Watershed Health Monitoring

Watershed Health Monitoring: Emerging Technologies is a concise reference that defines the concept of watershed health and explains that monitoring the health of watersheds is a critical precursor to adaptive resource management on a watershed basis. The focus of the text is a clear description of an innovative "Closed Loop" model that specifies fo

Although forest health may be difficult to define and measure, a strong demand exists for assessment of forest conditions at various state, regional, and national scales. Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) is a national program designed to measure the status, changes, and trends of forest conditions annually. This report presents a broad view of forest health issues affecting the Interior West region of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. We found that the forests of the Interior West have changed considerably in the past century. What is more difficult to assess is whether humans have promoted change that is irreversible, or whether the change we see in the forested landscape is within healthy bounds. Discussions of forest health and forest cover change, the developed and wildland interface, insect and disease disturbances, watershed health, biodiversity, and air quality comprise the body of this report. This initial report sets the stage for more in-depth reports on forest health in the Interior West by introducing the FHM program, defining "the forest" regionally, discussing prominent issues, and displaying summary FHM data taken from 1996-1999. A website address is provided on the inside back cover of this report to solicit reader suggestions for improving future FHM reports.

In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply. Shortly thereafter, the NRC began an analysis of the agreement's scientific validity. The resulting book finds New York City's watershed agreement to be a good template for proactive watershed management that, if properly implemented, will maintain high water quality. However, it cautions that the agreement is not a guarantee of permanent filtration avoidance because of changing regulations, uncertainties regarding pollution sources, advances in treatment technologies, and natural variations in watershed conditions. The book recommends that New York City place its highest priority on pathogenic microorganisms in the watershed and direct its resources toward improving methods for detecting pathogens, understanding pathogen transport and fate, and demonstrating that best management practices will remove pathogens. Other recommendations, which are broadly applicable to surface water supplies across the country, target buffer zones, stormwater management, water quality monitoring, and effluent trading.

Extensively tested through six years of field use, this completely revised, comprehensive guide gives detailed instruction on watershed inventory & stream monitoring methods. You will learn how to measure & monitor the physical, chemical & biological aspects of your local streams & watersheds. Follow instructions on making homemade sampling equipment, then use the illustrated aquatic insect key to determine the biological health of your stream. Includes sections on producing credible & usable data & presenting that data to decision-makers. The easy-to-read, accessible text is a must for people who want to make a difference in their own watersheds. Designed as a comprehensive field manual, it is appropriate for advanced middle school through college students, as well as elementary teachers & community members who are designing watershed education programs. Reproducible data sheets included. Hundreds of fun & educational illustrations & drawings. 312 pages. A valuable companion to the Guide is the Foundation's Streamkeeper video. The 25-minute video starring Bill Nye "The Science Guy" is an upbeat training tool for teachers, community groups & students of all ages who want to learn more about watersheds & how to take effective action to protect them. Order from: Adopt-A-Stream Foundation, 600 128th St. SE, Everett, WA 98208, 206-316-8592.