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Throughout
Oregon numerous watershed groups have completed GIS-based
watershed assessments. Reports and digital products characterizing
the watershed's current condition have been delivered to these
groups. The next step for watershed councils is to move beyond
general watershed descriptions, to actually use GIS to select
restoration and monitoring sites, and to develop strategies
for incorporating new information (e.g., monitoring data)
into these developing decision support systems.
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However,
many watershed council members are inexperienced in using
their assembled GIS data to answer specific questions about
their watersheds. In addition, many watershed council members
do not want to make the time investment necessary to be
trained in GIS software use, yet they want to take advantage
of this management and planning tool.
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During
the Spring of 2001, we conducted workshops, funded by the
Oregon Watershed Enhancement
Board, for two Watershed Councils in Oregon to teach Watershed
Council Members to use their GIS data more effectively. We
taught Watershed Council Members to conceptualize using GIS
and gave them experience in running specific queries on their
own compiled spatial datasets. We used a hands-on
approach to allow watershed council members to become familiar
with the data collected in their watershed, encouraged them
to 'think spatially', and provided them with useful products
derived from their watershed analysis. For each council, the
workshop was an initial step along the path of using GIS to
full advantage in understanding and managing watershed resources.
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Contact Information
Wetland & Watershed Assessment Group
Earth Design Consultants, Inc.
800 NW Starker, Suite 1
Corvallis, OR 97330
(541) 757-7896
(541 757-7991 FAX
http://www.earthdesign.com
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