Community-Based
Watershed Restoration
Partnerships
Accomplishments for fy 2001
Accomplishments for FY 2001 C1
C2 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
ommunity-Based Watershed Restoration
Partnerships demonstrate innovative ways to
improve watershed, forest, range, water, and habitat conditions at a river-basin scale. A number of
these multiyear projects were developed in partnership with Federal, State, local and tribal governments; communities; and private individuals.
Work is accomplished by using a combination of
public and private money and time donated by
individuals and groups.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Forest Service was the impetus for working collectively across ownerships to solve watershed issues. In
1999, the USDA Forest Service initiated partnerships for 15 watersheds across the Nation. It is the
only partner that is involved with all of these watersheds. The National Headquarters provides additional funds to each partnership so that new ways of
management and doing business may be tried.
This is the second report on the progress of
these imaginative partnerships and their efforts to
manage lands throughout a watershed. The partnerships continue to make progress toward their
goals—adjusting and reinvigorating the efforts
with additional allies—and restoring the health of
C
Restoration activities provide—
● Cleaner drinking water
● Increased fish populations
● Healthy wetlands and forests
● Decreased risks of wildfire
● Reduced insect and disease infestation
● Improved recreation experiences
● Unpolluted water as a result of road
closings and wiser agricultural practices
● Protected streambanks
● Abundant wildlife habitat
● Fewer invasive, nonnative plants
the watersheds. The interest in results is increasing. Partnerships are becoming stronger; they continue to look at new ways of doing business to
benefit the land, the communities, and the people.
Accomplishments for FY 2001 1
Projects
Project Funding
Trusting that what is learned from this experiment
could be shared and used in other settings, the
USDA Forest Service has invested over $22 million in selected large-scale watershed collaborative
projects. Part of this funding included $11 million
directly from the USDA Forest Service national
office. Funding from the national office was provided for the second year in an unprecedented and
innovative move that accelerated the work accomplished in the watersheds. Field offices redirected
funds to projects in the Large-Scale Watershed
Restoration Partnerships to provide the additional
funding in fiscal year (FY ) 2001. Other partners
contributed almost $19 million in funding for specific projects. Uncounted in monetary terms, but
not in the value of the work done, were the thousands of volunteers that contributed to restoring
the health of these watersheds. As a result, national
funds were leveraged an average of two-to-one by
the field offices and their partners.
Total Estimated Expenditures in FY 01
(In Millions)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . . . 11.5
Other USDA
Forest Service
Offices . . . . . . . . . . 11
Other
Partners . . 18.8
Project Selection
From more than 60 very worthwhile projects that
competed for project funding in 1999, 15 largescale watershed projects were selected to become
national prototypes for more visionary management of ailing watersheds and ecosystems. Located
in 27 States, these watersheds provide water for
millions of people and habitat for numerous sensitive and threatened species.
2 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Fifteen Large-Scale Watershed
Restoration Projects
States
Involved
Blue Mountains Demonstration Area
OR
Chattooga River Watershed
GA, NC, SC
Conasauga River Watershed
GA, TN
Lost Rivers National Learning Site
ID
Lower Mississippi Alluvial Delta
AR, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, TN
New York City Watershed
CT, NY
Pacific Coast Watershed
OR, WA
Potomac River Watershed
DC, PA, MD, VA, WV
Rio Peñasco Watershed
NM
St. Joe Ecosystem
ID
Upper Kootenai Watershed
MT
Upper Pit River Watershed
CA
Upper Sevier River Community Watershed
UT
Upper South Platte Watershed
CO
White River
VT
capital and community interest. Existing restoration work was unified, multiplied, and strategically
folded into watershed assessments and plans.
Perhaps most importantly, most of the program’s
funds have gone to on-the-ground projects.
From the Pacific Northwest forests to New York
City’s watershed, new technologies are being
developed, including the pioneering of electronic
ear-tags to manage cattle grazing near streams, and
modifying wood fibers to absorb pollutants from
surface runoff. Funded plans for the next 2 years
pledge to continue work at an even greater pace.
Project Implementation
To ensure that the projects were based on a partnership approach, specific requirements were
attached to the funding provided by the USDA
Forest Service. Project partners were required to—
● Develop a standardized business plan
● Establish accountability mechanisms
● Develop new public and private partnerships
and strengthen existing ones
● Identify on-the-ground work accomplishments
based on clear objectives
● Provide an annual report
● Develop and follow a 5-year self-sufficiency
funding plan
In FY 2001, collaborative teams—
● Established over 169 miles of riparian forests and 300 acres of native
grasslands.
● Restored over 3,345 acres of wetlands.
● Improved the health of over 30,400 acres of forests through the use of
thinning, prescribed fire, fuels reduction, and tree planting.
● Rehabilitated over 700 miles of roads.
● Restored over 180 miles of stream habitat and stream banks.
● Restored over 3,525 acres of wildlife and upland habitat.
● Treated over 21,000 acres of noxious weeds.
● Improved over 145 recreation sites and 200 miles of trails.
As part of the business plan, each watershed
project must have a communication and education
component; use adaptive management, or “learning by doing,” as a central principle; and use scientific findings to set priorities for projects and to
guide planning and decisionmaking. Business
plans are periodically revised to reflect ongoing
decisions on funding, project work, and the needs
of the partnership.
With these collaborative projects, people work
together to determine how to improve and sustain
the health of entire watersheds, regardless of ownership. Teams agree on priorities and do the most
important work first, using grants and agreements
to stretch resources. Alternatives are developed
that allow everyone’s issues, concerns, and goals to
be considered, ensuring better results.
● Provided over $3.5 million to more than 100 local contractors for
restoration work.
