BACKGROUND
Understanding and communicating
about watershed condition over the long-term is a critical aspect of water and watershed
management. There is currently no science-based, systematic approach designed specifically
to assess the health of watersheds in the Southern California region. Through assessment
of watershed conditions, cooperation and integration of environmental management
for the region’s watersheds may be promoted due in part to greater public awareness
of the condition of the region’s watersheds.
This project, alongside similar work in other parts of California, is adapting the
California Watershed Assessment Framework to local regions. The Framework calls
for Attributes of Watershed Health to be assessed using Indicators. These regional
frameworks and indicator lists will be compiled to generate a statewide process
for assessing the health of California’s watersheds.
By bringing ecologic, social and economic indicators of health to the assessment,
this project will create a holistic vision of the function of a watershed, allowing
community engagement with the complex problem of watershed management.
The Southern California Regional Watershed Assessment Framework is currently in
draft, with a release date planned for early 2009. Once finalized, the Regional
Framework will be applied to an assessment of the Arroyo Seco subwatershed, within
the Los Angeles River watershed. Please e-mail Mike Antos if you wish to involve
yourself with this project.
PROJECT PARTNERS
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Barbara Washburn, Ph.D.
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Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
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Carmen Milanes, M.P.H.
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Cailfornia Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
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Fraser Shilling, Ph.D.
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University of California, Davis
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Robert O. Vos, Ph.D.
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University of Southern California, Center for Sustainable Cities
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Stephanie Pincetl
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Pacific Southwest Research Service, USFS
Institute of the Environment, UCLA
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Terri Hogue, Ph.D.
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University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Mark Fenn
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Pacific Southwest Research Service, USFS
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