d. Community-based Watershed Restoration Partnerships

USFS Community-based Watershed Restoration Partnership (FY2000-2002) — by United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service — last modified 2007-06-10 20:32

Over a century ago, public concern about adequate supplies of clean water contributed to the establishment of federally protected forest reserves. These reserves are now part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA Forest Service) National Forest System. In 1999, the USDA Forest Service refocused on this original purpose and established an innovative approach to restoring watersheds through partnerships—large-scale watershed restoration projects. The USDA Forest Service national office invested in 16 sites across the Nation. Prior to 1999, there wasn’t a strong push for collaboration. The USDA Forest Service determined what was right for the national forests; other land managers and landowners (both public and private) independently determined what was right for their lands. No one considered the total effects on the river basins; nor were attempts made to forecast catastrophic events. The USDA Forest Service has now realized that solutions to watershed issues require working collectively across mixed ownerships within a watershed. By collaborating with other Federal and State agencies, local communities, private landowners, and organizations, the USDA Forest Service can restore large watersheds to healthy and sustainable conditions. The Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships have produced many important successes and outcomes in the short time they have existed. In addition to the resource work shown on page 3, they developed: ● Stronger public-private partnerships ● Greater knowledge of watershed conditions ● Improved watershed health ● Improved water quality and aquatic habitat conditions ● Livable fire-safe communities ● Improved forest health ● Reduced fire hazards ● Less fragmented forests ● Evaluations of restoration success ● More local commitment to watershed management and restoration The watershed partnerships wrote collaborative business plans to guide the work and established functioning working groups with diverse interests. Numerous Federal, State, and local governments; private parties; and nonprofits have been engaged in the projects. Keyword: Community-based Natural Forest Management North America

Review of USFS Community-based Watershed Restoration Partnerships — by Doppelt, B., Shinn, C., Dewitt, J. — last modified 2007-06-10 20:33

SUMMARY, ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS September 2002. In 1999, the USDA Forest Service initiated a program intended to demonstrate how the agency can best engage in and support a landscape (watershed) level partnership-based approach to restoration. Twelve watersheds from across the nation were initially chosen to participate in the program. Three additional watersheds were included in 2000-2001 (see Table 1 for list of projects). This report summarizes the findings of a comprehensive review of the progress achieved by these projects. Dr. Jim Sedell, Inter-Deputy Water Coordinator with the USDA Forest Service, requested that faculty at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University lead the review process. The Community-based Watershed Restoration Partnerships (as the program is now called) is an ambitious effort to test new ways for the Forest Service to define and accomplish its mission and goals. The purpose is to demonstrate innovative approaches to improve water flow and quality, aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, and forest and range conditions, and to reduce the risk of fire at a river-basin scale. Most of the fifteen projects have developed partnerships with federal, state, local, and tribal governments, communities, non-profits, private landowners, and others. Work is accomplished by using a combination of public and private money and donated time and resources. The Forest Service was the impetus in most of the projects for working collectively across ownerships to resolve watershed issues. The national headquarters of the Forest Service provided funds beyond normal levels during fiscal years 1999-2002 to most of the partnerships so that new ways of doing business could be explored. Keyword: Community-based Natural Forest Management North America