Project Accomplishments
The second year’s accomplishments are more significant than the first’s. Progress towards long-term
gains is becoming more evident; the communities
can see how much they are achieving through partnerships. The process of reevaluating their goals
and projects tightened the focus for each selected
watershed, helping identify other partners who
could collaborate for the common good. Existing
partnerships were strengthened by the infusion of
● Working with the media to share accomplishments.
● Established two additional sites to demonstrate wood-fiber filters for
pollution abatement.
● Provided over 50 million board feet of forest products for restoration
activities.
● Completed over 20 community fire plans.
Additional work, not so readily counted yet equally important:
● Conducting workshops and seminars for local communities, volunteers,
and schoolchildren.
● Assessing watersheds to determine conditions and prioritize work.
● Meeting with partners to develop plans and encouraging new partners to
join.
● Making defensible spaces around homes.
● Developing inventories, designing, and mapping to determine where and
when projects are done.
● Providing economic support for local businesses and contractors.
● Assisting schools, universities, and other specialists in conducting
research.
Accomplishments for FY 2001 3
Partnerships
uilding momentum toward on-the-ground
accomplishments has not been easy at any site.
All locations have faced major local conflicts over
values, disagreement on priorities, and lack of
understanding of issues. But the efforts to overcome differences among partners and collaborate
for the common good are testimony of the passion
for success. Better, broader, and faster results come
from communities intent on planning, collaborating, and acting decisively.
Partnerships have included new alliances of
every type—public and private, large and small.
From the hardwood forests of the Mississippi
B
Categories of Par tners
Private Landowners
Number of Groups
Thousands
Conservation Organizations
17
Environmental Organizations
14
Wildlife and Fish Organizations
6
Industry Organizations
9
State Government Organizations
30
Local Government Organizations
43
Universities
13
American Indian Tribes
5
Federal Government Organizations
13
4 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Delta to the Green Mountains of Vermont, community development is happening on many levels
and attests to the connection between ecological
and economic health. Personal contacts and networking have joined with media and public education events to promote the value of collaboration.
The combination is potent. The lessons are
powerful and transferable. They can also describe
what happens when degradation is reversed and
whole watersheds begin to heal. When knitted
together strategically, restoration projects start to
multiply their effects.
Only by collaborating with diverse groups of
people—some who depend on the watershed for
their livelihood, others who cherish the land, and
organizations that want to create a vigorous landscape—can teams of partners bring these watersheds back to a vibrant, healthy condition and
sustain them. Americans are expressing their
views, working with their neighbors, and achieving
the results they want.
As each of the following descriptions demonstrates, these unique partnerships are proving that
sustaining watershed restoration takes an innovative team approach. The approach blends sharing a
long-term vision; collaborating to make decisions
within complex landownership patterns; and sharing costs, workloads, and new ways of thinking
and acting. These are all essential for effective
watershed restoration. Working together makes
the difference.
For additional information, visit the Web site:
http://www.fs.fed.us/largewatershedprojects/
Blue Mountains
Demonstration Area
he purpose of establishing the Blue Mountains
Demonstration Area (BMDA) in eastern
Oregon was to develop and implement a widely
accepted landscape strategy to restore watersheds
and preserve rare and highly valued ecosystems,
while providing communities with multiple benefits that are sustainable and compatible with the
ecosystem’s capabilities. The BMDA encompasses
over 3 million acres of Federal, State, and private
lands. The project uses a collaborative process to
prioritize restoration work based on subbasin
resource assessments and watershed analysis.
FY 2001 accomplishments demonstrate the
effectiveness of collaboration in achieving watershed restoration and community health goals.
Completion of the Blue Mountains
Demonstration Area Charter and Restoration
Strategy unified the diverse objectives and efforts
of partners and fostered accomplishment of shared
priorities.
T
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
BMDA participants completed 97 projects on
Federal land, including:
● Restoring 1,004 acres of wetlands and uplands,
132 miles of stream, 123 miles of roads, and 39
miles of trails.
● Reducing wildfire risk on 6,049 acres.
● Thinning 9,716 acres.
● Controlling noxious weeds on 18,250 acres.
BMDA participants funded 26 projects on private
land, including:
● Thinning and reducing forest fuels on 800 acres.
● Controlling noxious weeds on 3,535 acres.
● Restoring 163 acres of wetland.
● Completing 4 miles of stream restoration and 5
miles of road restoration work.
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . $2,800
Local Forest
Service Offices . . . $5,100
Other
Partners . . . $2,000
Participants in the BMDA completed cooperative action plans for 14 communities listed as “At
Risk” in the National Fire Plan. Of the $2,467,600
in contract work that was awarded, $800,000 was
awarded locally. BMDA participants developed a
new contract approach that merges procurement
and timber contracting authorities. Nine displaced
timber workers began a new training program.
Funding
Because the BMDA is a partnership-based effort,
identification of all contributions is difficult. The
chart displays the FY 2001 budget based upon the
project descriptions. The chart likely underrepresents partner contributions.
Project Coordinator
Bob Rainville
Phone: 541-962-6537
E-mail: rrainville@fs.fed.us
Web Site:
http://www.fs.fed.us/bluemountains
Accomplishments for FY 2001 5
Chattooga River
Watershed
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . $2,043
Local Forest
Service Offices . . . . . . $50
Other
Partners . . . . . . . $500
ocated within a corner of the three adjoining
States of Georgia, South Carolina, and North
Carolina, this watershed is the Nation’s first designated Wild and Scenic River basin. A population
of over 25 million people has ready access to this
resource, which contains some of the best coldwater trout fishing and whitewater rafting in the
Southeastern United States. Approximately 68
percent of the 180,000-acre watershed is National
Forest System land.
Aimed at improving water quality and aquatic
habitats, proposed activities are related to road
reconstruction, redesign, and maintenance; bank
stabilization; prescribed burning; and development
of additional trail systems and semideveloped
campsites. The partnership aims to significantly
improve the water quality by working to improve
watershed health and restore degraded areas.
