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Watershed U. is a program
designed to train people from local government, non-profit
and citizen groups, and business to work together and
play effective roles in watershed management, and to become
stewards of their streams. Watershed U. enables groups
to develop common goals, by giving them a background to
understand each others' points of view and increasing
literacy for effective communication.
Unlike these other watershed training programs, Watershed
U. focuses on specific, local watersheds. Our programs
cover the basics of hydrology and ecology, water supply
and flood management, water quality protection, and stakeholder
processes. We develop the course with input from local
stakeholders, to make sure it fits your needs. We generate
understanding of how these elements work in the specific
watershed.
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Physically, a watershed
is an area within which any drop of rain that falls will
end up in a single river, lake, or ocean. But it is more
than that. A watershed encompasses everything that can
happen to that drop of water along its way. The watershed
links together plants, animals, people, businesses, and
anything else that uses water. It is affected by geography,
ecology, economy, society, politics, and culture.
Throughout the country, people are looking for ways to
maximize benefits and minimize costs associated with managing
streams through a process called watershed management.
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Watershed management means
looking at all of the great things streams can do, such
as supply drinking water, provide opportunities for recreation,
and sustain habitat for wildlife. It also means considering
the problems created by the relationship between society
and water, including limited supply, flooding, and pollution.
In conducting watershed management, organizations must
cross boundaries. They may have competing interests, little
knowledge of each other's concerns, and limited communication
skills. They often lack a common language. Watershed U.
helps stakeholders create that language.
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- Deliver a training program tailored for your
watershed
- Focus on the most important issues in your
watershed
- Increase understanding : previous Watershed
U.'s showed a 100% increase in understanding of watershed
issues
- Improve communication among stakeholders
- Act as a springboard for stakeholder
driven management.
If you are interested in bringing Watershed U. to your southern
California community, contact Sabrina Drill, Natural Resources
Advisor, at sldrill@ucdavis.edu,
323-260-3404.
Click here for information about Watershed U. - Santa
Clara
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