. This helps her to understand why one group of citizens may oppose another and to
construct ways to build trust between them. A one size fits all national approach does not work,
as each watershed is unique.
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For more information: contact the
National Save Our Streams, 301-
548-0150, 301-548-0146 (fax),
http://www.iwla.org, 1-800-BUG-
IWLA. Ask for a copy of their
excellent summary of stream
restoration resources.
Save Our Streams volunteer digging a trench for a facine.
Credit: Jay West.
Key Contacts and Resources
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Watershed Protection Techniques, periodic bulletin on urban watershed restoration
and protection tools, Center for Watershed Protection, 8737 Colesville Road, Suite L-
105, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-589-1890, 301-589-8745(fax),
http://www.pipeline.com/~mrrunoff/ Thomas Schueler, Editor-in-Chief and June
Beittel, Managing Editor. Many watershed practitioners find this useful as a source
of information for best management practices information and case studies.
Subscriptions are $48 or $28 for students.
Watershed Tools Directory, EPA 841-B-95-005, compilation by the U.S. EPA of
over 200 watershed related tools. Contact: Chris Laabs, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street,
S.W. 4503F, Washington, DC 20460, 202-260-7030,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed. See also Compendium of Tools for Watershed
Assessment and TMDL Development, a review of watershed models and techniques,
EPA841-B-97-006, available from 1-800-490-9198.
Watershed Academy, watershed training for watershed managers and pointer system
to other training opportunities. Contact: Doug Norton, 202-260-7017.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy.htm, provides training for watershed
managers based on local, state, tribal, and federal experiences in implementing the
watershed approach throughout the past decade.
National Save Our Streams Resource List, March 1997, is a very comprehensive list
of stream-related conservation resources including short descriptions and contacts for
ordering. Broken down into categories for easy use. IWLA, Save Our Streams, 707
Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878-2983, 301-548-0150, 1-800-BUG-
IWLA, savestrm@iwla.org.
Applied River Morphology, Dave Rosgen, 1996, Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Guide
for the classification, assessment, and monitoring for rivers and the applications for
water resource management, 970-264-7100, 970-264-7121 (fax).
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Ecological Restoration: A Tool to Manage Stream Quality, U.S. EPA, EPA841-F-
95-007, http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/Ecology/, Theresa Tuano, 202-260-7059.
Call 1-800-490-9198 to order. Guide explains CWA authorities for restoration of
streams, linkages with state water quality standards, and cost-effectiveness of
techniques.
Watershed Approach to Urban Runoff: Handbook for Decision Makers, Terrene
Institute, 4-B Hebert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305, 703-548-5473,703-548-6299
(fax), www.terrene.org. In addition, the ENVIROSCAPE Watershed Model is a
powerful 3 dimensional tool that many States have purchased and will loan out to
watershed groups who can not afford it themselves.
Project NEMO, Chester Arnold, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
System, 1066 Saybrook Road, Box 70, Haddam, CT 06438-0070, 860-345-4511,
carnold@canrl.cag.uconn.edu, http://www.lib.uconn.edu/CANR/ces/Nemo/ See
Watershed '96 paper: Training Local Officials in Watershed Management Using
User-Friendly Geographic Information Systems, Lorraine Joubert, Water Resource
Specialist, Alyson McCann, Water Quality Coordinator, Dr. Arthur Gold, Professor,
PhD, University of Rhode Island, Natural Resources Science, Kingston, RI,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/arnold.html
Farm-A-Syst and Home-A-Syst - tools to help farmers and landowners determine the
pollution potential of their activities and develop action plans to reduce the risk, 550
Babcock Drive B142, Madison, WI, 53706-1293, 608-265-2773, 608-265-2775 (fax),
www.wisc.edu/farmasyst. Paper presented at W '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/jackson.html
The Freshwater Imperative: A Research Agenda, Island Press, 1995, Island Press,
Box 7, Dept, 2NET, Covelo, CA 95428 or call 1-800-828-1302 Fax orders to 707-
983-6414. Establishes a research agenda for freshwater with an emphasis on
watershed protection centered around three key issues: biological impoverishment,
altered hydrological regimes, and risks to human health and quality of life.
http://www.islandpress.com/books/Detail.tpl?cart=310181050621546&SKU=l-
55963-407-3
Federal Guidance for the Establishment, Use and Operation of Mitigation Banks,
Federal Register, Vol. 60, No. 228, November 28, 1995, Contact: Thomas Kelsch
(EPA), 202-260-8795 http://ceres.ca.gov/wetlands/policies/mitigation guidance.html
PLANNING AND NETWORKING TOOLS
Watershed Partnership Starter Kit, video and guides that cover the basics for
developing and sustaining watershed partnerships, Know Your Watershed,
Conservation Technology Information Center, 1220 Potter Drive, Room 170, West
Lafayette, IN 47906, 765-494-9555, 765-494-5969 (fax), kyw@ctic.purdue.edu,
http://ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html Also, see the Calendar of Events and the
National Watershed Network on the same web site.
Water Environment Federation Technical Chat Area on Watersheds, Watershed &
Wet Weather, Range of Topics: Watershed Quality & Management, Nonpoint
Source, Wetlands, Ecology, Water Reuse, Cross-Media Impacts, Biomonitoring,
NPDES & Storm water Permitting, Water Quality Criteria & Standards, Modeling &
Analytical Tools, Clean Water Act,
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http://www.wef.org/wwwboard/watershed/wwwboard.html Moderated by Greg
McNelly, gmcnelly @ wef. org
Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations, covers the
basics including by-laws and how to get grants. Watershed practitioners have found
this very useful. Also, River Voices newsletter issues on "Say it with Pictures,"
"Developing Your Message," and "Media Matters" are very popular and useful (see
Appendix 3). The Watershed Innovators Workshop, June 4-5, Proceedings includes
The Swift River Principles (see Appendix 1). River Network, Pat Munoz, 4000
Albemarle St., N.W. 303, Washington, DC 20016, (202) 364-2550, (202) 364-2520
(fax), http://www.teleport.com/~rivernet/, Kathy Luscher, 1-800-423-6747, 503-241-
9256 (fax), (rivernet@igc.apc.org), P.O. Box 8787, Portland, OR, 97207-8787.
River CPR: Connecting People With Rivers, a new national program of training,
volunteer service, and public information delivered through existing watershed
groups and presented by Rivers Council of Washington, 1731 Westlake Avenue,
North #202, Seattle, WA, 98109-3043, (206) 283-4988 and Merrimack River
Watershed Council, P.O. Box 1377, Lawrence, MA 01842-2577, (508) 681-5777.
Contact: Joy Huber
Greener Thumb, 30 minute video for homeowners to create environmentally-friendly
lawn and landscapes, produced by Rutgers University Cooperative Extension Service,
P.O. Box 231, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903-0231, Michael Olohan, 908-932-0640.
DATABASES AND MODELING
The National Water Information System-A Tool for Managing Hydrologic Data,
John C. Briggs U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, Alan M. Lumb, U.S. Geological
Survey, Reston, VA, paper delivered at Watershed '96.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/briggs.html
A Wasteload Allocation Modeling Tool for Watershed Management, Wu-Seng
Lung, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA, paper presented at Watershed '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/lung.html
BASINS, Geographic Information System application to help states and tribes
evaluate existing data sources to identify water bodies that may not be achieving
water quality standards. Works within IBM-compatible environment. Contact: Gerry
LaVeck, US EPA, 401 M Street, S.W. 4305, Washington, D.C. 20460 202-260-7771,
202-260-9830 http://www.epa.gov/OST/BASINS/
Surf Your Watershed, US EPA, 401 M Street, 4503F SW, Washington, DC 20460,
Karen Klima, 202-260-7087, http://www.epa.gov/surf/. Internet tool for managers
and citizens to locate watershed information.
Index of Watershed Indicators Project, Chuck Spooner, 202-260-1314, EPA's effort,
in partnership with many, to describe the condition of watersheds nationally.
Available at http://www.epa.gov/iwi/
Massachusetts' watershed modeling tool, Andrew Gottlieb, MA DEP, 11 Winter St,
Boston, MA 02108, 617-292-5653, 617-292-5696 (fax).
Watershed Planning System: A Tool for Integrated Management of Land Use and
Non-Point Source Pollution Deborah Weller, Joseph F. Tassone, Dawn M.
DiStefano, and Nevitt S.Edwards, Maryland Office of Planning (OP), paper presented
at Watershed '96 http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/weller.html
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FINANCIAL
Watershed Protection: Catalog of Federal Programs, US EPA, EPA-841-B-93-002,
March 1993, Contact: Joan Warren, 202-260-7796. Describes federal programs that
provide funding or technical assistance for watershed projects. 107 pages.
EPA Environmental Financing Web Page,
http://www.epa.gov/efinpage/efptools.htm This page includes guidebooks on
traditional and alternative financing tools. Note: EPA grants information web page is
located at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/ Includes information on EPA's wetlands grants,
nonpoint source grants, and National Estuary grants. Also, visit the page on tools to
finance community-based environmental protection at
http://www.epa.gov/efinpage/guidebk/sec8.htm The Clean Water State Revolving
Fund Program has been made more flexible to allow states to focus on their highest-
priority issues, 202-260-7359, http://www.epa.gov/efinpage/srfcon.htm.
Financing Marine and Estuarine Programs: A Guide to Resources, September
1988, EPA503/8-88/001, Contact: Joe Hall, 202-260-9082. Order from 1-800-490-
9198.
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WATERSHED LESSON 8:
Measure, Communicate, and Account for Progress
Having systems in place to measure and communicate progress is a critical part of watershed
work. Appropriate measures not only keep watershed issues on people's radar screens, but, as
they are met, allow stakeholders to share successes and to highlight new challenges to the
watershed.
Progress can be measured in many ways and communicated through meetings, brochures,
internet sites, annual reports, news releases, and other ways. The important thing is to make sure
that the appropriate measures of progress (often referred to as indicators) are selected and that
information on these indicators is shared with relevant stakeholders. Measurements of progress
should be associated with achieving goals set for the watershed effort (see Watershed Lesson
#1). Depending on the goal, groups may choose water quality measurements (e.g., dissolved
oxygen, bacteria levels, fecal coliform) or less directly water-quality based results (e.g., number
of trees planted, number of watershed groups in a state, pounds of trash collected, number of
canoe rentals, number of miles protected from erosion). To make sure that progress does indeed
occur, most watershed groups spell out who is responsible for what in their watershed plans.