Public and private interests all share responsibility
for the watershed. Partners will continue to
develop long-lasting cooperative activities to
resolve watershed issues across all ownerships and
interests.
L
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Project partners:
● Inventoried 20 miles of streams.
● Monitored 46 stream reaches.
● Rehabilitated 40 miles of trails.
● Rehabilitated 22 miles of roads.
● Maintained 150 miles of roads.
● Revegetated 15 acres of illegal ATV trails.
● Rehabilitated 19 campsites.
● Rehabilitated 6 miles of county roads.
In addition to the easily quantified work, project
partners accomplished numerous other activities,
including establishing the Stekoa Creek
Watershed Group; performing inventory and
monitoring work, hosting stream cleanup days,
undertaking several research projects; locating
chestnut seed sources; and working with garden
clubs, universities, volunteers, and other specialists
to aid endangered species habitats.
Funding
In addition to time and materials, several partners—including the University of Georgia
($16,500), Environmental Protection Agency
($183,200), and the U.S. Probation Office
($4,500)—contributed funds.
Project Coordinator
Randy Fowler
Phone: 706-782-3320
E-mail: dlfowler@fs.fed.us
6 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Conasauga River
Watershed
n 1994 the Cherokee and Chattahoochee
National Forests joined with other community
members to form the Conasauga River Watershed
Alliance. A strong collaborative history of community interest and interagency support is the basis
behind the Conasauga River Watershed
Restoration Project. The Conasauga River is a
Category 1 priority watershed in Georgia’s Unified
Watershed Assessment. Eighteen miles of the river
and 54 miles of its tributaries are on Georgia’s List
of Impaired Waters for fecal, metal, toxic chemical,
sediment, and nutrient pollution. In addition to
being the primary potable water source for Dalton,
GA, the river provides approximately 30 million
gallons of water per day for use by the carpet
industries around Dalton. The Conasauga River is
also home to more than 90 species of fish and 42
species of mussels, including 12 federally listed
species. Most sensitive species are downstream
from the national forests in areas characterized by
slower gradients, lower elevation, limestone geology, and thicker streambed substrates than the
headwaters.
FY 2001 was a significant year in the restoration
of the Conasauga River watershed by the 25 active
partners in the Conasauga River Alliance.
Community leaders exhibited a strong stewardship
ethic and were assisted by private organizations
and government programs. Landowner cooperation remains key to the restoration efforts.
I
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Chicken producers participated in the Federal
Government cost-share program and built seven
dead-chicken composters. By allowing farmers to
safely decompose thousands of dead birds, these
sheds answer a major water-quality concern. In
addition, landowners installed grass or forested filter strips to protect miles of perennial streams and
riverbank.
Through Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) section 319 grants, several demonstration
projects were installed. The Limestone Valley
Resource Conservation and Development Council
was able to financially help two needy families
install septic systems. The Nature Conservancy,
State water quality agencies, and wildlife resource
agencies all contributed financial support to match
the EPA grant.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature
Conservancy, The Tennessee Aquarium, USDA
Forest Service, and others are assisting the
Tennessee Southeast Aquatic Research Institute
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $435
Local Forest
Service Offices . . $140
Other
Partners . . . $1,209
with its successful propagation of rare mussels and
snails. The institute began to augment stream populations with thousands of juvenile mussels, and
completed a comprehensive survey of mussel populations.
Watershed managers use data collected from
three Southern Research Station research projects:
(1) ecological classification system mapping, (2)
vegetation and water quality response to prescribed
fire, and (3) road sediment assessments. These
studies address critical management issues in the
watershed and are being incorporated into management treatments for 2002 and beyond.
Cohutta/Big Frog Wilderness managers are in
their second year of intensive campsite inventory and
riparian zone evaluation. The Limits of Acceptable
Change process has formed a task force of citizens
and agency staff to develop new regulations.
This was another year of successful partnering in
conservation education. Twenty-five partners
joined forces to provide 70 teachers with a 2-day
workshop focused on the ecology and restoration
of the watershed. Partners also joined forces to
start a new interactive Web site.
The science committee of the Conasauga River
Alliance met and discussed the imperiled aquatic
fauna in the Coosa Basin. The group recommended critical habitat acquisitions and resource
treatments to protect listed aquatic species. The
most critical habitat to protect in the entire Coosa
Basin was determined to be a tributary of the
Conasauga River in Murray County, GA.
Project Coordinator
Kent Evans
Phone: 706-632-3031
E-mail: kevans@fs.fed.us
http://www.conasaugariver.net
Accomplishments for FY 2001 7
Lost Rivers
National Learning Site
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $120
Other
Partners . . . . . $45
he Lost River Valley, just over the hill from Sun
Valley, ID, is nationally known for its unique,
majestic landscape and wildlife habitat. The valley
is also becoming known for the conflict that has
arisen during the past 10 years over natural
resource use and management. Because 96 percent
of the land is public land, the local economy
depends on Federal land for income-producing
activities, such as grazing, recreation, and timber.
Since only 4 percent of the land is private land, the
area has virtually no property tax base and populations are declining. In many cases, land management policies and turnover at agencies hinder
individual and collective efforts to create a more
stable economy and sustain the natural resources.
The Lost Rivers Project team includes people
who have decisionmaking authority for lands
within the watershed and the people who will be
affected by the decisions made on the land. The
team is trying to create holistic goals that will be
the context by which all decisions are made.
T
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
The Lost Rivers Project team:
● Gave numerous talks about the purpose of the
learning site and about holistic management.
● Pulled baseline data on a 15,000-acre private site
and on public lands.
● Began holistic management planning with a private landowner.
● Brought several environmental groups together
to become part of the Core Planning Group.
● Developed broad and crucial relationships with
State economic development administrators.
