About the Guide

Watershed planning is not an exact science. Plans, and those who write them, often come together in very different ways, with different levels of participation from stakeholders, and with different degrees of success. If your planning process shows success and good participation, the approach you’re using is working. Successfully writing and implementing a watershed plan, with the participation of those who live and work in the watershed, is the goal. This guide will help you get there.

The guide contains a great deal of useful information, and often references other people, groups, or organizations you can seek out for help. Including specific websites in a document like this is difficult, as sites often become outdated, change their addresses or simply disappear. Therefore, web addresses for specific topics or agencies are not included in the guide. This website, a companion to the guide, offers links to data sources referenced in the guide as well as other information.

About the Authors

The UW-Extension’s Regional Natural Resources Program is comprised of Natural Resource Educators located across the state. The educators provide local and statewide education, training, and technical support for environmental and natural resource issues.

The Natural Resource Educators are part of the Environmental Resources Center, a collaboration between UW-Extension and UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The mission of the Environmental Resources Center is to empower individuals and communities to make conscious, well-informed decisions about their environments and the social processes involved in caring for those environments. Center faculty and staff believe that this is the best way to ensure vibrant, sustainable communities with opportunities for growth and development.