Some go so far as to establish agreements that commit groups to certain actions within certain
time frames. Spelling this out can help with accountability.
In terms of groups to whom progress should be communicated, county commissioners, elected
local and state officials, watershed residents, and major companies in the watershed are at the top
of the list for most watershed practitioners. Over time, as updates on progress are made,
practitioners have found that some constituencies will begin to ask for them - a sign that
awareness has been raised.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 2
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Data Collection is Not Enough
"The Tennessee River is Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) special responsibility and reason
for being. The people of our region expect us to serve as the river's manager and caretaker."
According to Wayne Poppe of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Clean Water Initiative, that
acknowledgment of stewardship drives the organization's commitment to accountability through
good stakeholder communication.
The objective is to make sure water resources are in good enough condition to provide
the benefits important to local citizens
The "front lines" of interaction with the public are TVA's River Action Teams -- water resource
professionals and education specialists assigned to work in specific watersheds across the
Tennessee Valley. Their mission is to build partnerships with local residents, business and
industry, and government agencies and to foster public responsibility for watershed protection
and improvement. TVA's watershed management strategies for individual hydrologic units all
across the Tennessee Valley are based on both a scientific assessment of resource needs and an
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assessment of local
community needs. The
objective is to make sure
water resources are in good
enough condition to provide
the benefits important to local
citizens. Team members
work side-by-side with
watershed residents to
accomplish these objectives,
and Poppe feels this
partnership approach is
critical: "Our on-going
presence in the field is a key
component of our efforts to
establish the dialogue that
will help to improve and
protect the river. No matter
how good we are at data
collection and reporting, we
ultimately miss the mark if
we fail to provide this interaction with the river's users."
Using a technique known as rapid bioassessment, TVA's River Action
Teams can take a quick 'snapshot' of a stream's condition, performing
a quick diagnosis of water quality concerns and thus ensuring a faster
path to treatment. Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority.
Telling the story is important too. Communication products that illustrate progress achieved
should be tailored to fit the audiences they're trying to reach. As an example, a new series of
attractive and user-friendly watershed brochures profile the ecological health of TVA's lakes by
reporting on the condition of five indicators or "vital signs" - chlorophyll, oxygen, fish, bottom
life, and sediment. The brochures can be used by watershed residents to track changing
conditions, as well as to identify areas where further cleanup and protection must occur. Ratings
for ecological health indicators are color-coded onto an easy-to-read map of the watershed,
allowing residents to see at a glance what conditions are like in the lakes that matter most to
them. The information in the brochures is presented with a river user's perspective in mind,
taking into account the varied interests
of local residents everything from
whether it's safe to eat the river's fish
or swim in the lake. Far more than just
a "report card" on ecological health,
the brochures serve to raise awareness
among watershed residents about local
water quality issues and to channel that
new understanding into support and
involvement in improvement and
protection efforts.
TVA's River Action Team performing a quick diagnosis of
water quality. Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority.
Poppe believes there are some
fundamental aspects of measuring
progress: "Accurately monitoring
conditions in the watersheds.
Reporting on the types of things that
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are meaningful to the public. Effectively communicating both progress and the need for
improvement. Helping watershed residents use this information to make changes that will
ultimately lead to the fulfillment of their goals for the river's use. That's the kind of
accountability that can serve as a benchmark for substantive, long-term improvements in water
quality."
For more information: contact Wayne Poppe, 423-451-7333, 423-751-7648 (fax)
EXAMPLE 2 OF 2
BRAZOS RIVER AUTHORITY, TEXAS
Progress Doesn 't Happen Overnight
Oyster Creek water quality
monitors Judy Cole and Donna
Phillips out on the job.
Credit: Colleen Spencer, Oyster
Creek Community Led
Environmental Action Network.
Tom Conry, from the Brazos River Authority in Texas,
stresses that the results of watershed work do not come
about over night. It may take 5 to 10 years of sharing
information to achieve substantial progress. For example, in
the Oyster Creek watershed, data collected by volunteer
monitors was shared with industry and others in the
community. The data suggested an impact on the system by
the industry's discharge. After working together for two
years, industry came to understand that they were impacting
the stream. Similarly, the monitors realized that industry
was only responsible for part of the problem: non point
source pollution was responsible for up to 50 percent.
Industry decided to re-engineer their discharge system to
remedy the situation when they realized that (1) the data was
good and (2) the monitors were not pointing fingers
exclusively at them. As a result, the partnership has
continued to grow. In fact, the industry has supported the
volunteer monitors with chemical supplies and monitoring
kits. In addition, they are funding a constructed wetlands
pilot project. The key, Conry believes, is to keep key
constituencies aware of progress as its made in the
watershed and to say thank you as little successes occur.
For more information: contact Tom Conry, Brazos River
Authority, 817-772-6010, 7935 (fax), tomco@brazos.org
Key Contacts and Resources
PAPERS THAT ADDRESS ACCOUNTABILITY IN WATERSHEDS
Addressing Barriers to Watershed Management, Robert W. Adler, Associate
Professor University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City, UT, paper delivered at
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Watershed '96, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/adler.html. See Journal
of Environmental Law for complete article, 25 Environmental Law 973-1106 (1995).
Clean Water Act Problems and Watershed Solutions, Katherine A. O'Connor,
A.I.C.P., Health and Regulatory Specialist, Orange County Water District, Fountain
Valley, CA paper delivered at W'96,
http ://www .epa. go v/o wo w/watershe d/Procee d/oc onnor 1. html
Watershed Education and Restoration, Dean Grover, Forest Fisheries Biologist,
Ochoco National Forest, Prineville, OR, David A. Nolte, Bring Back the Natives
Project Coordinator, Trout Unlimited, Redmond, OR paper delivered at Watershed
'96, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/grover.html
Indicators of International Progress, Ethan T. Smith, Supervisory Hydrologist, U.S.
Geological Survey, Reston, VA, Martin P. Bratzel, International Joint Commission,
Windsor, Ontario, Canada paper delivered at Watershed '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/smith et.html
Maryland's Tributary Strategies: Statewide Nutrient Reduction Through a
Watershed Approach, Lauren Wenzel, Roger Banting, and Danielle Lucid, Maryland
Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, MD paper delivered at Watershed '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/wenzel.html
WATERSHED GOALS AND INDICATORS
Developing an Applied System of Ecological Indicators for Measuring Restoration
Progress in an Urban Watershed, Andrew Warner, Hydrologist, Metropolitan
Washington Council of Governments paper delivered at Watershed '96,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/warner.html
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas on Working in Partnership for Clean
Water, Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1997. Useful guide. Kathleen O'Brien,
editor, 423-632-8502, 423-632-3188 (fax). See story of Linda Hixon. Tennessee
Valley Authority, Lake and Stream Condition Watershed Brochures, Wayne Poppe,
423-451-7333, 423-751-7648 (fax)
Index of Watershed Indicators Project, Chuck Spooner, 202-260-1314, EPA's effort,
in partnership with many, to describe the condition of watersheds nationally.
Available at http://www.epa.gov/iwi/
Water Quality Indicator's Guide: Surface Waters, Second Edition, Soil and Water
Conservation Society, 7515 Northeast Ankeny Road, Ankeny, JA 50021-9764, 515-
289-2331, http://www.swcs.org/books.htm, easy-to-follow process to check local
lakes and streams
Environmental Indicators of Water Quality in the United States, EPA841-R-96-002
and Environmental Indicators of Water Quality in the United States Fact Sheets
EPA841-F-96-001, June 1996, http://www.epa.gov/iwi/help/indic/, available for free
by calling 1-800-490-9198. Short reports describing the water quality in the United
States using a set of 18 environmental indicators that measure progress toward
national water goals and objectives. Contact: Sarah Lehmann, 202-260-7021.
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WATERSHED LESSON 9:
Education and Involvement Drive Action
"Education can help create support for the watershed effort...landowners would have
been more receptive to the watershed effort and more involved in projects if there had
been better education."
- The Watershed Source Book, University of Colorado Natural Resources
Law Center, 1-43
Earth Day, 1970, and the resulting actions taken by government demonstrated that public support
is the engine that drives protection of the environment. But public support depends upon public
awareness, involvement, and education. Watershed awareness campaigns and education
programs can help people who live, work, and recreate in a watershed understand what the
problems are and how they can help remedy them. Based on lessons learned by watershed
educators, effective watershed communication involves: understanding one's audience, being
careful with terms, and knowing how the target audience likes to receive its information.
Further, one should be ready to explain how that particular audience can help remedy the
problems - what actions they can take.
When it comes to creating awareness in the general public, watershed coordinators have used
many different mechanisms, including highway signs, bumper stickers, billboards, awards, field
trips, newsletters, and newspaper inserts as well as cutting edge approaches such as the internet.
A large number of people have also been reached through public service announcements, license
plates, storm drain stenciling, peer to peer communication, and community events.
Educating a community for the purpose of stimulating voluntary action means targeting groups
from all walks of life: farmers, businessmen, school children and teachers, local government
officials, homeowners, and the like. Well designed education programs can lead to tangible
results, especially when they get participants out in the field, are delivered in an effective way,
and encourage action and reflection. Some local watershed groups have had a lot of success in
awarding small contracts to key constituency groups under which they themselves are charged
with carrying out education programs. Such programs have been quite effective in encouraging
the voluntary adoption of best management practices.
Watershed practitioners have learned that who delivers the information is important, as well. In
general, peer to peer communication or communication by a neutral source is best. Community
members, such as students, are often better received than a government official.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 4
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN FOUNDATION, LOUISIANA
Alligators Are Part of the Lesson Plan
Anne Rheams, Education Coordinator of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, has
developed a strong education/outreach program which consists of field trips, festivals, videos,
and an excellent curriculum guide. Based on her experience, she believes that getting people out
in the field is the key component of watershed education.
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"--students have stenciled storm drains to educate citizens about the biggest source of
pollution in the watershed, urban runoff."
The Foundation does a lot of work with inner city children,
who have very little experience with nature. "When they see
a wetland system for the first time", Rheams says, "they are a
little scared and think that an alligator will eat them.
