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The Watershed Project Michelle LeBeau Jennifer Robinson

Miller Creek Pilot Watershed Project Stewardship Group Formation & Historical Ecology of the Watershed. North Bay Watershed Association March 7, 2008. The Watershed Project Michelle LeBeau Jennifer Robinson. San Francisco Estuary Institute Micha Salomon Meredith Williams Chuck Striplen

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The Watershed Project Michelle LeBeau Jennifer Robinson

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  1. Miller Creek Pilot Watershed ProjectStewardship Group Formation & HistoricalEcology of the Watershed North Bay Watershed Association March 7, 2008 The Watershed Project Michelle LeBeau Jennifer Robinson San Francisco Estuary Institute Micha Salomon Meredith Williams Chuck Striplen Robin Grossinger Josh Collins Linda Wanczyk Photo Courtesy Marin History Museum, Brady Collection

  2. Acknowledgments • Harry Seraydarian - North Bay Watershed Association • Liz Lewis & Paul Curfman - Marin County Flood Control & Water Conservation District • Lucas Valley Homeowners Association • Jeff Haltiner – Hydrologist, Philip Williams and Associates • Ernest Klock - Marin County Dept. of Public Works • Jocelyn Moss, Barbara Eaton - Marin History Museum • Dennis Healey, Robert Taylor - Marin Community Development Agency • Sue Holland - Miller Creek School

  3. Discussion today • Project Overview • Stewardship Formation • Historical Ecology • Future directions

  4. Project Goals and Approach • Stewardship Group Formation: • Establish an organization • Develop the funding plan • Historical Ecology Study • Historical & existing conditions • Landscape change assessment • How can Historical Ecology be used to promote stewardship and further community watershed understanding? • Will informed stewards use their historical understanding to establish ecological goals? enhance steelhead habitat protection efforts? • Can Miller Creek residents use HE to inform bank and riparian restoration efforts?

  5. Key Project Learning • Effective partnership • Good community participation in both aspects of the project • Successful launch of stewards group • Challenging final products

  6. Miller Creek Watershed Stewards • Strong government encouragement • Generated public interest • Core team established • 4 public outreach meetings • Fiscal sponsorship • Future funding sources identified

  7. A Resource Guide for Community Stewardship Efforts Over 50 active community-based organizations or groups in the San Francisco Bay Area to protect our valuable water resources Organizations take many forms, from formal to informal, calling themselves Keepers, Alliances, Fields of, Stewards, Watershed groups or watershed organizations, among others Sustainability is a growing issue for all watershed efforts

  8. When starting a watershed stewardship organization, all parties with any stake in the watershed should be identified and informed • Create a database or some type of tracking system for community contacts Community Organizing

  9. Structuring a Community-Based Organization Steps for Finding the Right Structure for Your Organization Step 1: Focus & Purpose Step 2: Organizational Structure Step 3 : Action Plan Step 4 : Annual Budgeting

  10. Project and Program Management (Contd…) • Examples of common Projects undertaken by watershed organizations • Creekside Re-Vegetation Projects • Native Plant Demonstration Gardens • In-Class Creek Ecology and urban runoff education • Storm Drains Stenciling Campaign • Production of Creek Care Best Management Practices Guidelines • Volunteer Water Quality and Macro Invertebrates Monitoring Program • Compilation of Oral Histories of Long-Term Residents of the Watershed • GIS Mapping of the Creek or of the Places of Interest • Development and Installation of Watershed Signs • Pollution Reduction Campaigns • Advocacy • Organizational Development

  11. Fundraising • Good set of questions to ask at the beginning of a fundraising cycle: • How much do you need? What’s your goal? • Do you need operating support or project-specific funds? • How long will you need to sustain that funding level? • What are your volunteer and staff resources? • How much time is available? • What is the interest of the volunteers?

  12. Fundraising (Contd…) • Fundraising Strategies • Board Member Solicitation (ongoing) • Individual Contribution (most flexibility in terms of time frame) • Public Funders (time frame typically ranges from 3 to 12 months) • Membership Program (ongoing) • Corporate/Business Contribution (time frame typically ranges from 3 to 6 months) • Corporate Foundations (time frame typically ranges from 4 to 6 months) • Private Foundations and Trusts (time frame typically ranges from 4 to 6 months) • Fundraising Event (intimate events can be planned in 3 to 4 months; most take 6 to 12 months of planning) • In Kind Services

  13. Walnut Creek, CA The lake at Heather Farm

  14. Historical Ecology: science + history • Tool for understanding landscape change • Helps understand the contemporary landscape • Challenges assumptions, identifies opportunities • Reveals options for the future •  better understanding of how the system is functioning (hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology) •  basis for integrated watershed planning

  15. Legend Work in progress Study Completed

  16. Painting of Miller Creek by George Demont Otis

  17. THANK YOU!!!

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