To integrate different types of knowledge in watershed management, such as experiential knowledge with technical/scientific knowledge, provide group members and resource people (technical expert) with a forum where each can give their input on an equal basis, maximizing the depth of input from each type of expertise. Continue reading →
Best Education Practice: Community 
See below for: research findings about outreach with a community.
For the Community, the learning experience:
- Builds on locally existing skills and resources.
- Supports a person who takes responsibility for managing or leading the process, and relies on quality group planning and facilitation techniques.
- Is flexible in response to both process and conditions.
- Provides participants with feedback about the results of their actions.
- Generates and makes use of data about the local condition.
- Takes into consideration the community as a whole, including: socio-political, economic, historical, and cultural influences.
- Evolves from work with a coalition or group.
- Builds effectiveness through linkages to other communities, partners, and resources.
- Takes place close to the location where people practice a behavior of concern.
- Reaches people in multiple ways.
- Relates to long-term community vision and goals.
- Provides training to increase skills needed to accomplish goals identified by the group.
Findings Navigation: Browse by Audience; Browse by Theme; Browse by Best Education Practice; Browse by multiple topics
Ferreyra, C., & Beard, P. (2007) Finding 3
Develop collaborative advantage in watershed management by working to develop and emphasize benefits not only for the partnership as a whole, but also for every individual and organization involved (e.g. access to credible data, learning opportunities, support for individual initiatives, local relevance, etc). Continue reading →
Ferreyra, C., & Beard, P. (2007) Finding 4
Build interorganizational leadership skills among watershed management team members that addresses the inherent tension between the nurturing and steering functions of leadership in network settings. Focus on an effective but at the same time democratic leadership style that empowers participants to respectfully engage during discussions, allowing for constructive disagreement to enrich both dialogue and action. Continue reading →
Ferreyra, C., & Beard, P. (2007) Finding 5
Build watershed management team member ownership of a certain action by focusing on actions where consequences are more immediately visible, such as those that can have an impact on watershed sub-units or on communities of interest. Continue reading →
Ferreyra, C., & Beard, P. (2007) Finding 7
Establish an evaluation system for collaborative watershed management that takes into consideration not only the quality and quantity of water resources, but also the quality and quantity of interorganizational alliances, capacity and knowledge of each partner organization. Continue reading →
Hibbard, M., & Lurie, S. (2006) Finding 2
Investigate watershed council community involvement characteristics to promote effective engagement:
- involvement with other organizations;
- involvement at the local level (with government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations);
- regional collaboration.
Hibbard, M., & Lurie, S. (2006) Finding 3
Build watershed council ability to:
- to bring people together to learn about watershed health and to learn to dialog in new ways;
- build trust;
- identify win-win and creative solutions
Howarth, D., & Butler, S. (2004) Finding 1
To increase resident interest in water conservation, three urban case studies (Phoenix, Copenhagen, Singapore) highlight the following successful strategies:
- Active involvement from citizens sought as opposed to passive response from consumers
- Citizens asked what sort of conservation measures they would be willing to adopt and brought into the process early
- Multi-faceted approach supported by pricing, technical assistance and inter-agency co-operation
- Well publicised target set for per capita consumption giving customers and the water department a collective goal
- Involvement of Copenhagen Energy in ongoing dialogue and city wide environmental initiatives
- “Turn it off” campaign brought home the reality of water not being conserved – it ceased to be an abstract concept
- Very high profile and comprehensive communication campaign that, although varying in content and intensity, has been in existence for several years
- Campaign led by multi-agency committee (i.e. not just the water utility or the government)
Koontz, T. M., & Johnson, E. M. (2004) Finding 1
In facilitating development of a watershed group, encourage participation from a balance of public versus private sector stakeholders. More balanced (mixed public/private) groups are more likely to be engaged in planning and research, group development and maintenance, and watershed restoration and protection, than are citizen-based groups. Citizen-based groups may be more likely than mixed groups to achieve government pressure as a primary accomplishment. Continue reading →
Koontz, T. M., & Johnson, E. M. (2004) Finding 2
Focus on a contextual approach to prescribing widespread stakeholder involvement in collaborative environmental management. Prescriptions calling for broad community participation in all cases are unwise; recognize which objectives are likely to be met by broader participation, and which are not. Continue reading →