However, over time, they come to understand that wetlands
are beautiful systems that need to be protected." The
Foundation's work has also led to action. For example, Holy
Cross High School students have pulled together a collection
center where residents can bring their empty oil cans for
recycling. In addition, students have stenciled storm drains
to educate citizens about the biggest source of pollution in
the watershed, urban runoff.
A key component of the Foundation's education effort is a
curriculum guide, "Lessons on the Lake," designed
specifically for Lake Pontchartrain. In developing the guide,
the Foundation assembled a group of teachers to advise them
on how to best reach youth ages 4-18. Every effort was
made to assemble the best and most committed teachers-- one
of them, Sue Ellen Lyons, was selected in 1996 to receive the
National Wetlands Award for her outstanding work. Most
importantly, the curriculum accounts for the different ways
that youth learn: some through visual means, others through
music, and still others through touch or action.
This student had never touched a
fish before her trip to the wetlands
in the Lake Pontchartrain
Watershed. Credit: Lake Pontchartrain
Another component of the Foundation's outreach effort is a grants program under which teachers
can receive up to $500 for implementing watershed projects in their classrooms. The Foundation
has also awarded a grant to the Louisiana Children's Museum for an exhibit on the impact of
urban runoff on the lake. An estimated 225,000 people visit this local museum annually.
For more information: contact Anne Rheams, (504)836-2238, (504)836-7283 (fax)
EXAMPLE 2 OF 4
RAISING AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY
Students Travel Down the Kingfisher Canoe Trail
In addition to carrying out less strenuous awareness raising activities (such as slide shows), the
Anacostia Watershed Society offers a "Day on the River" learning program to Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area youth. The watershed covers 170 square miles and includes portions of two
Maryland counties as well as the eastern half of the District of Columbia. In 1996, 374 students
from eight different schools in the watershed took part in the program.
"Both classroom and outdoor activities are designed to exercise students in science,
math, English, and history--"
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"Day on the River" begins with an introductory slide presentation. Students then embark on a
five mile canoe trip down the Anacostia's "Kingfisher Canoe Trail." They disembark twice
along the way, at the recently restored 60 acre Kenilworth wetland and at the National Park
Service's Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. Here, they engage in identifying the flora and fauna and
in monitoring water quality. They discuss their observations with the group and consider what
effects land use practices have had on the river. Journal writing is featured during the
expedition.
The program provides teachers
with classroom follow-up
activities that reinforce lessons
learned on the river. Both
classroom and outdoor activities
are designed to exercise students
in science, math, English, and
history, as well as introduce them
to the principles of ecology and
watershed protection. The
program emphasizes the student's
connection to the natural world --
how lifestyle choices affect the
environment, and how the
environment, in turn, affects their
neighborhood and quality of life.
For more information: contact
Anacostia Watershed Society,
301-699-6204, 301-513-9321 (fax), http://www.gmu.edu/bios/anacosti/aws/
EXAMPLE 3 OF 4
STUDENTS TAKING ACTION IN DETROIT
GREEN Students Uncover a Malfunctioning Pump
Local students enjoy a day on the Anacostia featuring a canoe
trip where they get hands-on exposure to their watershed.
Many learn for the first time the value of the resource.
Credit: Provided by the Anacostia Watershed Society.
The Global Rivers
Environmental Education Network
CLJLJLJ: N
GREEN nurtures volunteer student action to
protect watersheds.
Credit: GREEN.
Volunteer monitoring presents a great
opportunity for people of all ages to learn
more about their watershed. Students in the
Global Rivers Environmental Education
Network (GREEN) program at North
Farmington High School near Detroit
analyzed data that they and students from
other schools had collected and discovered
bacterial contamination down river from a city
sewage pumping station. They presented their
findings to the City Engineer, who then took
action - he repaired a malfunctioning pump.
The students not only honed their skills in
various disciplines, such as language arts,
civics, science, and math, but they linked data
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to a process for effective problem-solving.
For more information: contact Larry Price, GREEN, (313) 761-8142, 206 South Fifth Avenue,
Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, http://www.econet.ape.org/green/
EXAMPLE 4 OF 4
TIBURON GOLF COURSE, OMAHA, NEBRASKA
Novel Approach to Reach Busy People
The Wehrspann Lake Watershed Project has organized several "Water Quality Opens" at a local
golf course in Omaha, Nebraska. Entrants enjoy 18 holes of golf for a modest fee while learning
about measures the golf course is taking to protect water quality in the Lake and about related
steps being taken elsewhere in the watershed
Clergy, elected officials, farmers, and developers overwhelmingly expressed a desire to
leave the cattails in place.
Water Quality is central to the theme of each tournament, and golfers
engage in active learning exercises as they make their way around the
course. For example, prizes are given to those who drive their ball
closest to, but not into, the water. Golfers are also provided with a
list of "10 Things Golfers Can Do To Help."
A unique educational feature of the tournaments lies in the fact that
people from all walks of life are brought together in a casual
environment that is also conducive to learning about nonpoint source
pollution. The 48 participants are scrambled into teams, thereby
facilitating interaction among the broad spectrum of professionals
who participate: clergy, attorneys, elected officials, farmers,
developers, engineers, and government employees.
At the end of each tournament, golfers were asked to complete a
simple questionnaire. In 1996, 64 percent of respondents were able to
list something new they had learned about water quality as a result of
playing in the tournament, and 88 percent were able to correctly
identify a source of nonpoint source pollution and a prevention
method. The tournaments also helped to stimulate discussions
between the golfers and the golf-course superintendent about
management practices. In 1995, golfers were asked how to solve the
"perceived" cattail overpopulation; they overwhelmingly expressed a
desire to leave the cattails in place, thus recognizing their water
quality benefits.
For more information: contact Diana Allen, Lower Platte South
Natural Resources District, 3125 Poria Street, Box 83581, Lincoln,
NE 68501-3581, 402-476-2729, 402-476-6454 (fax),
dallen@nrdec.nrc.state.ne.us.
2nd Annual
Water Quality
Open
at Tiburon Golf Course
10302 S. l&Blh St.
$30 Entry Fee includes:
green fees, carts, prizes, lunch
Best Ball Format
Golf tournament draws
people from all walks of
life for a day of fun and
education about their
watershed. Credit: Diana
Allen, Lower South Platte River
Natural Resources District
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Key Contacts and Resources
FINANCIAL SUPPORT:
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 1120 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 900,
Washington, DC 20036, 202-857-0166, 202-857-0162 (fax), www.nfwf.org.
Contact: Kathleen Pickering. Since 1990, this group has invested more than $1
million in federal matching funds toward formal and informal watershed education
programs for youth, teachers, and other community members. They also hosted in
1996 Watershed Education: Goals and Strategies for Training, Communication and
Partnerships where approximately 60 key watershed educators gathered. Summary of
session is available.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, uses federal funds to
award one-year competitive challenge grants for environmental education projects
that are scientifically and educationally valid; permanently improve a grantee
organization's ability to achieve its mission; and work through broad-based
public/private partnerships. The program is currently focused on public health, safe
water, and environmental education excellence. In the area of water, The Foundation
supports environmental education projects that help people make the connection
between their water source and their water faucet. Programs that promote
community-wide understanding of water sources, quality, treatments, protection
strategies, costs, options are a priority. The Foundation annually awards $500,000 -
$600,000 in matching grants. Kevin Coyle and Michelle Harvey, 734 15th Street,
N.W. Suite 420, Washington, D.C.20005-1013, 202-628-8200, 202-628-8204(fax).
Note: Kevin Coyle was the principal author of the Swift River Principles (see
Appendix 1).
CURRICULUM AND ACTIVITY GUIDES:
Lessons on the Lake: An Educator's Guide to the Pontchartrain Basin is a good
example of a locally-based education guide- grades 5-12. Developed by Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Three Lakeway, Suite 2070, 3883 N. Causeway
Boulevard, P.O. Box 6965, Metaire, LA 70009-6965, (504)836-2238, (504)836-7283
(fax), Anne Rheams, Education and Outreach Coordinator.
Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide, 201 Culbertson Hall, Montana State
University, Bozeman, MT 59717-0570, Dennis Nelson, Director, (406) 994-5392,
(406) 994-1919 (fax) http://www.montana.edu:80/wwwwet/. Discover a Watershed:
The Everglades is the first in a series of curricula and associated workshops
developed specifically for major North American watersheds.
Sourcebookfor Watershed Education contains examples of watershed curricula as
well as select watershed activities from across disciplines. It is based on the
collective experience of watershed educators and community leaders from five
watershed education programs. Developed by Global Rivers Environmental
Education Network, 206 South Fifth Avenue, Suite 150, Ann Arbor, MI 48104,
www.econet.apc.org/green/ (313) 761-8142.
Adopt-A-Watershed, P.O. Box 1850, Hayfork, CA 916-628-5334, 916-628-4212
(fax), www.tcoe.trinity.kl2.ca.us/aaw/adopt.html. Science-oriented curriculum for k-
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12 using all aspects of the local watershed as a classroom. Encourages community
action projects including field studies and restoration.
Educating Young People About Water: A Guide to Goals and Resources includes
100 reviewed youth water education curricula. The guide along with 2 other resources
are found on the World Wide Web at www.uwex.edu/erc/ywc, and searchable by
water topic. University of Wisconsin, 216 Agriculture Hall, 1450 Linden Drive,
Madison, WI53706, (608) 262-2031 fax, erc@uwex.edu, 1-800-WATER20, Elaine
Andrews or Kelly J. Warren, 608-262-0142.
VOLUNTEER MONITORING:
A Citizen's Streambank Restoration Handbook is available for $15.00.
http://www.iwla.org/iwla/jump6/index.html Developed by Save Our Streams, Izaak
Walton League, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878-2983, Karen
Firehock, 301-548-0150, 301-548-0146 (fax). Also, see their macro invertebrate on-
line resource. Kids love it! Click on "The SOS Macro invertebrate Key"
National Directory of Volunteer Environmental Monitoring Programs, US EPA,
January 1994, EPA 841B94001. Available on the internet at
http://vosemite.epa.gov/water/volmon.nsf or from NCEPI at 1-800-490-9198. See
Appendix 3 for information on Volunteer Monitor newsletter. School-based
monitoring issue from Spring 1993 was very popular. Alice Mayio, EPA, 202-260-
7018. http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/vm index.html
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS:
Water Quality Standards Academy, key educational workshop that helps managers,
staff, and citizens understand the cornerstone authority of the Clean Water Act.
