Capacity Building for Watershed Stewardship Groups

Hey Alina, I am currently involved in the Water Action Volunteer program that is offered through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and extension system. The goal of the program is to get citizens interested in monitoring and caring for their local rivers, streams ect. The website is http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/ - a contact button is on the top - Kris Stepenuck is the statewide coordinator and is a great source for information.

I know a lot of groups started under this program have been quite successful in raising awareness about water quality and changing behavior.

Hope this helps.

Kelly Eskew
Education Coordinator
Woodland Dunes Nature Center
United States

Hi Alina and all,
I am currently writing a grant to create a "Stream Team" program using a CBSM approach. The goal is to create a program that promotes community stewardship of local streams and riparian corridors. The grant will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and they advocate the use of social marketing for creating effective watershed campaigns. Take a look at http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/watershed/outreach/documents/. I will also attach a relevant article on the subject. Feel welcome to contact me if you want to discuss any of this further. It sounds like we share some common objectives.

Gwenn Kubeck
Stormwater Program Specialist
City of Corvallis, Public Works
United States

Alina,

Regarding your request of a successful campaign that engages citizens who take ownership of their water resources and fosters a climate of stewardship on a small watershed scale Need to look no further than the First Herring Brook Watershed Initiative in the town of Scituate, Massachusetts: an excellent model for you and other FSB readers of what can be achieved locally by ordinary but committed members of the community to address the sustainability of a small watershed as a source of drinking water but equally important as a source for sustaining dependent ecosystems. Their website: http://www.fhbwi.org/


George Zoto, Ph.D.
Project Manager
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
United States

Hi Alina,

Please check out some things that have been set up by your neighbours here in Alberta. Here are just a few websites that I could recommend. There are always links to more information from there.

http://www.waterforlife.alberta.ca/
http://www.ab.stewardshipcanada.ca/

It may be worthwhile checking with some of the WPACs (Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils), as it sounds as though what you are wanting to do is what they have done. It may be beneficial to hook up with them as well, since we share the larger watershed. I've included a few in Southern Alberta, that join into the South Sask River:

http://www.seawa.ca/
http://www.oldmanbasin.org/
http://www.brbc.ab.ca/

If you have any other questions, please just send me an email and I'll do what I can to help.


Tanya Melnyk
Senior Awareness Coordinator
Alberta Environment
Canada
http://www.environment.alberta.ca/