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WATERSHEDS by Mark Ritchie |
Water quality and wildlife habitat concerns have brought together more than 1000 watershed protection groups across the United States over the past decade. These groups are the leading edge of a new environmentalism. Watershed groups are by definition bio-regional. This place-centered approach to organization creates a consciousness of the inter-connections between all of the activities of the area and the ultimate quality of the water that flows over the land.
Implicit in watershed organizations is a recognition of environmental problems and the need for collective action and some form of regulation to change the behaviors that are causing the problems. Most organized watershed associations involve nearly all of the individuals in the catchment. This means that everyone, no matter their political affiliation or personal philosophy, are part of the process. Most watersheds flow into large metropolitan areas where they affect drinking water and industrial water supplies. This creates the potential for urban-rural conflict or the possibility of connections and cooperation. The voluntary, negotiated and incentive-based efforts of many watershed initiatives point the way towards new approaches to natural resource conservation and protection that may be a wave of the future for new environmental protection regulation.
1. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Produce a Website and bi-monthly internet-based newsletter on watersheds. Includes a directory of watersheds and technical support organizations, links to lots of water and watershed related sites, a directory of consultants and scientists willing to help watersheds, and a calendar of key watershed events.
2. Conservation Technology Information Center's Know Your Watershed
Perhaps the most comprehensive of any watershed Website, it contains a huge library of resources and calendar. Also includes information on best management practices for both farmers and urban areas.
3. EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
Describes EPA's watershed philosophy, lists watershed-organizing tools and advice, and contains EPA's watershed-related publications. Linked to this site is EPA's Surf Your Watershed site, which allows the user to identify their watershed through several different methods. A wealth of information about that watershed is then provided, including geographic data, partnerships, water uses and impacts, etc.
4. River Network Online
The mission of the River Network, a non-profit umbrella organization for grass-roots watershed groups, is to assist with the protection and restoration of rivers and watersheds. The site includes an excellent compilation of watershed-related events and resources.
5. International Rivers Network
The International Rivers Network's Website publicizes threats to watersheds around the world. Available in five languages, the site has a wealth of information about IRN's campaigns and publications, as well as world watershed-related headlines.
6. American Rivers
Founded in 1973, American Rivers is North America's leading river-saving organization. The Site is updated frequently with news stories that affect the grassroots.
Mark Ritchie is the President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, in Minneapolis.