04/22/24 - 117 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/9bh4zbtr
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Discovery Watersheds - Are All Places Ready For A Watershed Management Approach?
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Watershed-level management efforts are growing and supported by federal, state, and local policy. The intent of these efforts is to create partnerships among local officials, state and county agencies, community groups, and residents that will address environmental concerns.
In Pennsylvania, most of these efforts are targeted at improving or protecting water quality in streams, rivers, and lakes. But are all watersheds ready for these kinds of efforts?
Research over the last decade has identified the need to conduct assessments of the conditions within watersheds that can affect the partnerships’ likelihood of success. Assessments help to identify strengths and challenges, and help the watershed partnerships to focus their efforts and maximize their resources. Assessments should cover three main areas:
-- Scientific understanding: Is the issue one for which there is sufficient scientific knowledge about the problem, how to monitor it and track changes in the conditions? Is the problem one for which research has identified the most likely causes and consequences? Most importantly, are there tools, technologies, or policies that have been tested for their ability to solve the problem? Complex environmental problems without a clear understanding of the problem and identified and accepted ways to address the problem can pose challenges for participants in watershed management efforts to identify clear paths of action and allocate of resources effectively.
-- Community capacity: Does the watershed have a history of effectively addressing environmental or other issues? Have previous attempts to deal with major local issues, such as the closure of major employers or local planning efforts, created a track record of working together or created (or exposed) community divisions? Are there individuals and organizations that can provide leadership and technical knowledge to watershed efforts? Which organizations need to be part of a watershed effort, and are they willing and able to do so? Are there existing networks of individuals and organizations with collaborative histories that can be drawn in to the effort? Preliminary assessment of the social context and history of the area, along with a scan of the stakeholders involved, will provide important information to guide initial discussions. Early efforts toward engagement of all stakeholders can enhance the transparency and legitimacy of watershed partnership activities – two factors that are critical to acceptance and community support.
-- Existing behaviors and motivations: Whose behavior (e.g., riparian landowners, farmers, non-farm urban or rural residents, organizations or businesses, etc.) needs to change to improve the water resource? What is the level of understanding of, concern for, and attitudes toward the environmental problem among this target audience? What existing management practices are they already using? What are the barriers this audience faces when trying to change their behavior? Which individuals, organizations, or informal networks are particularly influential among the target audience, and what are they currently saying about the problem? Watershed partnerships that have this information can more effectively identify action steps and allocate their resources.
Assessment efforts can help partnerships strategically identify directions for action, especially in the early stages. Partnerships that invest the time and resources in assessment are likely to be more effective and efficient, and are more likely to build support, visibility, and legitimacy in the community. Regularly re-visiting the assessment information and gathering new information as needed can assist groups to adapt to changes over time.
(Written By: Kathryn J. Brasier, PhD, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology, Department of Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology, Penn State University for Penn State Extension Watershed Winds Newsletter.)
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6/6/2011 |
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