1. Meet Weekly or bi-monthly to discuss all aspects of Stewardship: Dave BrowerDan Wickwire Natural Resources Conservation Service Bureau of Land Management State of WashingtonState of Oregon Linda DavisKaren Hanson Idaho Department of Water ResourcesU.S. Geological Survey State of IdahoNational WBD Technical Coordinator Ann FritzDavid Anderson North Dakota Department of HealthNHD POC (previous Florida State Department of Environement) Steve Nechero Natural Resources Conservation Service National Cartography & Geospatial Center State Stewardship Work Group (SSWG)

2. Stewardship issues being addressed by SSWG: WBD Issue Paper NHD/WBD Stewardship Roles and Responsibilities Using High Resolution for WBD improvement Hydrologic Unit Names 7th and 8th level NHD/WBD Spatial Integration Coastal Pilot ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/wr/ut/salt.lake.city/WBD/STEWARDSHIP/

3. The Watershed Boundary Dataset (WBD) – Issue Paper February 20, 2008

4. Developing a WBD Stewardship Issue Paper Discussions among NHD and WBD stewards from across the nation highlighted a number of issues These discussions in a variety of settings led to the collective decision to write an issue paper A small representative group was formed to draft an Issue Paper Review and comment (buy-in) expanded to represent a truly national perspective

5. Overview - Articulating the State Perspective on Stewardship   State and federal groups committed extensive resources to development of the WBD   USGS and NRCS had worked to ensure a consistent high quality dataset through a national certification process   As some states completed certification, there was an immediate need to perform updates   There was strong interest among state groups to move forward with stewardship at the earliest possible time   This should be developed in collaboration between NRCS, USGS, and their state and federal partners

6. Broad agreement at the grass-roots level The paper was routed to the WBD state stewards for review and comment, as well as key personnel in other related programs The paper included a compilation of agreed upon issues from: 63 individuals Representing 19 different state and federal agencies

7. Recommendations:   Develop a Strategic Plan for WBD Stewardship   Develop Plan collaboratively with WBD community   Develop on a fast track to meet needs of states passing national certification “No comprehensive post-certification stewardship strategy was in place for the WBD” WBD Stewardship Issues as presented in Issue Paper

8. “Stewardship Roles and Responsibilities had not been defined for the WBD” Recommendations: NRCS and USGS should work with state stewards to establish clear definitions for roles and responsibilities Primary stewardship responsibility should reside at state steward level State stewards should be involved regarding changes, refinements, and/or additions to national guidelines WBD Stewardship Agreements should be established

9. “Stewardship relationship between WBD and NHD has not been defined” Recommendations: Establish clear linkage between stewardship of both datasets Develop data designs that include both NHD and WBD to better facilitate keeping both of these datasets synchronized

10. “WBD had not incorporated Hydrologic Unit boundaries at the 7 th and 8 th level” Recommendations: Develop national guidelines for 7th and 8th level boundaries Modify WBD data model accordingly Provide mechanism for inclusion of 7th and 8th level boundaries Define if boundaries at that level would be certified

11. BLM Salem District Adds 7 th Level Boundaries

12. “No process workflow had been identified for update/maintenance of the WBD” Recommendations: Develop edit process workflow that accounts for roles/responsibilities, national and state steward business requirements, user expectations Address state specific requirements in WBD Stewardship Agreements

13. State Steward Performs Edit on National Database State Steward Submits Edit to National Steward Performs QA/QC Accepts or Rejects Edit National Steward Posts Successful Edits to WBD National Steward Notifies State Steward and WBD User Community WBD User Determines That Edit is Needed WBD User Submits Change Request To State Steward State Steward Coordinates with All Partners State Steward Accepts or Rejects Proposed Change WBD Maintenance: Simplified Process Workflow For Purposes of Simplification—Assumes Acceptance at Accept/Reject Decision Points

14. Results   Issue Paper was completed and submitted to senior level managers at USGS and NRCS - February 2008   Response was favorable and it was agreed that the timing was right to move forward in close collaboration with stakeholders and the NHD program to address these Stewardship issues   Stewardship is progressing on multiple tracks   The WBD Stewardship Community is available to work with USGS and NRCS on national WBD Stewardship strategy