Watershed Management and Community Building: A Case Study of Portland’s Community Watershed Stewardship Programtitle

¹This paper is a product of equal collaborative effort from each of the authors. We would like to thank Barry Messer, research assistant professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University, Kristin Shaeffer, graduate assistant, and students in the Capstone class, “Neighborhoods and Watersheds” for their participation in this research project. We are also grateful for the cooperation and support of the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, the Crestwood Headwaters Group, and the AmeriCorps volunteers who helped deliver surveys. Financial support for the project has come from two Faculty Development Grants funded by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

Abstract

Local governments are increasingly turning to community building partnerships to enhance the quality of service delivery. This is particularly evident in new programs for urban stream protection which combine the ecological ideal of stewardship with the communitarian call for an enlarged citizenship. The questions posed by stewardship approaches are fundamental. Should stewardship programs replace or complement regulatory regimes? Do agency investments in participatory programs produce noticeable differences in watershed awareness? Does this awareness change individual behaviors and improve community capacity to monitor watershed health? The research described in this paper evaluates the impact of one of these stewardship efforts, Portland, Oregon’s Community Watershed Stewardship Program. Utilizing a quasi-experimental research design, we test our thesis that stewardship programs that enhance civic capacity significantly improve awareness of watershed issues and promote watershed friendly attitudes and behaviors. In this paper, we report on the first phase of our research. Our findings provide initial support for our thesis.

Notes

¹ This paper is a product of equal collaborative effort from each of the authors. We would like to thank Barry Messer, research assistant professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University, Kristin Shaeffer, graduate assistant, and students in the Capstone class, “Neighborhoods and Watersheds” for their participation in this research project. We are also grateful for the cooperation and support of the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, the Crestwood Headwaters Group, and the AmeriCorps volunteers who helped deliver surveys. Financial support for the project has come from two Faculty Development Grants funded by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alexander Welsch

Alexander Welsch is a graduate student in urban studies and planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. His dissertation concerns labor force issues in sustainable development. His research interests include political economy, sustainable development, and linkages between environmental awareness and behavioral change.

Charles Heying

Charles Heying is assistant professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He received his doctorate in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His most recent publication, “Civic elites and corporate delocalization: An alternative explanation for declining civic engagement,” appeared in the Marchi April 1997 issue of American Behavioral Scientist. Research interests include civic elites, urban politics, and the political economy of nonprofit organizations.