2nd National Extension Nat Res Conference-Abstract 21

Leslie M. Kane and Thomas E. Worthley, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System, 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam, CT 06438; 860.345.4511; lkane@canr.uconn.edu

The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System has been working with communities in the Lower Connecticut River Watershed designing and developing a watershed program that is replicable throughout the 4-state Connecticut River Watershed as well as for use throughout the country. A major result of these projects currently being tested locally in the Salmon River Watershed has been the design and development of a replicable model for natural resource-based outreach, education, and planning.

The model draws upon the experience of, and techniques developed by, Cooperative Extension?s NEMO Program, working with land use and municipal decision-makers. Information developed from an outreach campaign for Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowners provides the basis for other portions of the model. The model is not a ?cook-book? watershed-scale land use plan, but rather is a comprehensive outline for the information and educational strategies necessary to establish the groundwork for such plans.

For a watershed scale, natural resource-based educational project focusing on water quality to be effective, it must involve both the local land-use decision-makers and the people who own the bulk of the land which protects that water resource. In watersheds where this model was developed, these have been the non-industrial private forest landowners and riparian property owners. The multi-faceted approach designed to reach these audiences and the general public includes:

The establishment of project identity and recognition;
Formation of an advisory committee including private and public participants;
Identification of desired outcomes;
Survey instruments to assess existing knowledge;
Informational and educational materials including literature, video, and web site;
Resource inventory tools, including remotely sensed data and GIS, applied on both a watershed and private property scale;
Educational techniques including workshops and field days;
Assessment tools for measuring success, and plans for follow-up and continuation.

The project has provided numerous opportunities for publications, including fact sheets, brochures, a major magazine article, an instructional video, and a guide for forest landowners entitled "Consider the Source." Public meetings, field days, and invitations to present programs to various groups have all been part of the project as well. New technologies, including Remote Sensing, GIS Mapping, and animated digital presentation techniques have been introduced to target audiences and used extensively by project participants. Landowners and land-use decision-makers have been made aware of the sensitive natural resources in the area and about techniques to protect them. Numerous results and accomplishments illustrating the effectiveness of this model approach have been documented.