Build Partnerships - Results and Next Steps

The first stage in developing a watershed plan is to identify and engage interested parties who have knowledge, resources, energy, authority, and wherewithal to assess the watershed and its problems, establish meaningful goals and achievable targets, and devise and implement strategies that achieve their objectives. Involving a broad array of partners in a watershed management exercise ensures ongoing `reality checks' and provides a degree of legitimacy and credibility that is not available to an in-house or single agency effort. Successful pursuit of a partnership approach brings a wide variety of skills, data, resources, and interpersonal connections to watershed management.

Creating a partnership requires a mix of people and technical skills, and the ability to engage and involve disparate interests in a manner that appeals to all partners' sense of responsibility for local resources and their commitment to solving problems to improve the community's quality of life.