Watershed Improvement Network (WIN)
The Watershed Improvement Network (WIN) is a collaborative alliance of watershed restorationists, planners, and managers throughout Humboldt County. Participants include citizens groups, private landowners, government agencies, private industry, native American tribes, educators, and small business owners. The long-term goal of the WIN project is to improve the health and productivity of Humboldt County's natural resources and economy. WIN enhances the effectiveness of watershed restoration work by facilitating the exchange of expertise, resources and information, encouraging collaboration, and providing a forum for creative problem solving and strategic planning. WIN provides an opportunity for open communication among people holding divergent viewpoints, enabling them to work cooperatively towards generating intelligent solutions. No other program in Humboldt County is specifically dedicated to resolving the problems of polarization and lack of communication that commonly exist between "opposing interests".
In 1996, WIN co-sponsored a symposium to address natural resource issues affecting the Humboldt Bay watershed, which resulted in the formation of the Humboldt Bay Watershed Advisory Committee. Subsequently, WIN published a Restoration Directory, which lists 150 Humboldt County organizations involved in watershed restoration in a variety of capacities, ranging from on-the-ground project implementation to administration of land management policies, and encompassing assessment, education, legislation, advocacy, and project funding. Through quarterly WIN Journals and monthly WIN Forums, these groups stay informed of current restoration activities in local watersheds, follow the progress of watershed-based planning efforts, and discuss how recent legislative changes may affect restoration work and the environment. WIN-sponsored workshops focus on resource monitoring and restoration techniques. WIN also provides technical assistance and bulk mailing support for watershed groups, and links with regional and national groups. In association with WIN, Redwood Community Action Agency's (RCAA) Natural Resources Services (NRS) division established Memorandums of Understanding, Participatory Agreements, and Cooperative Agreements with Federal and State agencies, which translated directly into jobs for heavy equipment contractors, natural resources specialists and skilled labor crews, and resulted in the completion of over sixty restoration projects in the past three years.
| Location: | Eureka Humboldt County, CA |
| Cooperating Agencies: | United States Forest Service (USFS) |
| Funding Sources: | United States Forest Service (USFS) |
The Watershed Improvement Network (WIN) is a collaborative alliance of watershed restorationists, planners, and managers throughout Humboldt County. Participants include citizens groups, private landowners, government agencies, private industry, native American tribes, educators, and small business owners. The long-term goal of the WIN project is to improve the health and productivity of Humboldt County's natural resources and economy. WIN enhances the effectiveness of watershed restoration work by facilitating the exchange of expertise, resources and information, encouraging collaboration, and providing a forum for creative problem solving and strategic planning. WIN provides an opportunity for open communication among people holding divergent viewpoints, enabling them to work cooperatively towards generating intelligent solutions. No other program in Humboldt County is specifically dedicated to resolving the problems of polarization and lack of communication that commonly exist between "opposing interests".In 1996, WIN co-sponsored a symposium to address natural resource issues affecting the Humboldt Bay watershed, which resulted in the formation of the Humboldt Bay Watershed Advisory Committee. Subsequently, WIN published a Restoration Directory, which lists 150 Humboldt County organizations involved in watershed restoration in a variety of capacities, ranging from on-the-ground project implementation to administration of land management policies, and encompassing assessment, education, legislation, advocacy, and project funding. Through quarterly WIN Journals and monthly WIN Forums, these groups stay informed of current restoration activities in local watersheds, follow the progress of watershed-based planning efforts, and discuss how recent legislative changes may affect restoration work and the environment. WIN-sponsored workshops focus on resource monitoring and restoration techniques. WIN also provides technical assistance and bulk mailing support for watershed groups, and links with regional and national groups. In association with WIN, Redwood Community Action Agency's (RCAA) Natural Resources Services (NRS) division established Memorandums of Understanding, Participatory Agreements, and Cooperative Agreements with Federal and State agencies, which translated directly into jobs for heavy equipment contractors, natural resources specialists and skilled labor crews, and resulted in the completion of over sixty restoration projects in the past three years.
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Last updated:
June 20, 2005