Watershed
Stewardship:
Who
is protecting our water resources?
Everyone assumes natural cycles and resources
have an amazing capacity to rejuvenate themselves. We assume that
local, state or
federal government agencies are protecting our water resources, and as a result, we will have
enough clean water for many years into the future. While there are private organizations and
public sector agencies working to protect these resources, the broad spectrum of water resource
protection and the crucial importance of this resource to our existence makes this an issue of
critical concern to every individual. Successful protection of the resource over the long-term
means everyone must consider their individual responsibility for watershed stewardship.
Water
Wonders of Pike County-
A presentation on the standards that establish a
stream’s water quality designation, the attributes of
Pike County that explain the quality of our water, some
of the immediate and longer term threats to our
watersheds, and how the Conservation District monitors
water quality to assure protection of our streams. Ken
is a Pike County Conservation District Associate
Director, General Manager of the Forest Lake Hunting and
Fishing Club, and partner with Aquatic Resources
Consultants, a professional resource management service
providing fishery assessments and watershed, stream
habitat, lake and pond management.
Watershed Forestry Resource Guide
-
A
Partnership of the Center for
Watershed Protection and US Forest
Service - Northeastern Area State &
Private Forestry. This website
is a central clearinghouse for all
things related to forests and
watersheds.
One
of the most basic things a
person can do to help the
environment is plant a
tree. Visit
www.treebenefits.com/calculator
where you can
easily calculate
the value of a tree on your
property. Another site is
www.itreetools.org,
an
extremely comprehensive and
“state-of-the-art,
peer-reviewed” software program
from the USDA Forest Service
that provides “…urban forestry
analysis and benefits
assessment tools.” It is
intended to help communities
strengthen their urban forest
management and advocacy efforts
by quantifying environmental
services provided by trees. The
software was first released in
2006, and contains a number of
analysis tools in addition to
the calculator. It has been used
not only by communities, but
also by individuals,
non-profits, consultants,
volunteers and students.
Consortium for Scientific Assistance
to Watersheds
(C-SAW) is a team of specialists who provide eligible
watershed groups or local project sponsors Program
Management and Scientific Technical Assistance through the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PADEP)
Growing Greener Program. The
service is at no cost to eligible groups.
Water
Quality DATA for Pike County The District's
Watershed Conservation efforts include a county-wide water
quality monitoring program, watershed education, outreach
and stewardship activities. The monitoring program was
initiated in 1987 to assess and track surface water quality
in rapidly developing Pike County .One of the first of Its
kind among PA's 66 conservation districts, the program has
evolved into a watershed-based tool for focusing attention
on Pike County's High Quality and Exceptional Value
waterways. Eighteen watersheds are monitored at baseline,
non-point source and sewage treatment locations.
2010 and 2011 Update of Unassessed Waters
Surveyed in Fisheries Management Area 5 - encompassing the
Delaware and Lehigh River Basins upstream from Easton,
Pennsylvania
Web Tool Maps Critical
Characteristics for PA’s Streams and Watersheds
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new web-based
application,
Pennsylvania StreamStats, allowing users to delineate
watersheds, determine their characteristics, and obtain
stream-flow statistics quickly and easily anywhere in the
state. Users can select locations of interest from an
interactive map or enter latitude and longitude to obtain
information for these locations.
Financial and other support for
the development of this site has been provided by the Department of Environmental Protection
Environmental Education Grant Program.
