The Illinois Watershed Management Clearinghouse (IWMC) Web Site  provides access to information on watersheds and their management. The IWMC includes educational materials on a wide range of issues, ranging from urban storm water and best management practices to GIS support and watershed maps. IWMC links watershed groups to allow for sharing of information, materials, and technical tools. The site effectively leverages the resources of Illinois agencies into one organized site to better serve the state. IWMC has a large amount of information pertaining to most aspects of watershed management

Czapar, George F

Meeker, Susan

Tate, Jodine L

Vaughan, Traci

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 43 Number 3 Article 28 6-1-2005 A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois Susan Meeker University of Illinois Extension, smeeker@uiuc.edu Jodine L. Tate University of Illinois Extension, jotate@uiuc.edu George F. Czapar University of Illinois Extension, gfc@uiuc.edu Traci Vaughan University of Illinois Extension, tvaughan@uiuc.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Meeker, S., Tate, J. L., Czapar, G. F., & Vaughan, T. (2005). A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois. The Journal of Extension, 43(3), Article 28. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol43/iss3/28 This Tools of the Trade is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesJune	2005	//	Volume	43	//	Number	3	//	Tools	of	the	Trade	//	3TOT6A	Web-Based	Resource	for	Watershed	Management	in	IllinoisAbstractThe	Illinois	Watershed	Management	Clearinghouse	(IWMC)	Web	Site<http://www.watershed.uiuc.edu/>	provides	access	to	information	on	watersheds	and	theirmanagement.	The	IWMC	includes	educational	materials	on	a	wide	range	of	issues,	ranging	fromurban	storm	water	and	best	management	practices	to	GIS	support	and	watershed	maps.	IWMClinks	watershed	groups	to	allow	for	sharing	of	information,	materials,	and	technical	tools.	Thesite	effectively	leverages	the	resources	of	Illinois	agencies	into	one	organized	site	to	betterserve	the	state.	IWMC	has	a	large	amount	of	information	pertaining	to	most	aspects	ofwatershed	management.	IntroductionTechnology	has	significantly	changed	the	type	and	amount	of	information	that	is	available	over	theInternet	(Lee,	Wald,	&	Lund,	1999).	Internet	technology	advances	are	changing	the	way	in	whichlocal	watershed	groups	are	providing	greater	economic,	social,	and	cultural	value	to	thecommunity.	Community-based	watershed	management	continues	to	grow,	and	local	citizens	areworking	with	scientists,	agency	staff	and	others	to	develop	long-term	solutions	to	resourcemanagement	(Wright	&	Shindler,	2001).Watershed	management	is	the	practice	of	combining	science,	technology,	and	society	to	empowerpeople	to	address	environmental,	social,	and	economic	issues.	Because	water	quality	is	frequentlythe	most	important	issue	in	many	communities,	watershed	management	is	becoming	a	dominantsocial	issue	(Lant,	1999).	Natural	resources	issues,	along	with	federal	and	state	regulations,	areencouraging	watershed-based	planning	(Center	for	Watershed	Protection,	2004).	A	well-writtenwatershed	plan	identifies	natural	resources	and	assists	the	community	in	making	better	local	landuse	decisions	(Minn.	Dept	of	Natural	Resources,	2004).Unplanned	community	development	stresses	natural	resources,	reduces	green	space,	andSusan	MeekerNatural	Resource	EducatorEast	Peoria,	Illinoissmeeker@uiuc.eduJodine	L.TateNatural	Resource	EducatorSpringfield,	Illinoisjotate@uiuc.eduGeorge	F.	