The health of a water body is intrinsically linked to the use of the surrounding land. This inescapable truth poses a significant challenge to those who seek to manage watersheds of all sizes, as the land that these watersheds encompass is utilized by a diverse group of stakeholders. Their diverse range of interests inherently results in an equally diverse set of opinions that stakeholders bring to the table regarding management within their watershed. Such circumstances highlight the potential value a cohesive form of governance can contribute to effective watershed management. In the absence of such
guidance, it is often difficult for stakeholders to reach agreement around (or even discuss) the “right” decisions that should be made regarding their watershed. Absent a forum of these discussions, decisions are made on an individual basis, resulting in a patchwork of approaches to watershed management.
This report focuses on the Koshkonong Creek watershed in Dane and Jefferson Counties in Wisconsin. This watershed includes a wide variety of farmers, landowners, governing agencies of different levels, and non-profit groups. There has been limited watershed-scale management in this watershed, which has contributed to communication challenges, and misaligned objectives among various. This report gives context to the issue, analyzes the problems and potential solutions, and provides recommendations.
UniverCity Year Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu