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Abstract
It is estimated that humanity now uses more than one third of all accessible freshwater runoff from evapotranspiration within the global water cycle. The complexity of water related issues has led the Environmental Protection Agency - and many other organizations - to encourage adoption of watershed-based regional planning as one way to address the balance of development and environmental needs. College of the Atlantic, located on Mt. Desert Island on the coast of Maine, is in the gateway to Acadia National Park. The area receives almost five million visitors a year and exemplifies the ecological and social infrastructure challenges faced by many communities. Within this regional context, the college has developed a collaborative watershed-based curriculum and educational partnership involving a multiplicity of community organizations and leaders. A significant part of this project has been creation of a watershed coalition - The Union River Watershed Coalition (URWC) - that has successfully brought together a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, citizens and organizations throughout Downeast Maine. Digital mapping technologies -- in the form of geographic information systems (GIS), publicly-accessible data bases, and other partnership projects - have become critical features for integrating economic development, ecosystem viability and cultural values. Many of the models and lessons from the current project have applicability for collaborative approaches by other educational institutions, watershed regions and communities elsewhere.
Content: Full Report can be found here - pdf - 193k |
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