CzaparIntegrated	Pest	Management	EducatorSpringfield,	Illinoisgfc@uiuc.eduTraci	VaughanWeb	DeveloperUniversity	of	IllinoisUrbana,	Illinoistvaughan@uiuc.eduUniversity	of	Illinois	Extensionpotentially	harms	water	quality.	Effective	watershed	management	can	increase	property	values,expand	the	marketability	of	a	community,	and	improve	the	health	of	the	environment.	Regulationssuch	as	total	maximum	daily	loads	(TMDLs)	are	driving	the	need	for	watershed	planning	versusindividual	practices	to	protect	water	quality.Local	watershed	management	involves	assessment	of	natural	resources,	planning,implementation,	and	evaluation.	Accurate	demographic,	economic,	and	resource	informationspecific	to	a	watershed	is	crucial	in	the	development	of	a	successful	watershed	management	plan.Computer	technology	and	geographic	information	systems	allow	individual	users	the	ability	tomanage	natural	resources	that	before	was	only	available	to	the	private	sector	or	governmentagencies	(Schmidt,	Ransom,	Kluitenberg,	Schrock,	Harrington,	Taylor,	&	Havlin,	2001).The	Illinois	Watershed	Management	Clearinghouse	(IWMC)	Web	site	athttp://www.watershed.uiuc.edu/	offers	resources	and	technical	assistance	to	local	watershedplanners	from	forming	a	committee	to	developing/implementing	watershed	plans.	IWMC	providesaccess	to	resources	from	state,	federal,	and	non-governmental	organizations.	The	site	is	designedfor	communities	and	professionals	to	supply	links	to	management	tools,	case	studies,	examples	ofwatershed	plans,	and	relevant	research.Web	Site	DevelopmentThe	original	IWMC	Web	site	and	the	map	tools	were	developed	in	1998,	under	the	direction	of	Dr.Richard	Farnsworth.	Initial	funding	for	the	project	was	provided	by	the	Illinois	Council	on	Food	andAgricultural	Research	(C-FAR).	In	2003,	the	Web	site	was	re-designed	and	expanded	as	part	of	acollaborative	project	by	Illinois	Environmental	Protection	Agency	(IEPA),	Illinois	Department	ofNatural	Resources	(IDNR),	and	University	of	Illinois	Extension.	The	project	goals	were	to	develop	auser-friendly	Web	site	for	watershed	planning	and	an	interactive	Web-based	map	tool	withgeospatial	natural	resource	data	for	Illinois.The	"Getting	Involved	in	Watershed	Management"	section	provides	information	on	forming	acommittee,	locating	resource	data,	and	finding	your	watershed.	The	"Find	your	watershed	group"tool	allows	for	searching	for	watershed	contacts.	Soil	and	Water	Conservation	Districts	in	Illinoiswere	asked	to	identify	contacts	for	watershed	groups	in	their	county.	Using	this	information	andIEPA	watershed	records,	a	comprehensive	list	of	176	watershed	groups	was	generated.	A	letterwas	sent	to	the	watershed	groups	verifying	the	contact	name	and	information	along	with	informingthem	that	the	information	would	be	posted	on	the	IWMC	Web	site.The	"Help	for	Existing	Watershed	Groups"	section	provide	information	on	funding	sources,	grantwriting,	and	planning	assistance,	and	offers	the	ability	to	create	and	edit	maps.	Completedwatershed	plans	are	posted	to	provide	new	watershed	groups	a	framework	for	developing	asuccessful	watershed	plan.The	Resource	Management	Mapping	Service	(RMMS)	map	tool	provides	demographic	data,resource	data,	and	features	such	as	buffering,	tabulating	acreage,	viewing	aerial	photographs,	andprinting	and/or	saving	maps.	The	map	tool	allows	users	to	quickly	locate,	create,	and	print	maps	oflarge	or	small	areas	within	Illinois.	Different	map	layers	(resource,	demographic,	economic)	can	beturned	on	or	off	to	show	specific	details	for	a	given	location.Lee	(1999)	suggested	that	geographic	information	systems	are	the	most	rapidly	developingcomputer	technologies	used	by	the	natural	sciences.	