● Worked with families in the Antelope drainage
to develop immediate and long-term fire-hazard
reduction plans.
● Gathered historical social and economic data on
the Big Lost and Little Lost River Valleys.
● Began collecting broad biological, social, and
economic information about the well-being of
the community.
Project goals include improvements in the
health of domestic animals and in land productivity. The efforts to change animal management and,
therefore, improve the health of the land are tied
directly to efforts to decrease inputs and encourage
improved marketing and distribution.
Funding
Access to funding for this project was secured in
August 2001; therefore, the project team was not
able to accomplish all of its goals and is now working to catch up. Partner contributions, in terms of
time donated, to this effort have exceeded monetary funding. The team has just put in place the
tracking systems needed to identify the costs,
matching contributions, and in-kind work.
The project team received a National Fire Plan
project grant of $50,000 to cover the Antelope
Fire-Hazard reduction plan, and has commitments
of $40,000 in private matching for each of the next
2 years.
Project Coordinator
Shannon Horst
Phone: 505-842-5252
E-mail: shannon@holisticmanagement.org
8 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Lower Mississippi
Alluvial Valley
n colonial times, the bottomland hardwood forest of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley
occupied 24 million acres in parts of 7 States. Now
less than 5 million acres exist. Deforestation and
the development of flood control projects resulted
in the loss of critical wildlife and fish habitat,
decreased water quality, reduced floodwater retention, and increased sediment loads.
The restoration journey has begun. Numerous
agencies and organizations—including the Fish
and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, State natural resource agencies, USDA Forest Service,
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection
Agency, Business Council for Sustainable
Development, Delta Council, and Lower
Mississippi Valley Joint Venture—are playing a
variety of roles in restoring this valuable ecosystem. Restoring the Delta, the partnership work
program, seeks to catalyze and expand existing
partnerships among the public and private interests, addressing restoration needs and management
challenges.
I
and Wildlife Service, and USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service initiated development of Geographic Information System-based
restoration focus areas in Arkansas.
A partnership effort including the Mississippi
Forestry Commission, AFC, USDA Forest
Service, and Ducks Unlimited identified bottomland hardwood sites on the Delta National Forest
and the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest to be
developed as seed production areas.
Project partners—including the landowner,
USDA Forest Service, Ducks Unlimited, Mississippi
Forestry Commission, and the Mississippi Partners
Project— restored 335 acres of private land in
Mississippi. The project includes both bottomland
hardwood and hydrology restoration.
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $500
Other
Partners . . . . $345
Project Coordinator
Gary Young
Phone: 601-206-5466
E-mail: gyoung@ducks.org
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
A partnership between the USDA Forest Service,
Ducks Unlimited, and the Lower Mississippi
Valley Joint Venture Office completed development of the overall goal, approach, and framework.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,
Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC), USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ducks
Unlimited, USDA Forest Service, and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service committed to implement
Restoring the Delta in Arkansas.
A partnership between the AFC, Arkansas
Multi-Agency Wetland Planning Team, Ducks
Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish
Accomplishments for FY 2001 9
New York City
Watershed
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $115
USDA Forest Service
State & Private
Forestry . . . . . . $1,300
Other
Partners . . . $2,000
grarian and forested watersheds located in
portions of eight New York counties produce
more than a billion gallons of water daily to supply
the 9 million residents of the metropolitan area.
Besides providing a reliable flow of high-quality
water, these forests and farms provide wildlife
habitat, forest products, recreation, and scenic
beauty. Forests are a key component of the New
York City water supply system. A New York City
Watershed Partnerships’ project includes research
to reduce pollution, as well as helping landowners
understand and restore the watershed.
The NYC Department of Environmental
Protection is working with farmers and forest
landowners to maintain a traditional open-space
landscape that creates rural economic opportunities while protecting the water supply. Voluntary,
open-space protection keeps both water quality
and the economic viability of farming as a preferred watershed land use.
The use of locally grown wood fibers for filtration could provide a new market for forest products. The filtration system reduces phosphorus
from nonpoint sources. The study filters are made
of low-grade forest products and forest wastes. The
entire process of producing a filtration system
derived from forest products is oriented toward
involving the forest products industry in watershed
management research. The technology will be
more cost effective than treating the raw water
supply. Efforts toward improving wood use and
developing new products will strengthen local
industry, enhance the profitability of forests as a
beneficial low-density use of land, and help maintain the overall health and long-term sustainability
of the forests.
A
The New York City Watershed Forestry
Program—cooperative effort of the USDA Forest
Service, New York City and State, and the
Nonprofit Watershed Agricultural Council—is
providing assistance to private landowners by:
● Helping in forest stewardship and planning efforts.
● Demonstrating Best Management Practices
(BMP) to maintain and improve water quality.
● Communicating the importance of forest lands
to water quality.
● Promoting sustainable, forest-based economic
development.
● Applying wood research and technology to
mitigate water pollution.
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Project partners:
● Developed the filtration media and usage system.
● Concentrated on the removal of phosphates
from milk-house waste.
● Confirmed that zinc, iron, or aluminum impurities are needed in wood fiber filters to enhance
phosphate reduction.
● Supported forest stewardship planning on
31,000 acres.
● Funded a Timber Skidder Bridge Loan program.
● Completed eight management plans on 111 acres.
● Restored riparian forest buffers on 7 miles of
agricultural lands.
● Established four model forests for demonstration
and education, as well as monitoring and research.
● Completed a Green Connections education
project between four urban and rural classrooms.
● Funded 19 businesses employing 375 people
through a Forestry and Wood Products Program.
● Completed conservation easements on 770 acres.
Watershed outreach and education efforts
reached 20,000 citizens, and over 300 landowners
in the watershed attended workshops.
Funding
The $1.2 million Watershed Forestry Programs
Rural Development funds were matched by local
businesses to support a range of projects, from computer upgrades to woodworking apprenticeships.
