For UNM Community and Regional Planning, CRP527 Presenter/instructor: Rich Schrader Myths & objectivity in a watershed worldview: Community-based approaches to watershed planning challenges in the New West

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Stewardship & Sense of Place Stories in culture shape historic use and vision for the future use of land. Top-down designs of objective science often ignore community questions about indicators. The community-based approach to watershed stewardship and monitoring projects have more staying power if well designed and adapted as community learns.

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 River Source Inc. Founded in 1996 with grant from McCune and contract w/Dr. William Fleming to help run the NM Watershed Watch program. Rich Schrader is a graduate of the Community & Regional Planning program. Carol Schrader is the company’s only other employee. Go to:

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Quality assured volunteer data IS POSSIBLE! Pennsylvania Watersheds Data System Quality Assurance Program Plans are not uncommon anymore throughout US and increasingly in the west. Citizen-science is becoming more than a buzzword. It’s becoming an objective way for people to have converstation and better understand watershed conditions. How would this be concept be developed and practiced in multi-cultural New Mexico?

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 So what is a myth and what is objective anymore? Community-based approaches to watershed stewardship can appear threatening to the scientific establishment. Who is right in choosing what indicators to use for establishing watershed “health” What the heck is “health” anyway? Oh yeah…..it is both community-based and scientific.

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Stories can accomplish what no other form of communication can – they can get through to our hearts with a message. For land conservationists, what matters [is] the relationship between community and the land, between people and places. We will need to help create a fundamental change in how our society thinks about and treats land; we will need to nurture the flowering of a new land ethic. Will Rogers in the introduction of The Story Handbook: Language and storytelling for land conservation (Peter Forbes, 2002, Trust for Public Land publication)

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Purposes for Watershed Plans Education/Community Inquiry: Scientific understanding & stewardship building efforts through language and culture Community or Agency Advocacy: To advance values or promote program goals for community or agency. Regulatory or Legal: To satisfy legal requirements such as ESA, NEPA, CWA.

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Example of Data Use Matrix for Agency and Community interests go to Watershed Assessment Study Reason(s) Rocky Mountain Network (2005) Data Use(s): I Education/ Community Inquiry II Community or Agency Advocacy/ Planning III Regulatory/ Legal A. Condition and Trend Investigation Assessment A-I General background information Assessment A-II Watershed Management Planning; 305(b) report N/A B.Impact Investigation Non Point Source Assessment B-I Educate community or students about pollution Assessment B-II Identify impacts for remediation Assessment B-III CWA Violations Point Source Assessment B-IV Educate community or students about pollution Assessment B-V Identify impacts for remediation Assessment B-VI CWA Violations C. Effectiveness Investigation Assessment C-I Educate students about effectiveness of BMPs, restoration projects Assessment C-II Evaluation of effectiveness of BMPs, restoration N/A D.Use Support Investigation Assessment D-I Community or student ed. on impacts Assessment D-II Watershed Management Planning; 303(d) report Assessment D-III CWA violations

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Plan Purposes Areas of Activity in Landscape Planning (Marsh 1991) Environmental Inventory Opportunities and constraints – including land suitability analysis Hazard Assessment Forecasting impacts Site selection Special environments

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Building Social Network and Shared Language

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Watershed Principles & Complexities Everything is connected Separation anxiety: How the heck do we tell what is human-caused impact and what is natural? Ecosystem = Bio – Chem - Physical Connections EPA Rapid Bio Assessment

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Theories in Watershed Problem Solving Exposure (such as concentration of suspended sediment in a river) Stress (such as massive erosion) Response (such a an increase of tolerant insects in the benthic macroinvertibrate community) After Geoff Dates (River Network) and Karr (??)

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Challenges in Identifying Causes vs. Symptoms Soil erosion (cause or symptom) Catastrophic fire Massive bark beetle infestation and pinyon kill Bank failure of a steep slope after a drought

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Multi-metric Indices (Karr 1981) Multi-metric indices as a standard for accurately assessing watershed health. Five activities to make multimetric biological indexes effective. THIS CAN BE DONE IN COMMUNITY-BASED SETTING Classifying environments to define homogeneous sets within or across ecoregions (e.g., streams, lakes, or wetlands; large or small streams; warm- water or cold-water lakes; high- or low-gradient streams). Classifying environments Selecting measurable attributes that provide reliable and relevant signals about the biological effects of human activities. Selecting measurable attributesreliable and relevant signals Developing sampling protocols and designs that ensure that those biological attributes are measured accurately and precisely. Developing sampling protocols and designs Devising analytical procedures to extract and understand relevant patterns in those data. extract and understand relevant patterns Communicating the results to citizens and policymakers so that all concerned communities can contribute to environmental policy.

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 Steps for Creating Successful Watershed Plans Understand who is the client and what they need Facilitate creation of a profound and meaningful vision (10 year minimum) Make it real with milestones in shorter term first, longer-term later in process. Develop learning capacity of plan users (shared language & group/institutional commitment)

by River Source, UNM CRP 527 If in doubt, Wing – It with care We are experimenting with our environment and our culture Don’t forget to consider the precautionary principle Do cows have culture?