Progress and growth are by-words of our modern world. However, urbanizing landscapes are replacing agricultural lands and forests resulting in lost wildlife habitat and deteriorating water quality. Rapid development surpassing infrastructure completion can cause stormwater runoff that pollutes streams, further endangering wildlife habitat. In many areas of the Northwest, streams run through properties adding charm and value to the home as well as responsibility for the homeowner. These are but a few of the issues facing the 21st Century Cooperative Extension. The traditional constituency of agricultural producers remains the priority in large areas of the region. However, cities keep growing, pushing out into former agricultural lands, changing the face of the land, and broadening the scope of Extension’s educational demands and opportunities. Low Impact Development strategies, when incorporated into community development planning, reduces runoff by causing stormwater to infiltrate into the soils allowing time for filtering and cooling before the runoff enters streams and rivers. Many jurisdictions in rainy, temperate areas in coastal Washington and Oregon are including provisions in ordinances for using these strategies in new construction. Rain gardens and other infiltrative strategy information may be obtained through Master Gardeners and Water Resource faculty in these areas. Photo courtesy of US EPA 4-H programs, devised to interest the urban youth, are offered in metropolitan counties in the region. Some clubs form around urban gardening projects that provide entrepreneurial training or infuse community service principles as youth grow vegetables in low-income neighborhoods. Several counties in the region have instituted after school programs with forestry as the basis for learning. Learning about water quality monitoring, in-stream flows, and revegetation of degraded streambanks empowers the youth and helps to protect and restore urbanizing watersheds. The important relationship of forest heath and economics is a dominant factor for families residing in a community surrounded by forest. More heavily populated areas offer computer and other technology training to high school youth to ready them for the world of business. Water Resources Education for Real Estate Professionals provides real estate professionals and assessors a background in water resource issues. The knowledge gained through these classes helps the developer make better-informed decisions while planning new construction. The classes provide real estate professionals environmental stewardship and water quality information to pass along to their clients.

