Reimagining watershed restoration: a call for new investment and support structures for greater resiliency and long‐term impact
Abstract
Hundreds of locally based watershed initiatives have mobilized stakeholders to take voluntary action to restore the ecological conditions of North America's watersheds. Lead organizations rely on project‐based grant funding, alignment with government programs, and volunteerism to incrementally restore what is ultimately a vast and complex ecosystem. Structurally, the vision and goals of these initiatives often exceed available resources and capacity. In 1999, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation began to test ways by which a funder might increase the capacity of local watershed organizations to achieve long‐term watershed restoration goals through a 10‐year commitment of funding and technical support. We partnered with other funders, collectively seeking solutions to increase the impact of this work. Reflecting on 13 years experience across 21 watersheds in 7 western states ( USA ), we have concluded that the scale of ecological change desired requires a time frame for planning, implementation, and public engagement that is inconsistent with present‐day approaches. This has left us asking how can the capacity and impact of a watershed initiative be sustained over many decades—a time frame that exceeds the tenure of any individual leader, the proven life cycles of many nonprofit organizations, and the commitment of most funders? Clear themes have emerged:more »
- Authors:
-
- Bonneville Environmental Foundation Portland OR USA
- Reciprocity Consulting Tacoma WA USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 2279827
- Resource Type:
- Publisher's Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- WIRES. Water
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: WIRES. Water Journal Volume: 4 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2049-1948
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Warren, Robert F., Reeve, Todd, and Arnold, Jennifer S. Reimagining watershed restoration: a call for new investment and support structures for greater resiliency and long‐term impact. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1002/wat2.1174.
Warren, Robert F., Reeve, Todd, & Arnold, Jennifer S. Reimagining watershed restoration: a call for new investment and support structures for greater resiliency and long‐term impact. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1174
Warren, Robert F., Reeve, Todd, and Arnold, Jennifer S. Sun .
"Reimagining watershed restoration: a call for new investment and support structures for greater resiliency and long‐term impact". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1174.
@article{osti_2279827,
title = {Reimagining watershed restoration: a call for new investment and support structures for greater resiliency and long‐term impact},
author = {Warren, Robert F. and Reeve, Todd and Arnold, Jennifer S.},
abstractNote = {Hundreds of locally based watershed initiatives have mobilized stakeholders to take voluntary action to restore the ecological conditions of North America's watersheds. Lead organizations rely on project‐based grant funding, alignment with government programs, and volunteerism to incrementally restore what is ultimately a vast and complex ecosystem. Structurally, the vision and goals of these initiatives often exceed available resources and capacity. In 1999, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation began to test ways by which a funder might increase the capacity of local watershed organizations to achieve long‐term watershed restoration goals through a 10‐year commitment of funding and technical support. We partnered with other funders, collectively seeking solutions to increase the impact of this work. Reflecting on 13 years experience across 21 watersheds in 7 western states ( USA ), we have concluded that the scale of ecological change desired requires a time frame for planning, implementation, and public engagement that is inconsistent with present‐day approaches. This has left us asking how can the capacity and impact of a watershed initiative be sustained over many decades—a time frame that exceeds the tenure of any individual leader, the proven life cycles of many nonprofit organizations, and the commitment of most funders? Clear themes have emerged: (1) engaging diverse stakeholders in planning, (2) orienting the work around broader goals, (3) emphasizing human well‐being, and (4) developing resilient partnerships. Reimagining watershed restoration in this context, we suggest a new agenda for action and research that emphasizes a multidecadal planning horizon integrating climate change projections and changing demographics and social values. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1174. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1174 This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness Engineering Water > Planning Water Human Water > Water Governance},
doi = {10.1002/wat2.1174},
journal = {WIRES. Water},
number = 1,
volume = 4,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Sun Sep 04 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1174
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