Salmon River Watershed Assessment

Workshop Descriptions

I. Workshop 1: Natural Resource Targets (September 25, 2006)

Objectives of this workshop:

1) Identify natural resource targets in the Salmon River watershed.

2) Begin to consider ways to assess and measure the condition of those targets.

General description:

In this workshop we will pool our collective knowledge about the natural resources within the Salmon River watershed to identify 3-8 conservation targets. These targets should represent the full range of biodiversity within the watershed and could include individual species, natural communities or entire ecosystems. This step will be the foundation for the rest of the planning process because everything that follows will be focused on ensuring the long-term health and viability of those natural resource targets.

At this workshop we will also discuss how to assess the current condition of the selected natural resource targets—are they doing well or poorly—and identify measurable characteristics of each target that are most critical to their long-term persistence—what can we actually measure to determine if a target is doing well. This process of selecting measurable attributes and indicators to assess the condition of natural resource targets is called a viability analysis. The full viability analysis for each target will be completed by a scientist from SUNY ESF following this workshop.

Primary Audience:

This meeting is designed for applied scientists, resource managers, biologists, ecologists, local experts, and others who can speak about the ecosystems, natural habitats, and species characteristic of the watershed.

II. Workshop 2: Threats and Situation Analysis (April 2007):

Objective of this workshop:

1) Identify threats to the long-term health and viability of each of the targets identified in Workshop 1.

General description:

Each target will be individually evaluated throughout its range in the Salmon River watershed to identify activities or conditions that may negatively impact the target. We will also try to tease out underlying factors that influence the level of the threat. For example, the upper floodplain is a target in the Cosumnes River project in California. The natural flooding cycle from river to floodplain creates conditions that are important for the persistence of the floodplain natural community, and alteration of the natural flooding cycle is a threat to the long-term viability of that community. The primary cause of the natural flood cycle alterations are levees. Therefore, the strategy to abate the threat of altered flooding regime is to breech the levees.

We will develop situation diagrams to illustrate the linkages between our natural resource targets, threats, and underlying causes and rank those threats with respect to their degree of impact. These diagrams and prioritizations will help us decide where and how to devise effective conservation strategies during the final workshop.

Primary audience:

This meeting will still rely on the expertise of those who participated in the first workshop, but it is also for people who are knowledgeable about various industries, activities, management, or land use planning that may have an impact on the conservation targets. Extractive use/management, such as sustainable agriculture and forestry operations, is compatible with conservation and in order to be successful it is important to include people who are knowledgeable about sustainable use of our natural resources.

III. Workshop 3: Strategies (tentative date: June 2007):

Objective of this workshop:

1) Identify specific strategies to abate the threats identified in Workshop 2 or otherwise improve the current condition of each target identified in Workshop 1.

General description:

In this workshop we will develop a plan to move from resource identification and planning to implementing conservation actions. We will identify strategies to abate each of the threats identified in the previous workshop. For each strategy we will set measurable objectives, define specific actions steps, and identify key individuals or organizations who could implement the strategy.

At the conclusion of this workshop we will have an action plan that we can work to move forward to achieve our ultimate goal—conservation of our natural resource targets.

Primary audience:

This meeting is designed for organizations and individuals that work in the watershed or impact work being done in the basin. Decision makers within organizations, people who deal with natural resource policy issues, and organizations implementing conservation work are important to have at the meeting.