Project Coordinator
Research: James Han
Phone: 608-231-9423
E-mail: jhan@fs.fed.us
Landowner Assistance: Al Todd
Phone: 410-267-5705
E-mail: atodd@fs.fed.us
10 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Pacific Coast
Watershed Partnership
emographically and economically, the Pacific
Northwest is one of the fastest growing
regions in the United States. Coastal areas of the
Northwest have seen particularly heavy development. The cost of this growth has been an increasing need for energy, housing, transportation
systems, and food production. This has in turn
produced a landscape with highly altered hydrology, drained wetlands, fragmented forests and
riparian areas, increased exotic plant species,
blocked fish passage, threatened fish and wildlife
species, and increased heavy nutrient and sediment
loads in rivers and streams.
A diverse mix of Federal, State, and private
lands distinguishes the coastal region. Every
Oregon congressional district and 80 percent of
Washington’s congressional districts are within the
area enhanced by the partnership. Most of the
watersheds are in public ownership. Within them
lie potentially productive estuaries, broad flat valley
bottom streams, and flood plains that are in private
ownership. Restoring these watersheds can only
happen when partners work together to bridge science and practical applications.
The Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership
restoration efforts are designed to recover and protect salmon and other aquatic species and migratory birds, as well as improve and protect water
quality to contribute to the livable environment
that has been the hallmark of the Pacific
Northwest. More than 40 Federal, State, and private partners are working together across 5 watersheds to tackle the complex challenges facing the
dynamic and invaluable coastal ecosystems.
D
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $855
Local National
Forest Offices . . . $505
Other
Partners . . . $5,500
Forest’s partnership efforts integrated dozens of
large-scale watershed restoration projects across
ownership boundaries.
The Foggy/Eden Planning team of the
Rogue/Siskiyou National Forest undertook an
integrated watershed scale assessment on 9,000
acres. The team took an innovative approach to
holistic interdisciplinary restoration. The team
received regional recognition and will become a
template for future restoration in the Coquille
basin. The Integrated Resource Plan is complete,
and the associated National Environmental Policy
Act document is nearing completion.
Project Coordinator
Margaret Petersen
Phone: 503-808-2414
E-mail: mpetersen02@fs.fed.us
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest produced a 28-page, full-color booklet—which will be
distributed electronically and posted on the
Internet—describing partnership activities in the
Skagit River Basin.
The Skagit Watershed Council provided support for the development of a restoration and protection monitoring program.
The Olympic National Forest completed stabilization of the Dungeness Road for sediment
reduction: 7 miles of drainage improvement, rock
surfacing, and unstable fillslope pullback.
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic
Area planted 25 acres of bottomland forest; monitored neotropical birds and planting success; deepened 55 acres to enhance wetlands; and monitored
wildlife use and vegetation response.
Involving nearly 30 Federal, State, and local
public and private partners, the Siuslaw National
Accomplishments for FY 2001 11
Potomac
Watershed Partnership
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . $1,200
Local Forest
Service Offices . . $345
Other
Partners . . . $3,058
he Potomac River is the second largest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay—the heart and
soul of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Often called the
“Nation’s river,” the Potomac flows through the
national capital area, touching the lives of millions
of Americans and foreign visitors each year. The
Potomac River watershed includes an area of 9
million acres in the District of Columbia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West
Virginia. A history of agricultural land use and a
rapidly expanding urban population present challenges for future watershed health.
A watershed assessment provides a large-scale
view of target watersheds, identifying and addressing problems, as well as targeted information
regarding the ecological health of streams, soils,
and forests. This effort will guide future restoration
efforts throughout the Potomac River watershed.
Partnership efforts improve the quality of life—
for plants, animals, and humans—by reducing the
risk of catastrophic fire, reducing the impacts of
mountain harvesting, increasing citizen awareness
of the natural environment, improving forest
health conditions, increasing real estate values, and
enhancing open space.
The planting of riparian buffers throughout the
watershed resulted in the reduction of nutrients
from agricultural or grazing fields, increased habitat, and—by cooling streams and rivers—promoted the restoration of native species. Buffers
also serve to create migratory corridors for species
and reduce the fragmentation of forested acres.
Each acre of restored mature riparian forest will
reduce 152 pounds of nitrogen and 42 pounds of
phosphorous and will intercept 2 tons of sediment
every year. In addition, these efforts will help protect the municipal drinking water supply for the
Washington, DC, area and save more than $2 million in treatment costs.
T
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Project partners:
● Mobilized almost 2,500 volunteers from over
100 different organizations (Department of
Defense agencies to daycare centers) and collected almost 12,000 pounds of native hardwood
seeds that went to State nurseries for the production of seedlings.
● Undertook a strategic assessment and provided
training and information sessions.
● Planned for a Geographic Information Systembased targeting model that will predict restoration capabilities and outcomes.
12 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Began to map acid deposition and evaluate soil
nutrient depletion.
● Conducted outreach seminars and media event
days.
● Held seminars for estate planners.
● Made a significant effort to improve range allotments on the George Washington and Jefferson
National Forests by reinforcing 4,400 square feet
of stream banks, planting riparian areas, and
installing 20,000 feet of cattle fencing.
● Conducted stream bank stabilization and riparian buffer plantings.
● Created trout habitat and fly-fishing streams.
● Held a day-long alternative-logging workshop.
● Completed a fire risk analysis.
● Planted trees at the Luray airport—including 30
white ash, 30 cherry, and 14 tulip poplar trees.
● Conducted a forest health survey.
● Studied the effects of the phomopsis blight of
juniper.
●
Funding
Major partnership contributions included the
Potomac Conservancy ($250,000), the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources-Forest Service
($450,000), the Virginia Department of Forestry
($500,000), and Ducks Unlimited ($460,000).