Contact: Frances Desselle, 202-260-1320, desselle.frances@epamail.epa.gov Note:
10+ videos have been developed on various aspects of water quality standards and are
available on loan from the EPA Water Resource Center, 202-260-7786. The one on
wetlands is available from the EPA Wetlands Hotline at 1-800-832-7828.
Surf Your Watershed, US EPA, 401 M Street, 4503F SW, Washington, DC 20460,
Karen Klima, 202-260-7087, http://www.epa.gov/surf/. Internet tool for managers
and citizens to locate watershed information.
Terrene Institute Environmental Products Catalog, 4 Herbert Street, Alexandria,
VA 22305, Judy Taggart, 703-548-5473,703-548-6299 (fax), http://www.terrene.org
contains many useful watershed-related outreach items including a Citizen's Guide to
Watershed Protection and the popular ENVIROSCAPE table-top watershed education
model (many States have purchased and lend this out to watershed groups).
USGS Water Poster Series, Box 25046, MS 406, Denver, CO, 80225, Steve Vandas
contact, http://h20.usgs.gov/public/outreach/OutReach.html, 303-236-5950 x221,
good education tool for grades k-8. Developed in partnership with the National
Science Teachers Association.
What is a Watershed? NRCS Program Aid 420. Call 1-800-THE-SOIL to obtain a
copy. Watershed practitioners have found this piece useful in explaining the basics of
watersheds.
SPLASH CD ROM, interactive, multi-media educational tool on nonpoint source
pollution. Includes "voices of the community" and allows users to enter urban, rural,
and suburban environments and see the difference between when it rains with and
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without best management practices in place. Produced by Diana Allen, Lower Platte
South Natural Resources District, 3125 Poria Street, Box 83581, Lincoln, NE 68501-
3581, 402-476-2729, 402-476-6454 (fax), dallen@nrdec.nrc.state.ne.us.
Farm-A-Syst/Home-A-Syst, Gary Jackson, 550 Babcock Drive B142, Madison, WI,
53706-1293, (608) 265-2773, (608) 265-2775 (fax), http://www.wisc.edu/farmasvst/,
self-assessment programs for homes and farmsteads. Most states have modified the
program for their purposes.
National Watershed Library - lists many education, outreach and resource tools for
specific audiences like teachers, farmers and homeowners.
http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html
Project NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) uses GIS technology
to educate landowners and municipal officials about nonpoint source pollution and
watershed protection. University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension, Chester
Arnold, 1066 Saybrook Road, Box 70, Haddam, CT 06438-0070, (860) 345-4511,
(860) 345-3357 (fax), http://www.lib.uconn.edu/CANR/ces/nemo/
Getting in Step: A Pathway to Effective Outreach in Your Watershed, workshop
that provides the building blocks to develop an outreach strategy, tips and tools to
produce eye-catching materials, and methods to effectively use the media to get your
message out. Kristen Martin, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., 4503F, Washington,
D.C., 202-260-7108.
MODEL PROGRAMS:
Anacostia Watershed Society Web Site, Robert Boone, Executive Director,
http://www.gmu.edu/bios/anacosti/aws/, 301-513-0316, 301-513-9321 (fax) good
example of a local outreach program.
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas on Working in Partnership for Clean
Water, Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1997. Useful guide. Kathleen O'Brien,
editor, 423-632-8502, 423-632-3188 (fax). See stories of Brad Bole and Peg Beute.
Watershed Restoration: A Guide for Citizen Involvement in California, December
1995, US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Coastal Oceans Office, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD
20910, 301-713-3338, 301-713-4044 (fax). While developed for California, this
well-constructed guide may spark ideas for other watersheds.
Educating for Action: More Success Stories from Puget Sound, June 1993, Puget
Sound Water Quality Action Team, P.O. Box 40900, Olympia, WA 98504-0900 (1-
800-54-SOUND). Describes many education success stories funded through the
Public Involvement and Education program where small contracts were awarded to
community groups to undertake education. Includes description of products, target
audience, and results. Well organized and very helpful for prompting ideas. Contact:
Kathy Minsch, 360-407-7320, 360-407-7333 (fax).
Chesapeake Bay Communities: Making the Connection, A Catalog of Local
Initiatives to Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, EPA 903-R-95-
108, April 1996, presents many outreach examples including "Landscapes" Public
Awareness Program in Chester County Pennsylvania where public opinion was
solicited regarding the issue of sprawl. The results showed an overwhelming desire
to change the current pattern of sprawl. 1-800-YOURBAY.
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Nonpoint Source Pollution Information/Education Programs: National
Conference Proceedings, October 22-24, 1996, includes over 30 papers many of
which include lessons learned. Copies of proceedings can be obtained from Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Water Pollution Control - Planning
Section, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276, 271-782-3362, 217-785-
1225 (fax).
Groundwater Guardian focuses on recognizing community efforts to protect the
resource. Started in 1994, and as of June 1997, had 173 communities in 43 states
participating. Developed by the Groundwater Foundation whose goal is to educate
and motivate people to care about and for groundwater and watersheds. They have
activity and community guides related to groundwater, Susan Seacrest, President,
P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542, 402-434-2740, 402-434-2742 (fax),
http://www.groundwater.org Email: info @ groundwater.org See "Developing a
Results-Oriented Approach For Water Education Programs" published in the
Journal of American Water Resources Association, April 1997, Volume 33, Number
2.
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WATERSHED LESSON 10:
Build on Small Successes
Small successes fuel future, larger ones. It is important, according to watershed practitioners, to
start small and demonstrate success before working on a larger scale. For this reason
demonstration projects are often a popular choice in watershed work. In some states, small
victories have been instrumental in prompting the implementation of the watershed approach
statewide.
Commitment to the watershed is key, and a small group's passion for its improvement can catch
fire. Practitioners also say over and over that it's important to "Celebrate Success" as it occurs.
EXAMPLE 1 OF 4
MORRO BAY, CALIFORNIA
Where Starting Small Has Paid Off
Carol Arnold, with the California
State Coastal Conservancy, went to
work to protect Morro Bay back in
1986 after becoming aware that the
community perceived the Bay to be
threatened by erosion and
sedimentation. A previous study
sponsored by the San Luis Obispo
County had also identified this
problem, but the study like most of
its kind received little attention.
However, it was clear that resource
managers, politicians, and citizens
were concerned that the Bay was
filling and becoming shallower,
which eventually would be
detrimental to navigation, tourism,
migratory birds, endangered
species, and the surrounding
community.
Delta and wetlands of Morro Bay. Rapid sedimentation from
upstream land uses is causing these important wetlands to
disappear. Credit: Jeff HaltinerPhilip Williams & Assoc.
The Conservancy started small by talking to citizens about the resource. Long time residents in
the community explained how parts of the back Bay had once been open water but were now
becoming increasingly terrestrial. As a way to respond to their concerns, the Conservancy, the
State Coastal Commission, and the County hosted a forum at which approximately a hundred
politicians, government professionals, environmentalists, and business people gathered to discuss
the Bay. The consensus of the participants was that, while there were many issues of concern
such as public access, water quality, and development, the predominant concern was
sedimentation.
So much interest grew out of these activities that local residents decided to apply to
become part of the National Estuary Program.
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Given this focus, the Conservancy went to the Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District
and entered into a six year partnership to reduce sedimentation of Morro Bay. The District
worked with landowners to manage grazing through the use of fences, to plug gullies, and to
implement rotation systems so that no one area was overgrazed. The Conservancy with
matching funds from other farmers and the Natural Resource Conservation Service paid for these
improvements. The Conservancy also secured the assistance of a technical consultant who found
that the average loss of open water over the past 100 years had been 25 percent overall and 60
percent in some parts with critical habitat. This was 3 to 4 times the normal rate of filling.
Responding to these findings, the Conservancy issued a grant to the Resource Conservation
District, who worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to analyze the erosion
problem and to help remedy it.
The Conservancy then turned its attention to restoring the floodplain in the lower drainage areas
and to restoring habitat. With the help of the Coastal Conservancy, the Resource Conservation
District purchased agricultural land in the lower watershed and is in the process of restoring parts
of the floodplain to its natural condition.
At the same time, the Conservancy was helping to organize groups to increase community
awareness, education, and involvement. Friends of Morro Bay was established for advocacy, the
Morro Bay Foundation was founded for research and education, and a Morro Bay Task Force
was set up to help involve local residents. So much interest grew out of these activities that local
residents decided to apply to become part of the National Estuary Program. In the early 90's, a
local assembly person helped get the bay designated as a 'State Estuary', and shortly thereafter
the Bay was accepted into the National Estuary Program.
Carol Arnold believes that part of the reason for Morro Bay's designation was strong community
involvement. She believes that it's important to have the support build up from the community
and not be imposed from the outside. In addition, she believes that it's important to focus on
manageable issues that are meaningful to people and provide a focal point around which action
can occur. Over time, other issues can be addressed after a commitment and networks have been
established.
For more information: contact Carol Arnold, 510-286-4173, California Coastal Conservancy
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EXAMPLE 2 OF 4
LOWER PAINT CREEK ASSOCIATION, WEST VIRGINIA
It's Amazing What A Small Number Can Accomplish
The first clean-up that Dwight
Siemiaczko, President of the
Lower Paint Creek Association
in West Virginia (he is also a
miner), ran involved only five or
six people. Despite the small
turnout, it was a huge success.
The West Virginia Division of
Environmental Protection was a
partner; the fee they paid for the
tipping at the land fill was
critical.
3,200 bags of trash and
1,400 tires later...
Over 240 tons of solid waste was collected during the 1996 Back
Yard Clean Up drive. 57 tons were recyclable. Credit: Dwiq
Siemiaczko, Lower Paint Creek Association.
The word got out about the first
clean up, and by the time the
Association hosted its fifth one
25 people participated and 600
tons of trash was collected. A
key to their success is the fact that they built incrementally, had strong leadership, and were
passionate in their effort. Rather than tackling the entire 43 mile stretch of river, which would in
Dwight's eyes have set them up for failure, they focused initially on the lower 14, with the
intention of moving up incrementally over time.