The	mapping	engine	introduces	users	to	GISand	to	database	information	from	Natural	Resource	Conservation	Service,	IDNR,	Illinois	StateGeological	Survey,	Illinois	Natural	History	Survey,	Illinois	Department	of	Agriculture,	University	ofIllinois,	U.S.	Census	Bureau,	IEPA,	and	others.	RMMS	users	can	search	by	county,	town,	and	zipcode,	or	they	can	zoom	in	to	an	area	to	view.	Once	zoomed	in,	users	can	select	from	a	variety	ofbase	layers	including	cropland	data,	Digital	Ortho	Photos,	landcover,	or	topographical	data.Other	features	include	the	"Calendar"	section,	which	allows	groups	to	post	activities	that	areoccurring	in	their	area.	The	calendar	features	allow	for	the	sharing	of	ideas	and	activitiesthroughout	the	state.	The	site	also	has	links	to	additional	watershed	related	references	andresources	and	an	"Ask	the	Expert"	feature.University	of	Illinois	Extension	planned	and	hosted	several	Internet	RMMS	mapping	workshopsdesigned	to	help	Extension	educators,	state	agency	staff,	watershed	managers,	landowners,	andother	interested	parties	gain	a	better	understanding	of	the	watershed	support	informationavailable.	The	objectives	of	the	RMMS	workshops	were	to	familiarize	participants	with	the	datasupport	available	to	watershed	groups.	Using	the	RMMS	map	tools,	participants	learned	how	tomap	resource	data,	insert	buffers,	tabulate	acreage	for	given	areas,	view	aerial	photographs,	andprint	and/or	save	maps.Results	and	DiscussionSince	revamping	the	IWMC	Web	site,	traffic	has	increased	by	1,031%.	Increases	have	beenattributed	to	advertising,	workshops,	new	releases,	and	surveys.Educators	hosted	RMMS	Workshops	throughout	the	state	targeted	at	agency	staff	and	watershedgroups	to	assist	with	mapping	their	watershed	using	information	available	over	the	Internet.	100%of	workshop	participants	rated	the	workshops	good	or	excellent	in	a	post-workshop	surveyregarding	the	quality	and	information	provided.	Participants	were	given	a	take-home	exercise	toreinforce	skills	learned	during	the	workshop.	The	take-home	exercise	provided	detailed	step-by-step	instructions.ConclusionFuture	plans	are	development	of	decision	tools,	information	exchanges,	and	interactive	on-linewatershed	planning.	Watershed	management	is	done	at	the	local	level,	and	this	Web	site	provideswatershed	groups	a	common	place	to	go	for	information.	The	site	combines	the	resources	of	fourIllinois	agencies	to	provide	information	pertaining	to	every	aspect	of	watershed	management.ReferencesCenter	for	Watershed	Protection.	(2004).	An	integrated	framework	to	restore	small	urbanwatershed.	Urban	Subwatershed	Restoration	Manual	Series	Manual	1.Lant,	L.	C.	(1999).	Introduction	human	dimensions	of	watershed	management.	Journal	of	theAmerican	Water	Resources	Association,	35.Lee,	B.	D.,	Wald,	J.	A.,	&	Lund	L.J.	(1999).	Introducing	students	to	online	county	soil	surveys	and	theSTATSGO	database	using	GIS.	Journal	of	Natural	Resources	and	Life	Sciences	Education,	28:93-96.Minnesota	Department	of	Natural	Resources.	(2004).	A	quick	guide	to	using	natural	resourcesinformation.Schmidt.	J.	P.,	Ransom,	M.	D.,	Kluitenberg	G.	J.,	Schrock	M.	D.,	Harrington,	J.	A.,	Taylor,	R.	K.,	&.Havlin.	J.	L.	(2001).	Teaching	site-specific	agriculture:	Three	semester's	experience	with	a	multi-disciplinary	approach.	Journal	of	Natural	Resources	and	Life	Sciences	Education,	30:77-83.Wright,	S.	A.,	&	Shindler,	B.	(Nov	2001).	The	role	of	information	sources	in	watershedmanagement.	Fisheries,	26:11-23.Copyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois

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A Web-Based Resource for Watershed Management in Illinois

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