Watershed Management
Resources about evaluating and managing the entire drainage area of a stream or river
- TVWC Landscape Restoration Strategy
- This Landscape Restoration Strategy (LRS) was developed over seven months during 2014-2015 by the Taos Valley Watershed Coalition (TVWC). Coalition members manage or provide land use consultation on all of the adjoining jurisdictions within our focus area, which extends from the Rio Grande del Rancho on the south to the San Cristobal drainage on the north and also includes the Rio Fernando, Rio Pueblo, Rio Lucero, Rio Arroyo Seco, and Rio Hondo stream systems. Coalition members agree to focus on the goals of protecting, improving, and restoring the water quality, quantity, and ecological function of the forests and streams in the Rio Grande watershed within Taos County, to the benefit of both local and downstream water users. This LRS was developed by our membership to document our shared understanding of scientific data and community values, and to guide coordinated actions within our local watersheds.
- Two RFPs for Water Quality Projects - Proposals due 4/25/13
- The New Mexico Environment Department’s Surface Water Quality Bureau is requesting proposals for projects under two different Requests For Proposals (RFP). The Watershed-Based Planning (WBP) RFP was released on March 14, 2013, with proposals due by 3:00 PM on Thursday, April 25. The On-the-Ground (OTG) Surface Water Quality Improvement Projects RFP was also released on March 14, 2013, with proposals due by 3:00 PM on Thursday, April 25. Both RFPs are available online at http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/RFP
- USDA Seeks Proposals for Market-Based Wetland Protection Systems
- USDA to Provide $9 Million, Leveraging Further Public and Private Resources to Create New Mitigation Opportunities for Farmers and Ranchers WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the establishment of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. Through the program, NRCS will provide $9 million to help states, local governments or other qualified partners develop wetland mitigation banks that restore, create, or enhance wetland ecosystems, broadening the conservation options available to farmers and ranchers so they can maintain eligibility for other USDA programs. "Over the past seven years, USDA has worked with private landowners to enroll a record number of acres in conservation practices, and we are seeing significant reductions in nutrient runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Wetland Mitigation Banks will give farmers and ranchers more conservation options so they can find the best solution for their land and circumstances, and produce even more results," Vilsack said. Wetland mitigation banking is a market-based approach that involves restoring, creating, or enhancing wetlands in one place to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands at another location. Wetland mitigation banking is commonly used to compensate for wetland impacts from development, but can also be used to offset impacts from agriculture. A small number of banks have been developed in the U.S. specifically to assist agriculture, and the mitigation banks established under this program will be used to help agricultural producers who need to mitigate wetland losses to maintain eligibility for USDA programs. NRCS is seeking applications from eligible third-parties to develop wetland mitigation banks, or modify existing banks to better serve agricultural producers. These third-parties include federally recognized Indian tribes; state and local units of government; for-profit entities; and nongovernmental organizations. The maximum award provided through this announcement is up to $1 million. This funding may be used to cover the administrative and technical costs associated with the development of a wetland mitigation bank or banking program. Funding may not be used to purchase an easement or any other interest in land. Partners will develop, operate, and manage the wetlands mitigation banks with technical oversight from NRCS, and will market mitigation credits to farmers and ranchers. Credits must be made available to producers within two years after the agreement is signed. NRCS is prioritizing funding to locations that have a significant known wetland compliance workload. These locations include the Prairie Pothole Region, California Vernal Pool Region, Nebraska Rainwater Basin Region, and other areas that have significant numbers of wetlands compliance requests. Priority will also be given to applications based on the speed with which mitigation credits can be made available to agriculture producers. USDA is now accepting project proposals for this program. Proposals are due to NRCS before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 28, 2016. The announcement and associated forms for this funding opportunity can be found at www.grants.gov.
- Watershed Coordinator Position - San Juan Watershed Group
- San Juan Watershed Group is seeking a Watershed Coordinator to plan, seek funding for, and implement projects to improve water quality in the San Juan, Animas and La Plata Rivers.