Project Coordinator
Allison McKetchie
Phone: 703-276-2777
E-mail: mckethchie@potomac.org
Web Site: http://www.potomac.org
Rio Peñasco
Watershed Restoration
ocated in southeastern New Mexico, the Rio
Peñasco Watershed Restoration Project is a
200,000-acre watershed complex that feeds the
Pecos River and Tularosa Basins. Although threequarters of the watershed is located within the
Lincoln National Forest, several communities and
many permanent and seasonal residential subdivisions are also located within the watershed. The
watershed is home to a unique mix of rare and
endemic plant, reptile, insect, and bird species—
including the Mexican spotted owl—that have
Federal and/or State protection status. Past use of
resources, especially fire prevention activities, has
contributed to current watershed conditions—
reduced surface water availability and water quality
and increased invasive nonnative plants. The surrounding forest area is at high risk for catastrophic
wildfire events and insect and disease infestations.
Initial restoration activities will center on re-introducing fire into the urban-wildland interface along
with direct water quality improvements and treatment of noxious weeds.
groups to help raise awareness of collaboration
efforts and financial assistance.
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Activities have focused on the highest priority
acres for fuels reduction. Fire hazard reduction has
been achieved on about 6 percent of the targeted
acres. The Rio Peñasco Partnership completed
watershed improvement projects, including modernizing campground toilets, realigning over 10
miles of road, building six drainage structures to
increase habitat for the endangered Sacramento
thistle, and monitoring 1,200 acres of Cloudcroft
Checkerspot butterfly habitat. These forest health
treatments have the potential to create new butterfly habitat and to protect habitat from catastrophic
fire.
The Mescalero Apache Tribe purchased the
White Sands Forest Products sawmill. This mill
uses area lumber to produce construction-grade 2
by 4s. Through a grant awarded to Otero County,
the existing sawmill will be retrofitted to update
obsolete equipment and add the ability to produce
2- by 6-, 4- by 4-, and 6- by 6-inch lumber and
process smaller diameter material. These improvements are projected to result in 45 additional jobs.
Area citizens and homeowners’ associations are
taking a lead role in reducing fire hazard on private
property. Lincoln National Forest employees have
attended public forums to keep informed of issues
and provide input as appropriate. The forest has
also provided data and support to a county-funded
research project. District and forest employees
have made presentations to local home association
Project Coordinator
Ron Hannan
Phone: 505-434-7200
E-mail: rhannan@fs.fed.us
L
Additional restoration work accomplished by the
partnership includes:
● Completed 1,532 acres of precommercial
thinning.
● Sold 1,000 cords of firewood.
● Completed prescribed burns of 2,000 acres.
● Completed Cloudcroft Depot Area Thinning
Project.
● Upgraded Silver Saddle Campground.
● Relocated 1 mile of power line.
● Completed National Environmental Policy Act
analysis to upgrade the Fir campground.
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $325
Local
Forest Service
Offices . . . . . . . . $295
Other
Partners . . $291
Funding
Funding by major partners included Otero County
($87,000), town of Cloudcroft ($50,000), NM
Department of Forestry ($40,000), and the
Mescalero Indian Tribe ($100,000).
Accomplishments for FY 2001 13
St. Joe
Ecosystem Restoration
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $300
Other Partners . . . $30
ocated in northern Idaho, the St. Joe
Ecosystem Restoration Project consists of multifaceted and integrated activities to improve the
terrestrial and aquatic conditions of the St. Joe
River subbasin, an area that encompasses over 1.5
million acres. As neighbors in this area of intermingled landownership and varied interests, project partners are working together to improve the
land and water resource conditions to maintain
sustainable physical, biological, social, and economic communities.
In FY 2001, a broad approach was taken, including coordinated access management between corporate landowners, the State, and the Idaho
Panhandle National Forest.
L
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Project partners:
● Restored 30 acres of White-bark pine.
● Enhanced 7 acres of road closure.
● Completed prescribed burning for wildlife habitat on 512 acres.
● Sprayed for noxious weeds on 72 acres.
● Restored 115 sites in Heller Creek.
14 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Completed riparian planting on 5 acres of the
North Fork.
● Removed 1 dam and replaced culverts to reduce
fish blockages.
● Obliterated 4 miles of road.
● Inventoried 7,000 acres of vegetation.
●
Funding
Partners contributed time as well as money to
accomplish these results. Financial contributions
came from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
($5,000); Backcountry Horsemen and Shoshone
County ($5,000); Crown Pacific International,
Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and AVISTA Corporation
($7,000); and the USDA Forest Service’s Northern
Region Partnership Grant ($17,000) and National
Headquarters ($300,000).
Project Coordinator
George Bain
Phone: 208-245-6001
E-mail: gbain@fs.fed.us
Upper Kootenai
Watershed Restoration
ituated in the northwestern corner of
Montana, adjacent to the Canadian and Idaho
borders, the Upper Kootenai Watershed subbasin
is over 1.4 million acres in size and has some of the
most productive and biologically diverse forest
lands in Montana. The area has the lowest elevation, and the wettest, most productive habitats.
The Upper Kootenai River basin is an extremely
important area for recreational activities such as
boating, hunting and fishing, rafting, wilderness
exploration, and travel. Timber harvesting is also
important to the local and statewide economies.
A major accomplishment for the Kootenai
National Forest was completing the Upper
Kootenai Subbasin Review. This document is a
blueprint for restoration, identifying opportunities
that may interest potential partners among other
agencies and community groups. The analysis documents the magnitude of restoration needs and
focuses money on the highest priorities.
The partnership team’s ability to accomplish
restoration in the Upper Kootenai Watershed is
dependent upon establishing strong working partnerships with all potential partners.
