1 / 9

Empowering Local Communities: OSU's Master Watershed Steward Program

The OSU Extension’s Master Watershed Steward Program aims to enhance local capacity for addressing water resource issues through education and hands-on projects. Open to both rural and urban participants, the program features 8 training sessions that include presentations and field workshops. Stewards are equipped to become local resources, engaging in community projects such as monitoring and management planning. With over 500 trained since its inception in 1999, this program fosters sustainable practices and measurable impacts on watershed conditions.

niles
Download Presentation

Empowering Local Communities: OSU's Master Watershed Steward Program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. OSU Extension’s Master Watershed Steward Program http://seagrant.orst.edu/wsep/Derek GodwinWatershed Management Specialist

  2. Master Watershed Stewards • Purpose – Increase the capacity of watershed groups and community members to identify and address water resource issues at local levels. • Target Audience –Who isn’t? • Statewide program –rural and urban

  3. Master Watershed Stewards • 8 Training sessions • Each session = 2 hours presentation, 4 hours field/workshop • Focus on local issues • Complete a 40-hour project in local community • Become a local resource for OSU Extension and watershed groups

  4. Master Watershed Stewards • Basic level education • Projects provide application of knowledge and skills to produce an “impact” • Projects include enhancement, monitoring, management planning, team building processes, and education • Started Master program in 1999, over 500 Masters

  5. Master Watershed Stewards –Evaluation Process • Evaluate each trainer and training session • Typical evaluation highlighting what needs to change • Post evaluation 6 months (or more) after the training sessions • Highlights impact – knowledge before/after, practices implemented, change in behavior, tolerance • Change in watershed conditions – up to local Watershed Extension faculty • Several changes to delivery method, additional training

  6. Good, Better, or Best? • Best, of course, or I wouldn’t be up here • Uses several Best Education Practices • Research based education practices?

  7. How do we promote or encourage the use of education? • Tell the story, don’t assume everyone feels education is important • Impacts, Impacts, Impacts • Carve out your niche in this “information age” • Assess, implement, evaluate, CHANGE

  8. Who needs to hear about the importance of education in watershed management? • State and Federal Legislators • Reduced funding • Reduced regulatory enforcement • Increased reliability on people making the right choice • County commissioners • Stakeholders, partners, audience – all politics are local

  9. What resources would help us accomplish this goal? • Organizational leadership • Clarify “niche” as educators • Leverage effort and resources • Training on evaluating and documenting outcomes • Communications support in “telling the story” to legislators, commissioners, and stakeholders • Support training/specialists in education practices and technology to maintain/improve effectiveness as educators

More Related