Targeted Watersheds: Encouraging Successful Partnerships to Protect and Restore Water Resources

 

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New Programmatic Emphasis

The fundamental premise of the Targeted Watershed Grants program is that strong partnerships lead to measurable environmental results. Hence, the continuing goal of this program is to build on the successes of strong public/private partnerships who have been working hard to improve the state of their waterways. This program focuses on achieving incremental yet tangible on-the-ground results in a relatively short time period.

Nominees were required to set clearly articulated goals and objectives that include strong monitoring components. Watershed plans and project proposals were judged on criteria such as:

• Innovation
• Environmental Results
• Broad Support
• Outreach
• Financial Integrity

In addition, this year a programmatic emphasis is being placed on proposals that incorporate market-based incentives, or relate to nutrient loading of the Mississippi River basin which results in hypoxia (dead zone) in the Gulf of Mexico.

Targeted Watersheds for 2004

The list below includes the watersheds that have proved to best meet the goals and objectives of the Targeted Watershed Grants Program for this year. From the outset, the Targeted Watersheds Program has produced a lot of excitement and renewed enthusiasm for watershed partnerships across the country. While competition was high, the myriad of watershed associations, councils, consortia, etc. are to be commended for submitting quality nominations worthy of recognition.

The selected fourteen watersheds cover more than 20,000 square miles of the nation's lakes, rivers, and streams. The watershed organizations will use the funds toward a variety of restoration, protection and trading projects. Money will be used to stabilize stream banks, demonstrate innovative nutrient management schemes, establish pollutant credits, and work with local governments and private citizens to promote sustainable practices and strategies. Grants will range from $700,00 to $1,300,000, with an additional 25% leveraged from other sources.

Watershed	Organization	Location
Nashua River	Nashua River Watershed Association Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell sley.campbell@NashuaRiverWatershed.org (978) 448-0299	MA, NH
Ipswich River	MA Department of Conservation Sara Cohen, sara.cohen@state.ma.us (617) 626-1374	MA
Passaic River	Rutgers University Christopher Obropta obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu (732) 932-4917	NJ
Schuylkill River	The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Kathy Klein, kklein@delawareestuary.org (302) 655-4990	PA
Cape Fear River	Cape Fear River Assembly Don Freeman, Jr., cfra@faynet.org (910) 223-4601	NC
Kalamzoo River	The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of the Pottawatomi Indians David Sprague, http://www.mbpi.org (616) 681-8830	MI
Upper Sangamon River	Agricultural Watershed Institute Stephen John, epeinc2@aol.com (217) 429-3290	IL
Fourche Creek	Audubon Arkansas Rob Fisher, rfisher@audubon.org (501) 244-2229	AR
Upper Mississippi River	Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship Dean Lemke, dean.lemke@idals.state.ia.us (515) 281-3963	IA
Bear River	Bear River Commission Jack Barnett, jbarnett@barnettwater.com (801) 292-4662	UT, WY, ID
Lake Tahoe	CA Regional Water Quality Board Dave Roberts, droberts@rb6s.swrcb.ca.gov (530) 542-5469	CA, NV
Dungeness River	Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Lyn Muench, lmuench@jamestowntribe.org (360) 681-4631	WA
Siuslaw River	Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership Brent Davis, 1brent@ecotrust.org (503) 467-076	OR
Kenai River	Kenaitze Indian Tribe Rita Smagge (907) 283-3633	AK