Abstract

The overall goal of our three-phase, multi-year project has been to examine physical and biological disturbances of forested lands in the Six Mile Creek watershed in upstate New York, and to determine the social implications of these disturbances.

Issue

Watersheds are increasingly viewed as units of analysis for forests and other natural resources. The major features of the watershed approach are: targeting priority problems, promoting a high level of stakeholder involvement, integrating solutions to make use of the expertise and authority of multiple agencies, and measuring success through monitoring and other data-gathering.

Our work in the Six Mile Creek watershed is especially relevant in terms of the McIntire-Stennis program, since management of forest and watershed lands to protect resources from erosion is an important component of that program. The physical-, social-, and biological-science realms within a watershed approach are inherently incongruent, yet watershed policy and management require them to be congruent. Our project addresses this necessity. This kind of research is most effective at the local level, particularly when it involves stakeholders throughout the watershed. Partnering with municipal officials, residents, and state agency personnel increases the relevancy of the work to the greater community.

Response

In the past, we established baseline levels of sediment and nutrient fluxes and determined that bank erosion was the dominant source of sediment. We utilized a GIS-based analysis to support the study. We then generated watershed-wide maps of estimated annual phosphorus export for the target watershed. The GIS framework developed the link between the scientific and the policy and planning aspects of the project. We obtained data from the local planning agency for a needs assessment and developed a work plan in conjunction with county personnel to envision a flood hazard mitigation program that incorporates local goals.

Stream reach delineations provided by the planning department helped us determine buffers for each reach. We then developed a profile for each reach that included the number of parcels, the parcel areas, a land assessment, and a construction assessment. We utilized these data to target residents along the creek who might be directly influenced by stream management. The different size buffers that we generated also contribute to a determination of the appropriate scale for public participation in stream management.

In fiscal year 2004, we organized focus groups of property owners along the creek and developed fact sheets to address their concerns. The fact sheets discuss the issue of large, woody debris in the creek and how to place the debris in order to slow stream flow and protect the stream from erosion. The fact sheet also addressed ownership of the stream and the regulatory implications of ownership.

Impact

The initial phases of this study provided information for the local planning department concerning sediment sources and sinks in the target watershed. The data were part of an assessment for a flood hazard mitigation study. We also linked our findings with information from the local planning agency to develop a more accurate picture of nutrient transport. The current focus of our efforts is on human activities, such as how they affect stream and lake ecology and how resident goals are incorporated into the overall picture of stream management.

Our work has energized county planners, elected officials, and regulatory agencies and broadened their interest in citizen involvement. We are developing a portfolio of materials concerning various stream management issues, which will result in a set of general recommendations to address such research questions as the following: Under what circumstances are stakeholders most receptive to information? What methods of communication are effective in addressing different problems? Can information about responses to specific problems educate stakeholders about upstream/downstream inter-relationships?

This project is changing perspectives concerning the level at which citizen involvement is most appropriate, where knowledge gaps and misunderstandings exist, and what knowledge is considered important. As a result of our efforts, there is now a grant proposal involving multiple stakeholders from the target watershed.

Funding Sources

• Federal Formula Funds - Research (e.g., Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Animal Health)

Collaborators

• Tompkins County Planning Department
• Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization
• Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
• Town of Caroline Watershed Committee
• Sixmile Creek Volunteer Monitoring Committee

Key Personnel

• Max J. Pfeffer, Development Sociology
• Linda P. Wagenet, Development Sociology
• Steven D. DeGloria, Crop and Soil Sciences
• Timothy J. Fahey, Natural Resources