- Watershed Development Coordinator – AmeriCorpsVISTA
- The Gila Resources Information Project (GRIP) is seeking to fill a one-year position for a Watershed Development Coordinator. This position is through the Western Hardrock Watershed Team AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA program. GRIP is a non-profit environmental organization that works to promote community health by protecting our environment and natural resources in southwestern New Mexico.
- Watershed Forestry Resource Guide
- An online collection of resources from the Center for Watershed Protection and the US Forest Service Northeastern Area. Provides useful tools and training materials about managing urban forests for watershed health. Links to topical collections including: Forest Planning And Assessment, Reducing Stormwater Runoff, Forest-Friendly Development, and Planting and Maintaining Trees
- Watershed Funding Opportunities
- Watershed funding opportunities from national, state (NM), and foundation sources. Originally compiled for the New Mexico Environment Department’s 2009 Nonpoint Source Management Plan weblinks current as of 1/13/2009
- Watershed Poster (front)
- This poster illustrates the parts of a typical watershed, describes some basic concepts, and provides suggestions for good land stewardship. Contact the Forest and Watershed Health Office ("contact us") for permission to use or for more information.
- Watershed Resources for Kids and Teachers
- Links to educational resources about watersheds, drought, plants, soil, water, wildlife and habitat. From "Managing Arid and Semi-Arid Watersheds" website, a project of the Arizona Watershed Program.
- Watershed Sciences Internship Announcement:
- Watershed Sciences is in search of a student for one part-time office internship, who is willing to commit 15-20 hours/week. Hourly wage will be commensurate with education and work experience. Remote Sensing Technician Corvallis, OR Closes 8/5/2011
- Watershed Sign
- illustration of a typical higway sign marking watershed boundaries in NM
- WATERSHED STEWARD (AmeriCorps)
- Cascade Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group (CCFEG) in partnership with the Washington Water Project of Trout Unlimited (TU) is seeking a qualified and motivated person, to serve as WATERSHED STEWARD, who will help advance the mission of these organizations through several collaborative projects
- WaterSMART: Cooperative Watershed Management Program Grants for FY 2012
- A funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is out from the Bureau of Reclamation's Cooperative Watershed Management Program to establish or expand a local watershed management group. Applications are due 4 p.m. MDT, July 9, 2012. Applicants may be eligible under two categories through this funding opportunity. One is for the establishment of a watershed group. Eligible applicants are states, Indian tribes, local and special districts (irrigation and water districts, county soil conservation districts, etc.), local governmental entities, interstate organizations and nonprofit organizations in the western United States or U.S. territory. The second funding category is for the expansion of a watershed group. Eligible applicants must be a current watershed group or a participant in an existing watershed group that is legally incorporated within the state in which it operates and meets the definition of a “watershed” group as defined in the FOA (pg. 3).
- Wildfire Management (vs Suppression) Benefits Forests and Watersheds
- An unprecedented 40-year experiment in a 40,000 acre valley of Yosemite National Park strongly supports the idea that managing fire, rather than suppressing it, makes wilderness areas more resilient to fire, with the added benefit of increased water availability and resistance to drought. After a three-year assessment of the Park's Illilouette Creek Basin, UC Berkeley researchers concluded that a strategy dating to 1973 of managing wildfires with minimal suppression and almost no prescribed burns has created a landscape more resistant to catastrophic fire, with more diverse vegetation, forest structure and increased water storage. "When fire is not suppressed, you get all these benefits: increased stream flow, increased downstream water availability, increased soil moisture, which improves habitat for the plants in the watershed. And it increases the drought resistance of the remaining trees and also increases the fire resilience because you have created these natural firebreaks," said Gabrielle Boisramé, graduate student at UC Berkeley's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and first author of the study. The Cohesive Wildland Fire Strategy supports management of fires where possible. Managing fires is part of the Cohesive Strategy vision: to safely and effectively suppress fires, use fire where allowable, manage our natural resources, and as a Nation, live with wildland fire. Read the full article and find the published study at: ttp://wildfireinthewest.blogspot.com/2016/10/wildfire-management-vs-suppression.html.
