Attachment I Education/Outreach
This application is eligible for education and outreach bonus points.
There are three primary objectives for public education as a component of this watershed management plan. The first is to create broad community awareness of the word and concept “watershed.” It is important that all community members understand that we live, learn and work in a watershed and that we rely on its water as a basic resource. Our watershed is an important element of “place” and efforts will be made to encourage people to identify with their own watershed just as they identify with their local municipality or school district. The second educational objective is to promote stewardship of water resources as a common-sense civic responsibility of good citizenship. What we do on land can have a direct impact on the present and future quality of surface and ground water in our watershed. The goal is to elevate public understanding of these connections and to encourage actions that maintain the highest water quality and a healthy watershed ecosystem. The third objective will be to gain public input, raise awareness of the planning process and watershed management issues.
The targeted audience for watershed education and outreach will be the landowners and stakeholders in the Nacimiento and San Antonio Watersheds. A series of stakeholder meetings will be held over the two year duration of this project. The goals of these meetings are to: 1. Introduce watershed management planning to the stakeholders; 2. Provide a characterization of the watershed; 3. Provide an opportunity for involvement in the Watershed Management Plan development process for all interested agencies, groups and individuals; 4. Focus on interested parties and organizations that have something to gain through their participation; 5. Create public participation events that are convenient, accessible and cover the watersheds geographically; 6. Develop a chronology and schedule of events that includes a basic understanding of the term and concept of watershed, an understanding of the watershed’s characteristics including its merits, challenges and problems, identification of issues and a recognition of how one can become part of the solution to those issues and problems, discussion and refinement of technical findings and proposals for issue resolutions
These outreach events will be advertised in a variety of ways including newspaper ads in English and Spanish, direct email to interested parties, distribution of flyers and notices posted on websites.
The multi-year strategy for education and outreach to interested stakeholders beyond the Project timeline will rely heavily on the Internet. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency, through its website, will provide a cost effective, efficient and achievable method of communicating to the watershed community. Access to specific education and data resources for these watersheds as well as water quality in general, will be provided.