1. Clayton Cox, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow @ US EPA
Workshop Welcome
Clayton Cox, AAAS Science & Technology Policy US EPA

2. Watershed Stewardship
We all Live in a Watershed
Watershed stewards protect freshwater resources.
Stewardship helps keep streams healthy and builds resilience within the watershed.
Define Stewardship
Master Watershed Stewards...
Assess and identify pollution sources and restoration opportunities
Educate their community on pollution sources and how to reduce them
Engage their community in pollution-reducing action
Implement small rainscaping projects
Reduce pollution sources through behavior change programs (i.e. pet waste, lawn chemicals, outdoor irrigation, etc.)
Connect communities with environmental resources and people who can help restore watersheds
Inspect and/or maintain small BMPs
The Watershed Stewards Academy equips and supports community leaders to recognize and address local pollution problems in their nearby streams and rivers. WSA provides community leaders with the tools and resources they need to bring solutions to these problems, restoring their local waterways and the communities they affect. Each repair by each steward adds up in each and every community, with a “flood” of stewards throughout our local watersheds empowered to transform stormwater to clean water, pollution to solution, concerned resident to master steward.

3. Building Resilience
Resilience is about making people, communities and systems better prepared to withstand catastrophic events—both natural and manmade—and able to bounce back more quickly and emerge stronger from these shocks and stresses. The choices we make now will impact the severity of future events and the ability of social and environmental systems to recover

4. Water is a Precious Resource
Surface Waters only % of all water
Increasing Global Needs
Drinking Water demand 40% more than supply by 2030
70% more Food by 2050
Climate Change
Risk of Flood and Drought
Water Stress is increasing
Global water demand is expected to exceed supply by 40 percent by 2030
Precipitation patterns are changing bringing more flooding and more droughts
Quality of water constantly under threat from development

5. Maintaining Resilience and Preserving Freshwater Resources
Challenge but also an Opportunity to transform water management practices in a way that builds resilience in the freshwater systems, and local communities.
Limited Use
Adaptive Allocation
Transparent Exchange
Social Inclusion & Equity
Environmental Integrity. maintaining environmental functions necessary for good ecological status

6. Ecological Status of Freshwaters
~50% Surface Waters Impaired 50-60% of Wetlands lost ~90% of Floodplains Disrupted €10-20 Billion Annual Flood Costs Value of healthy streams and rivers Trillions of $ annually

7. Benefits of Functional Watersheds

8. We Choose how we Live with Rivers
Natural

9. We Choose how we Live with Rivers
Natural Or
Modified

10. We Choose how we Live with Rivers
Natural Or
Modified
A Compromise

11. Community Monitoring Healthy watersheds depend on
an Informed Public
the Right Decisions
Community Action
Monitoring helps Communities
Address their Interests
Make Informed Decisions
Improve Stream Health
Build Resilience

12. Local Actions- Big Impact
FOCUS
IMPACT
Monitoring at local “Reaches”
Improvements in local “Catchments”
Benefits entire “River Basins”
No Regret
Need Information
Adaptive Management

13. Water Monitoring Partners
Value of Partnerships
Water Monitoring Partners
Thanks to our partners who help make our Citizen Water Monitoring Program a success!
City of Arcata’s Environmental Services Department
City of Eureka’s Stormwater Division
Coast Seafoods Company
Humboldt County Department of Environmental Health's Ocean Monitoring Program
Humboldt County Department of Public Works
North Coast Laboratories
North Coast Stormwater Coalition
North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
Pacific Watershed Associates
Salmon Forever
State Water Resources Board’s Clean Water Team
Sustainable Watershed Management Requires:
Governance
Balance of Uses
Quality
Protected Areas
Partnering
Increases Capacity
Magnifies Impact
Leverages Resources

14. Thank You!