The work of the Association has stimulated the interest of other groups. For example, a local
High School wood shop class has developed signs to post throughout the watershed. The U.S.
Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining has invested $325,000 to clean up a tributary,
which will result in $2.3 million annually in added fishing revenues - an amazing return for the
investment. As for lessons he has learned, Dwight has come to believe that financial and other
support by government is critical to advancing local watershed programs; no one can do the job
alone.
For more information: contact Dwight Siemiaczko, 304-595-3325, 304-595-3325 (fax),
5pole@citynet.net or Pete Pitsenbarger, Chief, Office of Abandoned Mine Lands and
Reclamatiohn, West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection, 304-759-0521.
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EXAMPLE 3 OF 4
SANTA YNEZ WATERSHED
The Willow War is Only One of the Conflicts
Carolyn Barr with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County tells this story of an unsuccessful
watershed planning effort.
Along the SantaYnez River, farmers who grow vegetables and flowers in the rich soils of the
floodplain have been pleading with the county for flood control. They fear that the river may
jump its banks because dense growths of willows impede peak storm water flows. The county
says that it cannot help unless it receives funds to mitigate the riparian habitat damage that would
occur if the willows were removed or cut back. The willow war is only one of many conflicts in
the 900 square mile Santa Ynez River watershed.
In 1994, politicians, planners, and farmers enlisted the Coastal Conservancy's help in resolving
the flood control issue. The Conservancy agreed, on condition that the problem be considered
within a watershed-wide plan. They invited the Land Trust to coordinate the planning process.
"--it soon became clear that we were rowing upstream in a class-five rapid without a
paddle."
Our naive notion was that we could get everyone with a stake in watershed issues to listen to
each other, study the issues, and eventually come to understand that all would benefit from a
resolution. But as property rights advocates, farmers, environmentalists, and resource agency
staff sat down together, it soon became clear that we were rowing upstream in a class-five rapid
without a paddle. The three sponsoring agencies- the California Coastal Conservancy, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and Santa Barbara County- and the project manager pulled
the plug on the project at the fourth steering committee meeting, in February 1996, less than a
year after the process began.
We realized that we had not done enough groundwork and were proceeding on the mistaken
assumption that there was broad support for a watershed plan. On the Santa Ynez, no single
problem required watershed-wide attention. The need for planning was apparent only to farmers
on the main river channel, and to a handful of others who were losing acreage to unstable stream
banks and gully erosion. The fatal mistake we made was in rushing the process and telling the
landowners, water districts, and special interest groups that they were going to have to work
together and develop a watershed plan. We did not take the time to understand their interests and
fears, and we tried to impose a process that was not appropriate for the place and time.
For more information: contact Reed Holderman, (510) 286-4183, rholderman@jgc.org (See
Appendix 1 for Lessons Learned).
EXAMPLE 4 OF 4
UPPER ARKANSAS WATERSHED COUNCIL, COLORADO
Can a Citizen's Law Seminar Get the Ball Rolling?
Having a wide diversity of interests represented in a watershed organization is good. Being
inclusive and open is necessary. Operating with a consensus-based decision-making process
honors everyone. As important as all these things are, they often limit what can actually be done
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by a watershed group. Education-related projects often provide the first easy step that sets the
foundation for trust and group cohesion.
The Upper Arkansas Watershed Council in Colorado is made up of 25 organizations with very
different values regarding the use of water. There are historic conflicts between these groups
that are deeply rooted in these value differences. During their planning process, the Council
brain stormed and scored a wide array of possible actions. To no great surprise, the highly
contentious issues scored low, while the education items scored high.
One of the first agreed-upon actions was a Citizen's Water Law Seminar. In the West, the Prior
Appropriation law, which is based on the idea that water is a private property right, has evolved
into a complex and often mystifying tangle of rules. Additionally, water quality, in-stream
flows, and recreation issues complicate the understanding of water law. Many of our community
leaders (county commissioners, planning and zoning boards, etc.), several of whom are new to
Colorado, admitted to little understanding of the law, yet recognized its importance in their work.
The Council agreed that it did not matter which side of a water issue anyone represents --
agriculture, development, environmental, recreation -- the law is the law, and the more citizens
that understand the water law, the better.
In brief, the Seminar was held and was a wonderful success. It was planned in three months,
was low-budget, gave the Council strong local credibility, and provided an early success upon
which to tackle tougher issues.
For more information: Jeff Keidel, Coordinator, Upper Arkansas Watershed Council, P.O. Box
938, Buena Vista, Colorado 81211, 719-395-6035.
Key Contacts and Resources
SUCCESS STORIES AND NATIONAL PROJECT SUMMARIES
Blue Thumb-An Urban Watershed Success Story, Susan Gray, Extension
Horticulture/Water Quality Agent, Michael Smolen, Water Quality Coordinator
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Cheryl Cheadle, District Manager, Tulsa
County Conservation District, Laura Pollard, District Manager, Oklahoma County
Conservation District, Jennifer Myers, Blue Thumb Coordinator, John , Water,
Quality Programs Coordinator, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, paper
presented at Watershed '96, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/gray.html
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) Success Stories,
http://www.igc.apc.org/green/success.html, people learn a lot by sharing stories and
this is a site designed to provide an opportunity users to share stories about successful
efforts their organization, school or community has made to research, educate about,
or improve their local watershed and to see what others have done.
Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Stories,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/NPS/Success319/, Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success
Stories demonstrates the successful implementation of the Section 319 Clean Water
Act Nonpoint Source program. The report provides examples of successful solutions
to a variety of water quality problems caused by nonpoint source pollution. Contact:
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Amy Gambrill, 202-260-7105, US EPA, 401 M Street, S.W. 4503F, Washington, DC,
20460
The Watershed Sourcebook: Watershed-Based Solutions to Natural Resource
Problems, University of Colorado School of Law, Natural Resources Law Center,
Campus Box 401, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0401, Doug Kenney, (303) 492-1288,
(303) 492-1297 (fax), Douglas.Kenney@Colorado.EDU, concise case studies of 76
watershed initiatives in the western United States. Center is also examining the state
and federal roles in supporting watershed groups.
The Watershed Protection Approach: 1993/4 Activity Report, EPA840-S-94-001,
November 1994, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/watershd93-94-Activity.html,
describes over 120 projects where EPA was a partner in implementing the watershed
approach. Call 1-800-490-9198 for a free copy.
LOCAL EXAMPLES
"How the McKenzie Watershed Council Got Started", May 1995, describes the
story of the formation of the council and provides advice to others. Lane Council of
Governments, 125 E. 8th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401, 503-687-4283
California Coast and Ocean, Volume 8, Numbers 3&4, Fall 1992, pages 8-20
discuss Morro Bay, Carol Arnold, Program Manager, 1330 Broadway, llth Floor,
Oakland, CA 94612-2530, 510-286-4173, 510-286-0470 (fax), carola@igc.org.
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas on Working in Partnership for Clean
Water, Tennessee Valley Authority, March 1997. Useful guide. Kathleen O'Brien,
editor, 423-632-8502, 423-632-3188 (fax). See stories of Marlene Fields and Milt
Jackson.
Now that you have successfully completed this module, you may want to evaluate your
comprehension by taking the self-test on the next page (page 61). Answers can be found on page
81.
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SELF TEST FOR TOP TEN WATERSHED LESSONS LEARNED
1. According to the module, which of the following is not an example of a valuable watershed
lesson learned:
l_l A. A clear vision is essential to achieving goals
I I B. Watershed plans must be implemented for progress to occur
L_l C. Strong partnerships and stakeholder involvement are often keys to success
LJ D. Watershed tools are best used sparingly
2. Leaders are a vital component to the watershed management process and they are especially
effective when:
LJ A. They tend to reflect the values of the community and to know what works there
LJ B. They have the ability to bring about change and set things in motion
LJ C. They are committed to making the vision a reality
D D. D. All of the above
3. Experience suggests that before a watershed group can develop visions and goals, there must
be a common understanding of the conditions that warrant a protection effort, sometimes referred
to as a:
LJ A. Magazine
LJ B. Problem Statement
LJ C. Facilitator handbook
I I D. Brochure
4. As described in the module, ideally a coordinator oversees the watershed protection effort.
Which of the following is not a typical role for a coordinator:
L_l A. Maintaining contact with members of the watershed group
LJ B. Helping to secure funding and training
L_l C. Telling watershed partners the right way to do things
L_l D. Facilitating meetings
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5. Which of the following statements best exemplifies the lesson learned regarding compatibility
of community values within the watershed:
LJ A. Environmental protection must have priority over economic interests
LJ B. People and nature can't coexist throughout the entire watershed
I I C. Social, environmental, and economic interests must work together
L_l D. Sustainability is not an achievable goal
6. Watershed practitioners have found that the majority of plans developed in the past failed to
adequately protect their watersheds due to:
LJ A. The plans were developed for too large a scale
I I B. An individual or group wasn't given the responsibility to implement the recommendations
of the plan
D C. Neither A and B
D D. Both A and B
7. As defined in the module, a watershed management framework is:
I I A. Focusing on common interests
L_l B. Discouraging open debate
L_l C. Building trust
LJ D. Respecting each participants viewpoint
8. Effective tools commonly utilized in a watershed restoration programs include:
LJ A. Geographic information systems (GIS)
L_l B. "How to" guides
L_l C. Funding sources
I I D. All of the above
9. Which of the following statements about achieving and communicating program progress is
not true:
LJ A. Appropriate indicators of success should be selected
L_l B. Progress updates need to be shared with stakeholders
LJ C. Responsibilities for action often need to be delegated in order to complete goals in the
watershed plan
L_l D. Real progress can only be achieved by spending a lot of money
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10. As with many watershed projects, the Morro Bay (California) project exemplified many of
the watershed lessons in this module, including:
LJ A. Community support and involvement are vital to success
LJ B. It is important to start small and build on successes before working on a larger scale
D C. Both A and B
D D. Neither A and B
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APPENDIX 1:
Tips from Practitioners
Know Your Watershed's Top 10 Hint List
(see Lesson 6, Know Your Watershed)
1. Include All With a Stake
2. Think Large, Work Local
3. Ask Not "Do You Like It?" But "Can You Live With It?"
4. Respect the Four Stages of Building Partnerships (Forming, Storming, Norming,
Performing)
5. Just Do It
6. Celebrate Early Successes
7. Clear, Measurable Goals Must Be Locally-Driven
8. Ask for In-Kind Services
9. When Stuck, Ask Seven Times "Why?"
10. Focus on the End, Not the Process
Reed Holderman 's Lessons Learned
(California Coastal Conservancy, 510-286-1015 - See Lesson 10, Santa Ynez Watershed)
1. Be sure that a watershed planning process is needed and if it is build community support
for it before proceeding.
