TOP TEN WATERSHED LESSONS

LEARNED

TOP TEN WATERSHED LESSONS LEARNED

1. The Best Plans Have Clear Vision, Goals and
Action Items
2. Good Leader are Committed and Empower
Others
3. Having a Coordinator at a Watershed Level is
Desirable
4. Environmental, Economic and Social Values are
Compatible
5. Plans Only Succeed if Implemented
6. Partnership Equals Power
7. Good Tools are Available
8. Measure, Communicate and Account for
Progress
9. Education and Involvement Drive Action
10. Build on Small Successes

1. The Best Plans Have Clear Vision,

Goals, and Action Items
I want to be able to see my feet Bernie
Fowler
Vision
Goals
Objectives
Action Items

Example
CHEASAPEAK BAY WATERSHED

2. Good Leaders are Committed and

Empower Others
If your actions inspire others to dream
more, learn more, and become more, you
are a leader John Quincy Adams
How you get there is flexible
Leaders are individuals or groups who care
about the watershed and its future.

3. Having a Coordinator at the

Watershed Level is Desirable
A good coordinator is key to a successful
watershed protection effort.
The one who can commit to spending
enough time to really make a difference.

Example
TENSAS RIVER RIVER WATERSHED

Benefits from having

a Homegrown
Coordinator
Duck Hunter Loves It

4. Environmental, Economic and

Social Values are Compatible
Sustainability
Nature and people can co exist within the
watershed

Example
La Mesa Ecopark
To sustain watershed
management systems
To maintain watershed
values for optimal
water production.

5. Plans only Succeed if

Implemented
Recommendation called for within a plan
are implemented
Break things down in a manageable scale

Example
La Mesa Ecopark
To sustain watershed
management systems
To maintain watershed
values for optimal
water production.

Example
MCKENZIE WATERSHED COUNCIL,
OREGON

McKenzie Watershed
Council
private citizens
public interest groups
representatives of
state government
Army Corps of
Engineers
U.S. Forest Service

6. Partnership Equals Power

Watershed work is about partnerships.
Partners can include any one who has an
interest in the watershed.
Watershed partnerships come in
all shapes and sizes, with each partner
having a different interest.
"We'd rather shake hands than raise
our fists, and that strategy has really
paid off.

Example
KNOW YOUR WATERSHED
McKenzie Watershed
Council
private citizens
public interest groups
representatives of
state government
Army Corps of
Engineers
U.S. Forest Service

7. Good Tools Are Available

Geographic Information System

How-to Guides
Monitoring and Modeling Programs
Funding Sources

Example
PROJECT NEMO

Geographic Information Systems

(GIS)
Remote Sensing (RS)
Dedication

8. Measure, Communicate and

Account for Progress
Measurements of progress should be
associated with achieving goals set for
the watershed effort
Progress can be measured in many ways
and communicated through meetings,
brochures,
internet sites, annual reports, news
releases, and other ways.

Example
Bicol River Basin and Watershed Management Program

Upland Reforestation(Agoho
Seedling)
Assisted Natural Regeneration
Plantation Maintenance and Taxation

9. Education and Involvement Drive

Action
Earth Day 1970
Resulting actions demonstrated that public
support is the engine that drives protection of
the environment
Creating awareness in the general public.
Educating a community for the purpose of
stimulating voluntary action means targeting
groups from all walks of life; farmer,
businessmen, government officials,
homeowners alike.

10. Build on Small Successes

Small success fuels future, larger ones
Commitment to the watershed is the key.
Celebrate success

Example
Its amazing what a small numbers
can accomplish
Lower
Paint Creek Association West Virginia
240 tons of solid waste were
collected 54 tons were recyclable
No one can do the job alone
A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step Lao Tzu