Development of the Oregon Watershed assessment manual

The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds relies on citizen-led watershed c ouncils to develop local watershed restoration plans. We have developed an assessment manual that can be used by watershed councils to assess current conditions and identify protection and restoration opportunities. The manua l is designed to be used by individuals with minimal technical background a nd experience in watershed assessment. The manual has been developed as dis crete sections that focus on different watershed processes. The Start-Up an d Issues Identification section describes how to organize a watershed asses sment. The Historical Conditions and Channel Habitat Type sections provide a descriptive framework for assessing current conditions. Six sections (Hyd rology and Water Use, Riparian/Wetlands, Sediment Sources, Channel Modifica tion, Water Quality, and Fish Habitat) provide a characterization of curren t conditions. The Watershed Condition Evaluation section describes how to u se the technical assessment to identify problem areas and prioritize potent ial restoration opportunities. The final section, Monitoring and Evaluation , discusses development of a monitoring plan. Over ten watershed assessment s have been initiated to. date using the manual. Initial response indicates that the manual is extremely useful in organizing and interpreting informa tion about local watershed conditions, and in prioritizing protection and r estoration actions.