Essay Contest Winner:
"Case Studies and How You Can Help"

Marci Meixler
First Place, Adult Catagory

Petey Brucker's story begins simply enough. He lives in a tiny town of about 250 people in the Salmon River watershed of Northern California, one of the country's most remote and biologically intact watersheds. In the old days, salmon were plentiful. People said that one could walk on the backs of the fish during the spawning runs. But by the 1980s and 1990s, these fish populations were fluctuating dramatically...as high as 1,500 fish and as dangerously low as 160 fish were counted in annual surveys.

Petey Brucker noticed the difference and identified the problem. Everyone in his town was part of the problem…they all fished. He also realized they could all be partof the solution if organized properly. He and others in the area organized their first community-focused fisheries restoration project called "Salmon Education." Education, rather than law enforcement, was the theme for the community workshops and school activities which followed. The presentations, made by various local groups and community members, were enjoyed by presenters and audiences alike.

In the following months it became evident that a change in attitude was growing in the river community. No longer did people brag about how many fish they had caught. Instead, people seemed proud to help the fish make it back to the spawning ground. As Petey observed, "peer pressure…detoured many who usually went after the spring salmon. The hole blasters were chased out by the same folks who used to hammer the fish."

In response to the community's overwhelming interest, the Salmon River Restoration Council (SRRC) was created to take the lead in developing insight and cooperation in the community. Community members regularly count fish for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They remain involved, interested and helpful in creating change for a better environment. They are a community, made up of individuals, creating change and working for a better environment.

The protection of a watershed is a community effort. The Cayuga Lake watershed covers 785 squaremiles in which over 120,000 people live and work. This area is too large for a single group to oversee, improve and protect. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that some of the most important lessons learned in effective watershed protection include involvement of and partnerships within the community. Public support drives protection of the environment but public support depends upon public awareness, involvement, and education. The greater the role of the community, the more successful watershed improvement campaigns will be.

Involvement of the community can be accomplished in various ways. One of the most effective is through education. Anne Rheams, Education Coordinator of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation in Louisiana, realized that getting kids from the community out in the field is "the key component of watershed education." She helped start programs to bring inner city kids on field trips to local watersheds and aid the funding of a local Children's Museum for an exhibit on the impact of urban runoff on local lakes.

Similarly, the Anacostia Watershed Society is working to raise awareness in their community by running a "Day on the River" learning program for Washington, D.C. metropolitan area youth. The students go on a five-mile canoe trip down the Anacostia's Kingfisher Canoe Trail where they identify flora and fauna and monitor water quality. They discuss their observations with the group and consider the effects various land use practices have on the river. The exercise is designed to introduce students to the principles of ecology and watershed protection and to emphasize their connection to the natural world — how lifestyle choices affect the environment, and how the environment, in turn, affects their neighborhood and quality of life. Education accomplished in this way can have a longlasting impact and can increase understanding of the issues involved in watershed protection.

Educational programs which involve students can have a direct beneficial impact on the watershed, as in the Rouge River watershed in Detroit, Michigan. A group of motivated students at North Farmington High School got involved in the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network (GREEN) monitoring program. The GREEN program provides "opportunities for young people to understand, improve and sustain watersheds in their community." They teach young people how to assess watershed health with the proper tools and then undertake projects to improveenvironmental quality based on their findings. The students at North Farmington High School analyzed data that they and students from other schools had collected and discovered bacterial contamination down river from a city sewage pumping station. They presented their findings to the city engineer, who then took action by repairing a malfunctioning pump. The students not only learned valuable skills in problemsolving and science but initiated action which contributed to the health of the community. Through experiences such as this, watershed practitioners have learned that the person who delivers the information is an important consideration. In general, peer to peer communication or communication by a neutral source is preferred. Community members, such as students, are often better received than a government official.

Education of community members other than students is equally important but often difficult to accomplish. The folks at the Tiburon Golf Course in Omaha, Nebraska, found an effective way to reach these groups. They developed the "Water Quality Opens" where entrants enjoy 18 holes of golf for a modest fee while they learn about measures the golf course is taking to protect water quality in a nearby lake. Golfers are engaged in active learning exercises as they make their way around the course. Golfers are also provided with a list of "10 Things Golfers Can Do To Help" and asked to complete exercises about non-point-source pollution and prevention. A unique educational feature of the tournament is that people from all walks of life are brought together in a casual environment conducive to learning about watershed issues. The participants are scrambled into teams, thereby facilitating interaction among the broad spectrum of professionals who participate: clergy, attorneys, elected officials, farmers, developers, engineers, and government employees. The tournaments have also helped to stimulate discussions between the golfers and the golf-course superintendent about management practices. As an example, golfers were asked how to solve the "perceived" cattail overpopulation. They overwhelmingly expressed a desire to leave the cattails in place, thus recognizing the water quality benefits of the cattails, and demonstrating the effectiveness of the educational program.