2. Invite everyone into the process and ask political leaders to select the steering
committee. Otherwise, people will ask: who appointed you.
3. Don't be presumptuous. On the Santa Ynez River, we assumed everybody would
appreciate a well thought out scope of work, budget, and schedule. WRONG! They said
it only proved that the whole thing was a set-up. Do yourself a favor, next time, let them
figure it out!
4. When the majority of stakeholders tell you that they want to deal with their issue first,
believe them. I remain convinced that our failure to sustain interest in the Santa Ynez
River plan was primarily because we were not willing to assist the County in carrying out
its proposed channel clearing activities in the Lompoc valley as a separate and distinct
project.
5. Do whatever you can to break down barriers and perceptions people have of each other.
Be creative. Family BBQs, soft-ball games, and parties have done wonders to improve
relationships among stakeholders and build trust.
6. Maintain constant communication among stakeholders throughout the process and
especially in the beginning to pass information along, answer questions, or deal with
rumors. Whether it's through regular meetings, newsletters, web sites, phone trees, or all
four, good communication is a must.
7. And finally, line up your money and in-kind services in advance of starting your
watershed project or else two bad things will happen: (a) your stakeholders will buy into
a process and scope of work only to find out they can't afford it; and (b) you will spend
more time looking for cash than participating in the planning process. Either way, you
lose.
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Swift River Principles
Contact Pat Munoz, River Network (see Lesson 7 Key Contacts and Resources) or Kevin Coyle,
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation (see Lesson 9 Key Contacts and
Resources).
1. Include a mixture off top-down and bottom up strategies.
2. Encourage consensus approaches, not bomb-throwing.
3. "Reinvent" ways to conserve resources.
4. A one size fits all "cookie-cutter" approach will not work.
5. Involve key "stakeholders".
6. Focus on individuals and work on "retail" approaches.
7. Be creative about who foots the bill.
8. Take advantage of emerging science - but don't expect it to be perfect.
9. Remember the need for watershed education.
10. It's about brokerage and gap filling.
Dennis Hall's Observations from Darby Creek, OH
(see Lesson 2 Key Contacts and Resources)
1. How to fail in watershed management: demonstrate disrespect for watershed residents
and the natural resource.
2. Promote "learning" and "understanding" as opposed to "educating". Do not assume that
people will protect the stream if "educated". Consider canoe trips or other creative
educational settings to help clientele understand the watershed issues.
3. Recruit opinion leaders from the community, especially if they have challenging points of
view. Sometimes these individuals are not in the local leadership positions, but have a lot
of credibility with neighbors and friends.
4. Consider fear and pride as sources of motivation. Fear of regulation may bring some
audiences to the table, but pride will generate longer lasting protection.
5. Work towards creating common ground and win/win outcomes. Consider
competitiveness, environmental soundness, and social/political issues.
6. Clarify areas of conflict. View conflict as an opportunity to learn.
7. Promote the positive. Beware the double negative. We learned it was important to show
that farmers are "doing good things" to protect Big Darby Creek, instead of "not doing
bad things".
8. In community development, fast is slow and slow is fast. Take time to grow slowly.
9. Value resistance for there is much to understand.
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APPENDIX 2:
Questions and Answers
Question: Do you know any examples of where GIS has been used to educate municipal
officials about nonpoint source pollution and impervious surfaces? (See Lesson 7)
Answer: Chester Arnold, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service
Question: What curricula are out there for watersheds and which is the best? (See Lesson 9)
Answer: There are many curricula and activity guides related to watersheds. There's the Water
Education for Teachers curriculum produced by Project WET; there's a Watershed Sourcebook
developed by Global Rivers Environmental Education Network; and there are activity and leader
guides developed by University of Wisconsin. There's also an Adopt-Your-Watershed
curriculum guide. Each has its special emphasis. Elaine Andrews at the University of
Wisconsin reviewed most water curricula and she's a good contact; her summary is on the web at
http://www.uwex.edu/erc/eypaw/sumlist.htm.
Question: What's River Network and how does it relate to the Know Your Watershed? (See
Lesson 7 Key Contacts and Resources)
Answer: River Network and Know Your Watershed both support the development and growth of
watershed groups. Both have great web sites and starter kits for groups.
Question: Where has a watershed coordinator made a difference? (See Lesson 3)
Answer: Many herald the work of Mike Adcock in the Tensas River Watershed as exemplary.
Question: What comprehensive analyses exist of watershed efforts in the West? (See
Introduction Key Contacts and Resources)
Answer: The University of Colorado - Boulder conducted a review of watershed groups in the
west. Doug Kenney is the contact. His email is Douglas.Kenney@Colorado.EDU
Question: How can I get the Watershed '96 Proceedings? When is the next big Watershed
Conference?
Answer: The Watershed '96 Proceedings are up and searchable on the internet off
http://www.epa.gov/owow. While there are many "regional" and "technical" watershed
conferences being planned, the agencies that co-sponsored Watershed '96 have not made plans
for a similar conference as of the date of this publication. Contact Janet Pawlukiewicz, EPA, for
latest developments, 202-260-9194.
Question: What watershed groups have succeeded in implementing their plans? (See Lesson 5)
Answer: Cedar River Watershed in Washington has come a long way in implementing its vision
of purchasing high priority areas in the watershed. The McKenzie Watershed Council has
developed an innovative approach to monitoring its waters and has done a lot in the Mohawk
subwatershed.
Question: My watershed is considering setting up a nonprofit to help my watershed effort
along. What resources are available to help us? Who else has experience doing this?
Answer: The National Estuary Program developed guidance on using nonprofits to advance
estuary program goals (see Lesson 6 Key Contacts and Resources). Morro Bay has experience
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setting up a nonprofit as do the Rathbun and the China Lake Watershed Alliances (see Lesson 6
Key Contacts and Resources).
Question: Where is an example of where pollution control measures alone were not enough?
Answer: The Waukegan River Watershed Project, a national monitoring project under section
319, has data that indicates fish did not return until the pool riffle system was established.
Contact is Rick Mollahan 217-782-3362.
Question: Where have volunteers monitors made a difference?
Answer: GREEN students uncovered a malfunctioning pump in Detroit and worked to correct it.
In addition, in the Brazos River Watershed, Texas, volunteer monitors helped get industry to
help protect the watershed.
Question: The stakeholders in my watershed have a deep history of mistrust and are having a
hard time coming to consensus. How can I get the ball rolling?
Answer: The Upper Arkansas Watershed in Colorado had a deep history of conflict and mistrust
and started with a citizen water seminar which worked well for them.
Question: What resources are available on the web for watersheds? (See Appendix 4)
Answer: There are many resources on the web for watershed groups. There's a technical chat
area on the Water Environment's site. EPA has a site called "Surf Your Watershed" where
citizens and managers can locate their watershed and discover its condition and the partners
working to protect it. Izaak Walton League has a popular macro invertebrate stream indicator
site. A listing of the key URLs is provided in Appendix 4.
Question: What are some good tools for watershed groups?
Answer: While EPA does not "endorse" products, we have do realize that there are many tools
that watershed groups find particularly useful. See the Key Contacts and Resources Lists for
Lesson 7 and Lesson 9 for a good starting point. A few tools that practitioners seem to like
include the Community Visioning video (see Lesson 1 Key Contacts and Resources) and the
table-top Enviroscape model produced by Terrene, which many states own and watershed groups
can borrow. In addition, several practitioners have said they have found the River Network's
Starting Up guide to be very useful in establishing a group - setting up by-laws and obtaining
grants (see Lesson 7).
Question: Where is a broad-based partnership being used to protect drinking water sources?
Answer: The Mark Twain Water Quality Initiative in Missouri is a very broad-based alliance that
is working to protect a lake that is threatened by agri-chemicals, nutrients, and sediment. Ray C.
Archuleta is the contact. In addition, the Rathbun alliance is working to protect a rural water
supply. (See Lesson 6 Key Contacts and Resources).
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APPENDIX 3:
Water-Related News Bulletins
Cities International Newsletter http://www.icma.org/cities/index.html
circulation and frequency: quarterly
focus: information related to local government (Note: not just water)
target audience: local government managers
editor: Editor, Cities International Newsletter, 1-800-745-8780, 301-206-9789 (fax)
Coastlines http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/coastlines/
circulation and frequency: 4,000/quarterly
focus: coasts, estuaries
target audience: coastal water managers
editor: Samantha Woods, Horsley Witten, P.O. Box 7, 3179 Main Street, Barnstable, MA,
02630, 508-362-5570
Focus http://www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/focus/focus.html
circulation and frequency: monthly
focus: watershed outreach tools and technical resources
target audience: watershed partnership groups
editor: Focus Editor, Know Your Watershed, 1220 Potter Drive, Room 170, West Lafayette, IN,
47906, 765-494-9555, kyw@ctic.purdue.edu
LakeLine
circulation and frequency: quarterly/2000+
focus: lake management issues
target audience: lake managers and lake leaders/residents
editor: Jeffrey Thornton, 414-547-6721, International Environmental Management Services,
321 Barney Street, Waukesha, WI53186-2402, iems@aol.com, or lakeline@nalms.org. Or c/o
Barbara Timmel, Administrative Assistant, North American Lake Management Society
(NALMS), P.O. Box 5443, Madison, WI, 53705-5443, 608-233-2836, 608-233-3186 (fax).
Nonpoint Source News-Notes http://www.epa.gov/owow/info/NewsNotes/
circulation and frequency: 14,000/quarterly
focus: nonpoint source and watershed issues
target audience: local, state, and national water managers
editor: Elaine Bloom, Tetra Tech, 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 340, Fairfax, VA, 22031, 703-385-
6000.