S
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration partners completed the Glen Lake Irrigation District
(GLID) Diversion project, replacing the dam with
a series of rock weirs to allow diversion while
maintaining fish passage and the hydrological
function of the channel. This will help the endangered Tobacco Grave bull trout by improving habitat continuity and reducing the potential loss of
several hundred bull trout and west slope cutthroat
trout. Partners involved in the project included
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks;
GLID; American Fisheries Society; the Kootenai
River Network; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service. Positive outcomes included a strong working relationship between the agencies and water
users.
The partners enhanced 2,550 acres of big game
habitat with prescribed fire. Funding sources
included the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation,
Bonneville Power Authority, and the Kootenai
National Forest.
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $300
Kootenai
National
Forest . . . . . . . $2,000
Other
Partners . . . . $150
Road restoration work to reduce sediment in
streams and enhance fish passage was done
throughout the Upper Kootenai Watershed. Work
consisted of installing new road culverts (100+),
replacing undersized culverts (10), surfacing (13
miles), improving road surface drainage, and
bringing roads up to the State’s Best Management
Practices standards (80 miles). The Kootenai
National Forest decommissioned 39 miles of road.
Another 159 miles of road was improved and
brought up to standards by the forest’s timber sale
purchasers.
Aggressive treatment of noxious weeds continued in the subbasin. Noxious weeds can dramatically alter the composition, structure, and function
of native plant communities, reducing biodiversity,
changing species interactions and forage availability, and reducing the system’s ability to buffer
changes. This year the forest treated 2,000 acres
with pesticides and biocontrols.
Project Coordinator
Mark Romey
Phone: 406-293-6211
E-mail: mromey@fs.fed.us
Accomplishments for FY 2001 15
Upper Pit River
Watershed Alliance
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $600
Modoc
National Forest . . $600
Other
Partners . . $640
ituated in northeastern California, near the
Oregon and Nevada borders, the Upper Pit
River watershed is over 3 million acres in size.
Almost 20 percent of the Sacramento River’s water
originates in this watershed. The Upper Pit River
Restoration Project encompasses approximately
500,000 acres within the 2-million-acre Modoc
National Forest. This project will result in benefits
to downstream users from the Pit River to the
Sacramento Bay Delta. The watershed is vital to
the culture, environment, and economics of the
State of California.
For FY 2001, the Pit River Watershed Alliance
(PRWA) was extremely successful in making great
strides toward achieving its goals. The PRWA
established baseline water parameters of the main
stem of the Pit River. The parameters include flow,
nutrients, pathogens, sediment, chemicals, macro
invertebrates, and fish populations. The PRWA
initiated a watershed assessment for the Pit River
that describes the physical, biological, and social
conditions and identifies opportunities for watershed enhancement and restoration.
S
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
The PRWA:
● Enhanced 25 acres of wetland.
● Reduced hazardous fuel on 6,000 acres through
burning or mechanical thinning.
● Completed 5,000 acres of layout for out-year
fuel treatment.
● Completed two in-stream watershed restoration
projects.
● Made 26 range land allotment decisions that
will improve or maintain riparian conditions.
● Enhanced 1,700 acres of wildlife habitat.
● Completed 3,000 feet of riparian restoration on
the main stem of the Pit River.
● Planted vegetation along the main stem of the
Pit River.
The Central Modoc Resource Conservation
District, the local school district, and the PRWA
have established a River Center in Alturas, CA. It
is being developed to serve as an education and
information center for schools and the general
public.
Funding
The PWRA major partner monetary contributions
included the Central Modoc RC&D ($390,000),
Northern Cal-Neva RC&D ($100,000), Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation ($100,000), and
Warner Mountain Range Permittees ($50,000).
Project Coordinator:
Paul Bailey
Phone: 530-233-8810
E-mail: pdbailey@fs.fed.us
16 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Upper Sevier River
Community Watershed
he Upper Sevier River Community Watershed
Project is a collaborative partnership addressing
restoration needs, management challenges, and
research opportunities for rangelands, forest lands,
and aquatic ecosystems in the Upper Sevier River
watershed in rural southwestern Utah. The project
is composed of partners who have knowledge and
expertise in managing watershed resources.
The watershed is extremely diverse in regards to
land ownership and resources. There are over 20
local, State, and Federal agencies currently
involved with the management of this watershed.
In addition, there are numerous private landowners
interested in managing their lands to improve ecological conditions. Such mixed ownership will
offer challenges for collaboration but also offer
tremendous opportunities to develop partnerships.
Only by working together will these owners be
able to achieve the mission of a fully functioning
watershed.
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FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA Forest Service
National Headquarters. . $700
Other
Partners . . . $1,931
Project Coordinator
Rich Jaros
Phone: 435-865-3700
E-mail: sjaros@fs.fed.us
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
7%
2% 3%
3%
17%
5%
38%
12%
3%
10%
Wildlife
Planning
Fire Management
Recreation Area Restoration
Information/Education
Riparian Restoration
Monitoring
Roads
Noxious Weeds
Vegetation Management
Accomplishments for FY 2001 17
Upper South Platte
Watershed
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . $1,025
USDA
Forest Service
Research . . . . . . $600
Other
Partners . . . $1,040
he Upper South Platte River is classified as a
“gold medal water” river and is nationally
known as an outstanding fishery that attracts thousands of fishing enthusiasts yearly.
Overall recreation use in the area is estimated at
over 2 million visitor days per year. The Upper
South Platte Watershed Protection and
Restoration Project was proposed in 1998 by the
Denver Water Board, Colorado State Forest
Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Colorado State University, and the USDA
Forest Service in response to concerns about potential future catastrophic disturbances in the watershed. Three issues are being addressed to respond
to these concerns: landscape patterns of vegetation;
soil development and movement; and water quality,
quantity, and aquatic habitats. Nearly 75 percent of
the water used by the 1.5 million metropolitan
Denver residents comes from or is transmitted
through this river drainage. Planned protection and
restoration activities include a reduction in sediment
delivery, incidence of crown fires, and risks to property in the urban interface, as well as the creation of
sustainable forest conditions in the watershed.