Another component of community involvement in watershed protection is the development of partnerships. Community partnerships are an essential ingredient since no one entity can solve all issues in any given watershed. As Joy Huber of River Voices states, "Far different from the adversarial emphasis of traditional environmentalism, the focus of the watershed approach is to work cooperatively to build healthy watershed communities".

According to the EPA, essential ingredients for effective partnerships include: focusing on common interests, respecting each participant's view point, thanking each other, being willing to learn about others' needs and positions, and building trust. The presence of these factors in partnerships can be critical to success as seen in the Cheat River improvement effort in West Virginia. When a major acid mine blowout turned the Cheat River orange, concerned stakeholders in the watershed mobilized to form Friends of the Cheat (FOC). FOC brought together over 20 groups to restore the Cheat watershed through collaboration, sharing of information, and building on each other's ideas. The various interest groups developed and signed a proclamation called "River of Promise: A Shared Commitment for the Restoration of the Cheat River, West Virginia." Signatories included federal and state agencies, environmental groups, local government, and a coal company. The River of Promise Task Force meets quarterly to monitor progress and coordinate future projects. In 1996, reclamation projects were funded at a total of more than $6 million. "We've got a long way to go," says Dave Bassage, FOC Executive Director, "but water quality has already started to improve. By focusing on partnerships and including a broad range of interests, we have eliminated hurdles and opened doors. We'd rather shake hands than raise our fists, and that strategy has really paid off." He feels that the key to effective partnerships is to get all potential interests in a room together and work towards consensus, rather than try to coordinate from a distance. He notes that the spirit of cooperation is now so strong that it is often difficult to tell which groups the individuals represent.

As in this example, community partnerships should include representatives of key interests in the watershed so that the partnership can tap into their strengths, increase group credibility, reduce duplication of effort, and make optimal use of limited funds. The effectiveness of community partnerships is well illustrated in the work being done at the Fish Creek Watershed, which drains 110 square miles of agricultural land in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio. The creek is noted for having the most diverse assemblage of freshwater mussels in the Great Lakes Basin; 31 species of which three are endangered. Soil erosion and loss of wetlands and forest land threaten the system. Together, partners from a multitude of public and private organizations have succeeded in reforesting land along the creek, fencing livestock, restoring wetlands, and creating a nature reserve. Larry Clemens of the Nature Conservancy, attributes the success of the project to the fact that each partner is able to look beyond his or her organization's "traditional" interests and focus on the needs of the watershed. The benefits of community partnerships are clear as they can lead to wider acceptance and quicker implementation of projects.

Our own Cayuga Lake watershed has a wealth of natural resources including rich forests, wildlife, fisheries and wetlands. The lake is the source of water for many people. It provides recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing, and it is a prominent spot for migrating waterfowl and songbirds. However, the watershed is threatened by problems such as phosphorous pollution from upstream agricultural runoff and animal waste, streambank erosion and sedimentation from the scouring effect of moving water, and heavy metal deposition of lead and chromium.

So, how can we help? We can draw from the above examples for ideas on how to improve and protect our rich resources. In terms of education, we can help students and members of the community learn the meaning and practice of watershed protection by starting a local GREEN program or working with the existing Water Monitoring Group to identify potential problems. We can help teachers to bring the subject alive in the classroom through teacher education programs focused on environmental issues like those offered by the Institute on Science and the Environment for Teachers. We can encourage attendance of the many ecologically-focused field trips led by talented local experts or organize field trips of our own focused on particular issues. We can work with the Science Center on exhibits to promote responsible living. We can make small lifestyle changes to help the environment which, if seen and copied by others, may eventually become the "cool" thing to do by all.

In terms of partnerships, we can work with the already effective Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization which has developed a restoration and protection plan aimed at addressing potential watershed threats. We can stay informed about local developments and think about how proposed plans may impact the watershed. We can participate in discussions which may lead to management plans and decisions regarding the Cayuga Lake Watershed. We can talk to local representatives about issues involving watershed protection and restoration.

Most of all, we can work as a community for the protection and improvement of the Cayuga Lake watershed. Our efforts now will have long lasting benefits. It is up to us as a community to preserve our natural environment and maintain the rich resources for the years ahead. We can all be a positive part of that process.