Megan L. Hoff
Published: 2020
Total Pages: 174
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A critical linkage exits between watershed conditions and public use and valuation of water resources. As such, the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute are developing a community-driven watershed plan for Mahon and Wequiock Creeks, two important coastal watersheds situated along Green Bay, Lake Michigan. The Mahon and Wequiock Creeks Watershed Management Plan will meet the US Environmental Protection Agency's Nine Key Elements, which are a set of criteria established under the Clean Water Act Section 319 grant guidelines. Section 319 grant funds can be used to bolster information and education activities in the community as well as incentivize producers and landowners to implement habitat and water quality best management practices. This project is an integrated effort across federal and state agencies, local municipalities, institutional organizations, residential owners, and agricultural producers to address nonpoint source pollution and to protect threatened and impaired waterways. A stream inventory, barnyard inventory, and upland agriculture inventory were conducted to assess the condition of the watershed and the potential factors influencing watershed health, such as sediment and phosphorus loading. The planning process has been directed by a robust stakeholder engagement effort, which included community interviews, a community meeting, and focus groups. The interview questionnaire was designed to identify place-based knowledge and concerns related to conservation and water quality in the watershed. The results of the survey were used to create a list of community-based watershed priorities and informed the structure of the community meeting and the recommended watershed objectives. Upfront community engagement fostered a more meaningful rapport, and thus collaboration, between practitioners and community members during all stages of planning, and thereby, built a strong foundation for the implementation phase. The interdisciplinary community-voiced recommendations prescribed in this plan will work together to protect and improve water quality, terrestrial and aquatic habitat, and community health in the Mahon and Wequiock Creeks watershed. In essence, the Mahon and Wequiock Creeks Watershed Management Plan reflects participatory decision-making, a unique attribute in this region and one that we recommend for similar efforts in the Lake Michigan Basin.