Our World
circulation and frequency: 5 times a year/ 2,000+
focus: to educate parents on environmental issues and children
target audience: PTA member (Parents)
editor: Ed Stermer, 330 North Wabash Avenue, Suite 2100, Chicago, IL, 60611, 312-670-6782
x361, 312-670-6783 (fax), e stermer@pta.org
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River Voices http://www.teleport.com/~rivernet/rivernet/pubs.htm
circulation and frequency: quarterly
focus: river conservation and organization-building
target audience: river activitists
editor: Editor, River Voices, River Network, PO Box 8787, Portland, OR 97207-8787, 1-800-
423-6747 Fax: 503-241-9256
Swampthings http://www.epa.gov/owow/info/swamp/
circulation and frequency: 800/monthly
focus: wetland issues
target audience: wetland managers
editor: Stephanie Peters, EPA, 401 M St., 4502F, Washington, D.C. 20460, 202-260-7946
Volunteer Monitor http://www.epa.gov/owow/monitoring/volunteer/vm index.html
circulation and frequency: 10,000+/twice a year
focus: watershed monitoring by volunteers
target audience: volunteer environmental monitoring groups across the nation
editor: Eleanor Ely, Editor, The Volunteer Monitor, 1318 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco, CA
94117, telephone (415) 255-8049
Watershed Events http://www.epa.gov/owow/info/WaterEventsNews/
circulation and frequency: 5,000/quarterly
focus: watershed issues
target audience: watershed managers and those who support them
editor: John McShane, EPA, 401 M St., 450IF, Washington, D.C. 20460, 202-260-0409,
mcshane.john@epamail.epa.gov
Water Monitor http://www.epa.gov/owow/watermonitor/
circulation and frequency: 1,000/bimonthly
focus: water monitoring activities
target audience: State and EPA headquarters and regions
editor: Alice Mayio, EPA, 401 M St., S.W., 4503F, Washington, D.C. 202-260-7018, mavio-
alice@epamail.epa.gov
Watershed News
circulation and frequency: periodic
focus: watershed issues
target audience: watershed practitioners
editor: John Peterson, Watershed Programs Specialist, NACD, 9150, West Jewell Ave., Suite
102, Lakewood, CO, 80232-6469, (703) 455-4387
Watershed Protection Techniques http://www.pipeline.com/~mrrunoff/
circulation and frequency: periodic
focus: watershed restoration and protection tools
target audience: watershed practitioners
editor: Center for Watershed Protection, 8737 Colesville Road, Suite L-105, Silver Spring, MD
20910, 301-589-1890, 301-589-8745(fax), Thomas Schueler, Editor-in-Chief and June Beittel,
Managing Editor
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APPENDIX 4:
Index of Terms and Organizations mentioned in this document
Each item is linked to its main entry (or first occurance); additional entries/links are indicated by
section.
Adams County
Adopt-A-Watershed, 9
Anacostia Watershed, 9
Blackstone River
Brazos River, A2
California, 2, 4, 9, 10, 10, Al
Cedar River Watershed, A2
Center for Watershed Protection, intro,
5, A3
Cheat River
Chesapeake Bay, 1, 2, 2, 4, 9,
Citizen Monitoring
Darby Creek, 2,
Fish Creek
GREEN, 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, A2
Illinois River
Izaak Walton League, 9, A2
Heritage Development, 5,
Keystone, 4
Know Your Watershed, intro, 1, 6, 7,
Al, A2, A3
Lake Pontchartrain, 9
Local Government, 1, 5, 5, 6, 9, A3
Louisiana, 9
Lower Paint Creek
Massachusetts , 2, 3, 4, 4, 7
McKenzie Watershed, 5, 6, 10, A2
Morro Bay, 10, A2
Nashua River, 1,
Napa County, 2, 5
National Environmental Education and
Training Foundation, Al
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
3,6,9
NEMO, 7, 9
Nonprofit, 2, 2, 5, 6, 7, A2
Oklahoma, 10
Oregon, 6
Pennsylvania, 1, 9
River Network, intro, 2, 6, 6, 7, Al,
A2, A3
Santa Ynez, Al
Save Our Streams, 7, 9,
SPLASH
Stony Brook
Swift River, 7, 9
Tampa Bay Estuary
Tennessee Valley Authority, 1, 6, 6, 8,
9,10
Tensas River, A2
Terrene Institute, 9
Tiburon
Upper Arkansas, A2
West Virginia, 2, 6, 7, 10
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Individuals mentioned in this document and their
Mike Adcock, Tensas River Watershed
Diana Allen, Lower South Platte River Watershed
Elaine Andrews, University of Wisconsin
Carol Arnold, California Coastal Conservancy
Chester Arnold, University of Connecticut
Lorna Baldwin, East Lane Soil and Water
Conservation District
Dave Bassage, Friends of the Cheat
Robert Boone, Anacostia Watershed
Dennis Bowker, Napa County
Larry Clemens, Fish Creek Watershed
Jessica Cogan, EPA
Tom Conry, Brazos River Authority
George Constantz, West Virginia DEP
Trudy Coxe, Massachusetts State
Kevin Coyle, NEETF
Jill Davies, Elk Creek Watershed
Karen Firehock, Save Our Streams, Izaak Walton
Amy Gambrill, EPA
Andrew Gottlieb, Massachusetts DEP
Holly Greening, Tampa Bay National Estuary
Program
Dennis Hall, Ohio State University
Rich Hall, Maryland Office of Planning
John Hassell, Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Mary Heinricht, Southeastern Association for
Virginia's Environment
Ed Himlan, Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
Douglas Hinrichs, International Society for Ecological
Economics
Reed Holderman, California Coastal Conservancy
Gary Jackson, Farm-A-Syst
Carolyn Jenkins, New England Interstate Water
Pollution Control Commission
Robert Johnson, Wildlife Habitat Council
Jeff Keidel, Upper Arkansas Watershed Council
affiliations
Tom Kelsch, EPA
Doug Kenney, University of Colorado
School of Law
Karol Keppy, Know Your Watershed
Campaign
Chris Laabs, EPA
Robert Levite, Nashua River Watershed
Association
Kathy Luscher, River Network
Larry Martick, Adams County
Conservation District
Victor McMahon, American Rivers
Pat Munoz, River Network
Dennis Nelson, Project WET
Doug Norton, EPA
Robert Nuzum, East Bay Municipal
Utility District
Kathleen O'Brien, Tennessee Valley
Authority
Kathleen Pickering, National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation
Wayne Poppe, Tennessee Valley
Authority
Larry Price, GREEN
Anne Rheams, Lake Pontchartrain
Dave Rosgen, River Restoration Specialist
John Runyon, McKenzie Watershed
Virginia Scarlet, Stoney Brook Watershed
Tom Schueler, Center for Watershed
Protection
Susan Seacrest, Groundwater Foundation
Dwight Siemiaczko, Lower Paint Creek
Association
Chuck Spooner, EPA
Kim Stokely, Adopt-A-Watershed
Judy Taggart, Terrene Institute
Joan Warren, EPA
Elizabeth Watson, Heritage Area
Consultant
Lauren Wenzel, Maryland Department of
Natural Resources
Jean White, Cedar River Watershed
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Guides and Resources mentioned in this document
A Citizen's Streambank Restoration Handbook
Applied River Morphology
Building a Local Watershed Partnership
Chesapeake Bay Communities: Making the
Connection, A Catalog of Local Initiatives to
Protect and Restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Crafting Better Urban Watershed Protection Plans
Community Visioning
Give Water A Hand
Green Development: Literature Summary and
Benefits Associated with Alternative Development
Approaches
Ecological Restoration: A Tool to Manage Stream
Quality
Educating People for Action: More Success Stories
from Puget Sound
Educating Young People About Water: A Guide to
Goals and Resources
Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the
United States
Federal Guidance for the Establishment, Use and
Operation of Mitigation Banks
The Freshwater Imperative: A Research Agenda
Innovations in Coastal Protection: Searching for
Uncommon Solutions to Common Problems
The Keystone National Policy Dialogue on
Ecosystem Management, Final Report
Leading and Communicating
Lessons Learned: A Casebook for Successful Urban
River Projects
The NAPA River Watershed Owner's Manual: A
Framework for Integrated Resource Management
National Watershed Library
National Watershed Network
National Save Our Streams Resource List
Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide
Putting Together a Watershed Plan
Restoring Our Watersheds: An Assessment
of River Stewardship in New England and
New York
Riverwork Book: A Step-By-Step Guide for
Citizens and Communities Developing River
Planning and Conservation Efforts
Sourcebook for Watershed Education
SPLASH
Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and
Watershed Organizations
Surf Your Watershed
Using Nonprofit Organizations to Advance
Estuary Program Goals
Water Quality Standards Academy
Water Works: Your Neighbors Share Ideas
on Working in Partnership for Clean Water
Watershed Academy
Watershed Approach to Urban Runoff:
Handbook for Decision Makers
Watershed Approach Framework
Watershed Legislation: What Works and
Why
Watershed Management: Toward Local
Initiative in Solving Water Problems
Watershed Partnership Starter Kit
Watershed Progress: Massachusetts's
Approach
Watershed Progress: New York City
Watershed Agreement
Watershed Protection: A Statewide
Approach
Watershed Protection: Catalog of Federal
Programs
Watershed Protection Techniques
Watershed Tools Directory
What Is A Watershed?
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List of internet sites mentioned in this document
Adopt-A-Watershed: http://www.tcoe.trinity.kl2.ca.us/aaw/adopt.html
American Rivers: http://www.amrivers.org/
Anacostia Watershed Society: http://www.gmu.edu/bios/anacosti/aws/
Center for Excellence for Sustainable Development: http ://www.sustainable.doe.gov/
Center for Watershed Protection http://www.pipeline.com/~mrrunoff/
Chesapeake Bay: http://www.epa.gov/r3chespk/
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/owow
Farm-A-Syst: http://www.wisc.edu/farmasyst
Freshwater Imperative:
http://www.islandpress.com/books/Detail.tpl?cart=310181050621546&SKU=l-55963-407-3
GREEN: http://www.econet.ape.org/green/
Groundwater Foundation: http://www.groundwater.org
Izaak Walton League: http://www.iwla.org
Know Your Watershed: http://ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html
National Fish and Wildlife Organization: http://www.nfwf.org
The Nature Conservancy: http://www.tnc.org
Planners Web: http://www.planning.org/books/bookstor.html
Project WET: http://www.montana.edu:80/wwwwet/
River Network: http://www.teleport.com/~rivernet/rivernet/leader2.htm
Surf Your Watershed: http://www.epa.gov/surf
Terrene Institute: http://www.terrene.org/cfaward.htm
University of Connecticut: http://www.lib.uconn.edu/CANR/ces/Nemo/
University of Wisconsin: http://www.uwex.edu/erc
Water Environment Federation:
http://www.wef.org/wwwboard/watershed/wwwboard.html
Watershed '96 On-Line Proceedings: http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/
Western Governor's Association: http://www.westgov.org
Wildlife Habitat Council: http://www.wildlifehc.org/index.html
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APPENDIX 5:
Advisor E-mail List
Many Thanks to the Following Key Network Contacts...