Master Gardeners’ programs are a prominent part of Cooperative Extension’s urban outreach. Homeowners attend classes that include water resource information that they can then pass along to others during their required outreach activities. The Native Plant Salvage Project teaches residents to use and retain native plants in their landscapes and restoration efforts to protect water resources. Several counties throughout the region have instituted Beachwatchers and Watershed Steward programs that train and support volunteers to lead and participate with their communities in environmental stewardship activities. The training programs provide a comprehensive whole watershed perspective, covering the basics of watersheds, wetlands, streams, water quality, forestry, native plants, wildlife, marine ecosystems, geology, and other relevant natural resource topics. The Pacific Northwest land grant institutions offer science-based information and classes to home and landowners and municipal officials to learn methods to attenuate stormwater runoff, conserve water in the home and garden, and build collaborations within the community to accomplish long-term goals. 4-H Programs, Master Gardener, Watershed Stewards, After School programs, and many other urban oriented activities and fact sheets are offered at no or low-cost to community members. An extended curb design that slows and filters stormwater runoff before it flows into the storm drain. Photo courtesy of Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland, OR. Oregon State University Contacts Virginia Bordeaux, 4-H Project WILD, 503-371-7920, mombear@proaxis.com Karen Buell, Watershed Stewards, 503-566-2906, karen.buell@oregonstate.edu Sam Chan, Watershed Specialist, 503-655-8631, samuel.chan@oregonstate.edu Flaxen Conway, Community Outreach Specialist, 541-737-1418, flaxen.conway@oregonstate.edu Emily Cosci, Watershed Education Coordinator, 503-373-3754, emily.cosci@oregonstate.edu Robert Emmanuel, Water Resources and Community Development, 503-842-3433, robert.emmanuel@oregonstate.edu Mike Gamroth, Water Quality Coordinator, 541-737-3316, mike.gamroth@oregonstate.edu Derek Godwin, Watershed Faculty/Staff Chair, 503-566-2909, derek.godwin@oregonstate.edu Daniel Hoynacki, Sustainable Community Coordinator, 503-587-7897, dan.hoynacki@oregonstate.edu Lindsey Lyons, Natural Resources Faculty, 541-883-7131, lindsey.lyons@oregonstate.edu Megan Kleinbacker, Natural Resources Faculty, 541-776-7371, megan.kleinbacker@oregonstate.edu Tara Nierenberg, Statewide Watershed Education Coordinator, 541-737-8715, tara.nierenberg@oregonstate.edu Patt Opdyke, Community Participation Organization, 503-725-2117, patt.opdyke@oregonstate.edu Oregon State University Publications VTP 29 After the Rain: Urban Runoff video EC 1492 Gardening and Water Quality Protection: Understanding Nitrogen Fertilizers EC 1493 Gardening and Water Quality Protection: Using Nitrogen Fertilizers Wisely EC 1278 Fertilizing Lawns EC 1506 Creating Successful Partnerships, by Pat Corcoran (April 1999) EC 1507 Choosing an Organizational Structure, Mission, and Goals, by Viviane Simon-Brown (April 1999) EC 1508 Effective Meetings Management, by Viviane Simon-Brown (April 1999) EC 1510 Effective Communication, by Flaxen D.L. Conway (April 1999) EC 1511 Dealing with Stumbling Blocks, by Flaxen D.L. Conway (April 1999) EC 1521 Maintaining a Healthy Lawn in Western Oregon PNW 299 Turfgrass Seeding Recommendations for the Pacific Northwest Washington State University Contacts Katherine Baril, Water Resources and Sustainability, 360-379-5610x202, kbaril@wsu.edu Chrys Bertolotto, Environmental Stewardship and Citizen Involvement, 425-357-6020, chrys@wsu.edu Sharon Collman, Community Horticulture, 425-357-6025, collmans@wsu.edu Tonie Fitzgerald, Naturalized Landscapes, 509-477-2164, tjfitz@wsu.edu Jennifer Harte, Urban Edge Agriculture, 253-798-7028, hartej@wsu.edu Curtis Hinman, Low Impact Development, 253-798-3257, chinman@wsu.edu Linda Chalker-Scott, Urban Horticulture, 253-445-4542, lindacs@wsu.edu Bob Simmons, Water Resources, 360-427-9670x690, simmons@wsu.edu Phillip Waite, Urban Planning, 509-335-1426, tara.zimmerman@metrokc.gov Washington State University Publications DVD 0126 Stormwater Management from a Watershed Perspective DVD 0127 Stormwater Management from a Watershed Perspective: Extreme Western Climates EB 1579 Landscape Plants for the Inland Northwest EB 1874 Backyard Composting EB 1930 Creating Effective Groups to Address Pressing Local Problems: A Resource Guide for Watershed Councils in the Pacific Northwest MISC 0250 Workbook for Interest-based Problem Solving in Local Government MISC 0254 Perennials in the Inland Northwest Vol. 1 MISC 0255 Perennials in the Inland Northwest Vol. 2 MISC 0304 Gardening in the Inland Northwest VT 0043 Hands-on Science: An EnviroSci Curriculum (2 parts) VT 0123 Improving Community Involvement in Watershed Restoration WREPT 0128 Community Ventures: Focus Groups – A Tool for Understanding Community Perceptions and Experiences Low Impact Development: Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound – available at: http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/Water_Quality/LID/LID_manual2005.pdf University of Idaho Contacts Susan Bell, Urban Horticulture, 208-377-2107, sbell@uidaho.edu Bob Tripepi, Master Gardeners, 208-885-6635, btripepi@uidaho.edu Robert Mahler, Water Quality Coordinator, 208-885-7025, bmahler@uidaho.edu University of Idaho Publications BUL 644 How to Prune Coniferous Evergreen Trees http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/BUL0644.pdf BUL 819 How to Prune Deciduous Landscape Trees http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/BUL0819.pdf BUL 795 Soil and the Environment: A Land and Homesite Evaluation Handbook and Training Guide CIS 873 Water Testing http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS0873.pdf CIS 893 Household Water: Do’s and Don’ts CIS 990 Water Conservation in the Landscape CIS 991 Landscape and Utilities: Problems, Prevention, and Plant Selection http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS0991.pdf CIS 1004 Storing and Treating Emergency Home Water Supplies http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS1004.pdf CIS 1019 Pesticides for the Home Garden and How to Use Them http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS1019.pdf CIS 1027 Care and Maintenance of Your Home Septic System CIS 1068 Fertilizing Landscape Trees http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/CIS1068.pdf

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 Charlotte Clausing: 360-392-4319 cclausing@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.
	PNW 500 Plant Materials for Landscaping: A List of for the Pacific Northwest http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw500.pdf PNW 550 Encouraging Beneficial Insects in Your Garden WREP 134 Community Ventures: Interest-based Problem Solving Process and Techniques The Idaho Master Gardener Program Handbook http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/mg University of Alaska Contacts Julie Riley, Horticulture, 907-786-6306, afjar@uaa.alaska.edu Fred Sorensen, Water Quality, 907-786-6311, dffes@uaa.alaska.edu University of Alaska Publications FGV 49 Pulling Together in Alaska: A Volunteer’s Guide to Community Weed Pulling Events http://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/freepubs/FGV-00049.pdf HGA 231 Recommended Variety List for Southeastern Alaska http://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/freepubs/HGA-00231.pdf HGA 239 Managing Alaskan Lawns: Weed Identification, Prevention, and Control http://www.uaf.edu/ces/publications/freepubs/HGA-00239.pdf Northwest Indian College Contact Dan Burns, Water Resources, 306-392-4299, dburns@nwic.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
	This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No 2008-51130-4734.

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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 March 15, 2007