Development Overview

Land managers, land management organizations, and public organizations will be developing a watershed management plan for the Cottonwood Creek watershed in the year 2011. The plan is part of local efforts to improve water quality and fisheries habitat.

The plan will be developed in a manner similar to the Lapwai and Big Canyon Creek watershed plans. The processed used to develop the plan is a mixture of protocols from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Watershed Council watershed planning process.

The process involves the use of a technical team whose role is to evaluate relevant data and determine how best to apply it to the watershed plan. A landowner advisory group consisting of land owners and land managers within the watershed will review the information created by the technical team and advise on how best to achieve natural resource goals.

After inventory data is collected, the District will seek public input for a fresh look at natural resource needs within the watershed and to identify candidate projects.

Planning meetings will be scheduled throughout the winter and early spring of 2011. If you are interested in participating, please contact the conservation district office.

Cottonwood Creek Restoration Project Phase 1

A watershed plan is a strategy that provides assessment and management information for a geographically defined watershed, including the analyses, actions, participants, and resources related to developing and implementing the plan. The development of watershed plans requires a certain level of technical expertise and the participation of a variety of people with diverse skills and knowledge.

Using a watershed approach to restore impaired waterbodies is beneficial because it addresses the problems in a holistic manner and the stakeholders in the watershed are actively involved in selecting the management strategies that will be implemented to solve the problems.

From: Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters, EPA