Our third annual watershed theme-based satellite conference is scheduled for November 16, 2004. Sustaining community involvement, an often suggested topic received during the two previous conferences, is the focus of the up-coming satellite workshop. Three watershed communities speak from their experience and share successful strategies for drawing local advocacy and community involvement. Through video visits in the communities, we observe diverse organizational models that have created solid partnerships among local governments and natural resource management agencies and fit the community. Interviewing community partners reveals organizational aspects such as the structure and support, processes and evolution, and creation of good relationships through responsive communication.

Photo supplied by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council .

Visiting the Walla Walla River Basin we find concerns ranging across dry-land wheat production, irrigated agriculture, a tribal fishery, and forest interests all meeting at tables on both sides of the of the Washington-Oregon state line to co-manage the water resources for the best future of all interests. The Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative in Boundary County Idaho draws from all segments of the population for a Board that sits as a forum for natural resource management agencies and the community to meet and share concerns for a sustainable environment for all inhabitants. Curry County Oregon’s South Coast Watershed Council is an umbrella group in an area of the Oregon coast featuring incredible diversity: there are five wild and scenic rivers as well as three wilderness areas; several hundred miles of streams and rivers; dozens of rare plants and animals, and a multitude of other attractions as well as forest harvest, agricultural production, and a prosperous tourist industry.

Photo supplied by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/ University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Dan Burns: 360-392-4328 dburns@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	The Project Land Grant Universities, Water Research Institutes and EPA Region 10 have formed a partnership to provide research and education to communities about protecting or restoring the quality of water resources. This partnership is being supported in part by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Our Goal and Approach The goal of this Project is to provide leadership for water resources research, education and outreach to help people, industry and governments to prevent and solve current and emerging water quality and quantity problems. The approach to achieving this goal is for the Partners to develop a coordinated regional water quality effort based on, and strengthening, individual state programs. Our Strengths The Project promotes regional collaboration by acknowledging existing programs and successful efforts; assessing program gaps; identifying potential issues for cross-agency and private sector collaboration; and developing a clearinghouse of expertise and programs. In addition, the Project establishes or enhances partnerships with federal, state and local environmental and water resource management agencies, such as by placing a University Liaison within the offices of EPA Region 10.
	The workshop broadcast on November 16th from 9:00 to 11:30 (PST) gives insight to how these groups have included all interests in habitat protection. Representatives from the watersheds will be live on camera to answer questions by phone or e-mail. A multidisciplinary panel joins the representatives to discuss strategies employed in the case studies as well as others not portrayed. Extension offices are invited to be hosts to their communities for viewing the conference. For more information, please email seago.jan@epa.gov or call Jan at 206-553-0038. Updated information is found at http://wawater.wsu.edu/.
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	NIFA is the Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service, a sub-agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, and is the federal partner in this water quality program.

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HOME | About | Calendar | Contacts | Links | PNW Water Updates | Sitemap NIFA National Water Quality Program This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2008-51130-04734. all external sites will open in a new browser window page last modified on August 27, 2006