Diana Allen, Lower South Platte River Natural Resource District
dallen@nrdec.nrc.state.ne.us
Elaine Andrews, University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension
erc@uwex.edu
Chester Arnold, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
carnold@canrl.cag.uconn.edu
Lorna Baldwin, Watershed Planner, East Lane Soil and Water Conservation District
lbaldwin@efn.org
Bob Ball, NRCS, Columbia, MO
bobb@mo.nrcs.usda.gov
Dave Bassage, Friends of the Cheat, West Virginia
dbassage @ access.mountain.net
Jennifer Boyle, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
iboyle@ncfc.org
Dennis Bowker, Napa County Conservation District
102223.2012@compuserv.com
Susan Branning, U.S. EPA
Region 6
branning.susan @ epamail.epa.gov
Tom Conry, Brazos River Authority, Texas
tomco@brazos.org
Alison Cook, River Network
cookalison @ aol.com
Jessica Cogan, U.S. EPA
National Estuary Program
cogan.iessica@epamail.epa.gov
Jill Davies, Elk Creek Watershed, MT
nox2228@montana.com
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Karen Firehock, National Save Our Streams
kfirehoc @ iwla.org
Abby Friedman, National Association of Counties
afriedma@naco.org
Trish Garrigan, U.S. EPA Region 1
garrigan.trish@epamail.epa.gov
Dennis Hall, Big Darby Watershed, OSU Cooperative Extension
hall.16@osu.edu
Richard Hall, Maryland Office of Planning
Rich@mail.mop.md.gov
Karen Hamilton, U.S. EPA
Region 8
hamilton.karen @ epamail.epa.gov
John Hassell, Oklahoma Conservation Commission
jhassell@occwq.state.ok.us
Reed Holderman, California Coastal Conservancy
rholderman @ igc.org
Doug Kenney, University of Colorado
Douglas.Kenney@Colorado.EDU
Karol Keppy, Know Your Watershed
keppy@ctic.purdue.edu
Karen Klima, U.S. EPA Surf Your Watershed
klima.karen @ epamail.epa. gov
Kathy Luscher, River Network
rivernet@igc.apc.org
Larry Martick, Adams County Conservation District
adams.conservation@al.dep.state.pa.45
Greg McNelly, Water Environment Federation
gmcnelly @ wef. org
Kathy Minsch, Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team
kmins@aol.com
Larry Morandi, National Conference of State Legislatures
larry.morandi@ncsl.org
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Pat Munoz, River Network
patnmunoz@aol.com
Robert Nuzum, East Bay Municipal Utility District
nuzum @ ebmud.com
Kathy O'Brien, Tennessee Valley Authority
kgobrien@tva.gov
Michael Pawlukiewicz, Urban Land Institute
michaelp@uli.org
Larry Price, Global Rivers Environmental Education Network
lprice@green.org
Anne Rheams, Save Our Lake, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
Ipbfe due @ communique. net
Susan Seacrest, The Groundwater Foundation
info @ groundwater.org
Audrey Shileikis, U.S. EPA
Region 9
shileikis.audrey@epamail.epa.gov
Dwight Siemiaczko, Lower Paint Creek Watershed, West Virginia
5pole@citynet.net
Judy Taggart, Terrene Institute
terrene@gnn.com
Lauren Wenzel, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
LWENZEL@dnr.state.md.us
Jean White, Cedar River Watershed Council, Washington
jean.white@metrokc.gov
Kathi Wiederhold, Lane Council of Governments
kwiederhold@lane.cog.or.us
Barbara Yuhas, International City/County Managers Association
byuhas@icma.org
and many others without email...
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APPENDIX 6:
Watershed Lessons Learned Partners:
Adams County Conservation District, Pennsylvania
Adopt-A-Watershed, California
American Rivers, Washington, D.C.
Anacostia Watershed Society, Washington, D.C.
Brazos River Authority, Texas
California Coastal Conservancy
California Regional Water Quality Control Board - San Diego
Cedar River Watershed, Washington State
Center for Watershed Protection, Maryland
Cheat River Watershed, West Virginia
Crystal Lake Watershed, Michigan
East Bay Municipal Utility District, California
Farm-A-Syst, Wisconsin
Global Rivers Environmental Education Network, Michigan
International City County Management Association, Washington, D.C.
Know Your Watershed, Indiana
Lake Pontchartrain Foundation, Louisiana
Lower South Platte River Natural Resource District, Nebraska
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Maryland Department of Planning
Massachusetts Watershed Coalition
McKenzie Watershed, Oregon
Montana State University
Napa County Resource Conservation District, California
Nashua River Watershed, Massachusetts
National Association of Conservation Districts
National Association of Counties, Washington, D.C.
National Center for Heritage Development, Maryland
National Conference of State Legislatures, Colorado
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, Washington, D.C.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Natural Resource Conservation Service
Ohio State University Cooperative Extension Service
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team, Washington State
River Network, Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon
San Jose Watershed, California
Santa Ynez Watershed, California
Save Our Streams - Izaak Walton League
State Conservation, Water Quality and Natural Resource Agencies
Tampa Bay National Estuary Program, Florida
Tennessee Valley Authority
Tensas River Watershed, Louisiana
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Terrene Institute, Virginia
University of Colorado Natural Resources Law Center
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Service
University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Service
Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C.
Upper Arkansas Watershed Council, Colorado
U.S. EPA Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
West Virginia Division of Environmental Protection
...and many others
Project Coordinator:
Ben Ficks, U.S. EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
401 M Street, S.W. 450IF
Washington, D.C. 20460
202-260-8652, 202-260-2529 (fax)
ficks.ben@epamail.epa.gov
Editor: Leighton Price, Independent Consultant, Annapolis, MD
For additional copies of this document, please call the National Center for Environmental
Publications and Information, 1-800-490-9198, and ask for publication EPA840-F-97-001.
This document has been subject to the Agency's review, and it has been approved for publication
as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use.
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APPENDIX 7:
* Many EPA documents are available that define what we mean by 'watershed approach.' See
Watershed Approach Framework, EPA 840-S-96-001,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/framework.html or Watershed Protection: A Statewide
Approach EPA841-R-95-004, http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/state/ Call 1-800-490-
9198 for a free copy.
Key Contacts and Resources
"LESSON LEARNED" RESOURCES (ALSO SEE APPENDIX 1)
Top Ten Hint List from Know Your Watershed is a very popular hint list for
watershed coordinators and is based on extensive interviews with watershed
coordinators across the nation. Conservation Technology Information Center, 1220
Potter Drive, Room 170, West Lafayette, IN 47906, 765-494-9555, 765-494-5969
(fax), kyw@ctic.purdue.edu, http://ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/KYW.html (See Appendix
1).
Lessons Learned: A Casebook for Successful Urban River Projects, June 1997,
American Rivers, Victor McMahan, Director, Urban Rivers Program, 1025 Vermont
Avenue, N.W., Suite 720, Washington, D.C. 20005, 202-547-6900, 202-347-9240
(fax), amrivers@amrivers.org, http://www.amrivers.org/ Documents lessons learned
by urban river project groups across the country and offers advice for others. Includes
contact information for each project.
Innovations In Coastal Protection: Searching for Uncommon Solutions to
Common Problems, EPA 842-F-94-002, Call 1-800-490-9198 to order,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/coastal/cookbook/, features innovative public outreach and
education, management, and scientific approaches to protecting coastal resources and
their watersheds. Indexed by author, keyword, and state.
Nonpoint Source Pollution Information/Education Programs: National
Conference Proceedings, October 22-24, 1996, includes over 30 papers many of
which include lessons learned. Copies of proceedings can be obtained from Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Water Pollution Control - Planning
Section, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276, 271-782-3362, 217-785-
1225 (fax).
Watershed Management - What Works and What Doesn 't, presentation by Robert
Nuzum based on his 24 years of experience in watershed management. Robert
Nuzum, Manager Natural Resources, East Bay Municipal Utility District, 375
Eleventh Street, Oakland, CA 94607-4240, 510-287-0407, nuzum@ebmud.com.
Merrimack River Initiative, Watershed Connections: Lessons Learned in
Subwatersheds, January 1996, 24+ page document. Contact Carolyn Jenkins, New
England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, 255 Ballardvale Street, 2nd
floor, Wilmington, MA 01887, 508-658-0500.
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NATIONAL WATERSHED RESOURCES
Watershed '96 Conference Proceedings, national conference where hundreds of
papers were presented all of which are on-line and searchable,
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/Proceed/, many lessons learned are shared.
America's River Renaissance: Innovative Approaches to River Protection - Nine
Success Stories. A report by River Network, September, 1996. P.O. Box 8787,
Portland, OR, 97207, 503-241-3506 (phone).
REGIONAL WATERSHED RESOURCES
Restoring Our Watersheds: An Assessment of River Stewardship in New England
and New York, Appalachian Mountain Club, Peter Donahue, 5 Joy Street, Boston,
MA, 02108, 617-523-0636, 617-367-8878 (fax).
The Watershed Sourcebook: Watershed-Based Solutions to Natural Resource
Problems, University of Colorado School of Law, Natural Resources Law Center,
Campus Box 401, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0401, Doug Kenney, (303) 492-1288,
(303) 492-1297 (fax), Douglas.Kenney@Colorado.EDU, concise case studies of 76
watershed initiatives in the western United States. Center is also examining the state
and federal roles in supporting watershed groups
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ANSWERS TO SELF TEST
Ql.D Q2. D Q3. B Q4.C Q5.C Q6.D Q7.B Q8.D Q9.D Q10.C
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