Critical to the Denver metro area’s water supply,
the Upper South Platte has recently experienced
devastating fires. The USDA Forest Service Rocky
Mountain Research Station has been conducting
research on fire ecology within the watershed,
thereby providing a strong scientific base for the
Upper South Platte Watershed Project (USPWP).
The project is fortunate to have a dedicated coalition
of partners that are interested in working together to
restore the watershed’s health, improve habitat and
water quality, and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire.
Monitoring is a crucial element of the project, providing a scientific basis for decisionmaking and a
tool for implementing adaptive management.
T
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
The Pike National Forest completed an environmental assessment for the Upper South Platte that
included vegetation treatments, Buffalo Creek
burn area revegetation, road reclamation, and
access trail improvements.
To help repair damage in Dutch Fred Gulch, 90
volunteers from the Rampart Range Motorcycle
Management Committee organized 6 work parties. In cooperation with a USDA Forest Service
trail crew, and funding from the Colorado Off
Highway Vehicle Program, they rehabilitated
exposed slopes and placed control structures to
restrict motorized recreation to authorized trails.
With tremendous support from Trout
Unlimited, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado
18 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
(VOC), and the Colorado Mountain Club, project
partners restored 1.5 miles of the Gill Trail in
Cheesman Canyon. Work included constructing
25 rock walls, installing 92 stone steps, constructing 2,000 feet of new trail, maintaining 3,000 feet
of existing trail, and closing and restoring 30
unstable trails that were contributing sediment to
the river. Volunteers contributed over 1,200 hours.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service and the Colorado State Forest Service
(CSFS) assisted private landowners in areas that
were burned by the Hi Meadow and Buffalo Creek
fires. Free grass seed was given to landowners, and
7,500 trees and shrubs were donated by corporations and planted by 262 volunteers that put in
2,096 hours. CSFS crews cut fuel breaks and prepared defensive space around structures. Local
scouts helped plant 100 acres of seedlings in the
Buffalo Creek burn area. A weed survey for
Cheesman resulted in 259 acres of weeds treated.
The Trumbull site has served science over the last 2
years by providing test plots for prairie gayfeather
plantings, monitoring of Pawnee montane skipper
numbers, and experimenting with approaches to
improve willow vigor and reproduction.
Funding
In addition to cash contributions from Denver
Water Board ($75,000), CSFS ($150,000), and
other partners ($815,000), volunteers from Trout
Unlimited, VOC, and other groups contributed
close to $60,000 in time on trail projects. USPWP
contributed $12,000 in labor to coordinate educational outreach; corporations and local businesses
contributed almost $20,000 for trees, seeds, and
tools for revegetation on private lands in the wake
of the Hi Meadow fire.
Project Coordinator
Fred Patten
Phone: 303-275-5641
E-mail: fpatten@fs.fed.us
White River
Partnership
n 1996 the White River Partnership formed as a
locally led, needs-driven collaboration between
local citizens, communities, groups and organizations, and State and Federal agencies. The White
River watershed consists of 454,000 acres covering
all or part of 21 towns in central Vermont. The
White River is an important river in the
Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Restoration
Program and a major tributary to an American
Heritage River (Connecticut River). Despite the
watershed’s rich human, cultural, and natural
resources, the partnership faces many challenges
on its journey to build sustainable communities
and provide for natural resource stewardship.
The White River Partnership’s 5-year business
plan addresses the seven priority areas identified in
public forums: water quality, public access to the
river, riparian habitat, point source and nonpoint
source pollution, streambank erosion, maintaining
a working landscape (agriculture and forest), and
public awareness of problems.
I
FY 2001 Restoration Highlights
Partnership accomplishments are divided into five
categories:
Locally Led Watershed Assessments
● Collected—using 30 volunteers—water quality
data at 20 monitoring stations.
● Developed a Flood Hazard Map Study with the
Vermont Geological Survey.
● Surveyed 70 miles of river with the help of 20
volunteers
Economic Sustainability Through the Community
Collaborative
● Developed a watershed map focusing on the
cultural, economic, and environmental points of
interest in the watershed.
● Received commitments of financial support
from communities for the partnership’s water
quality monitoring program.
Capacity Building
● Maintained local stream teams in three
subwatersheds.
● Developed a professional informational
brochure.
● Increased membership by over 120 people that
have joined the partnership as dues paying
members or “Sweat Equity” members in the
past 2 years.
FY 2001
Funding Summar y
(In Thousands)
USDA
Forest Service
National
Headquarters . . . . . . . . $235
USDA
Forest Service
State & Private
Forestry . . . . . . . $105
Other
Partners . . . $68
Project Coordinator
Amy Sheldon
Phone: 802-767-4600
E-mail: wrpamy@together.net
Stream Corridor Restoration
● Restored 1 mile of the upper White River.
● Planted 8,300 feet of buffer.
● Constructed 5,100 feet of in-stream restoration.
● Planted 2,000 trees and willows with the help of
over 200 volunteers, contributing 575 hours.
Outreach and Education
● Designed and implemented a Summer Institute
for teachers.
● Hosted a “Landowner Workshop” to teach riverfront property owners to recognize and manage
stream bank erosion problems.
● Hosted public forums for the Vermont Agency
of Natural Resources Basin Planning process.
● Hosted a “Green-up day” competition between
stream teams in May, a “Paddlefest” in June, and
a “Paddle to the Connecticut” in May.
Accomplishments for FY 2001 19
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its
programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion,
age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not
all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print,
audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,
Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and employer.
20 Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
Accomplishments for FY 2001 C
United States
Department of
Agriculture
Forest Service
FS-745
October 2002
D Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships