Watershed Education Program: Assisting communities with watershed education and planning

Abstract

The Watershed Education (WE) Program provides community leaders, citizens, and natural resource professionals with knowledge and tools to make informed water and land use decisions to protect and restore the integrity of Minnesota’s lakes, rivers, and wetlands. The program provides assistance at the watershed level, which means that water-related issues are addressed within areas bounded by geographic features rather than political boundaries. This shift is being adopted by state and federal agencies, requiring those involved at the local level to work differently as well. The WE Program offers physical and biological science education and assistance in stakeholder involvement, planning, and policy development. Specific learning experiences that are offered include topics such as basics of watershed hydrology, lake and river systems, urban and rural runoff, best management practices, aquatic invasive species, use of native plants to improve water quality, the role of citizens in watershed planning and Best Management Practices implementation and education models that have been successful in other watersheds. WE Program staff are committed to working with community leaders to holistically address the issues specific to their watershed. This poster will describe how the University of Minnesota Water Resources Team has changed the way we work by adapting existing curricula and creating new ways to address land use decisions and water quantity and quality concerns for local leaders across Minnesota’s watersheds.