About IWRP
Evolution of IWRP
Mission Statement
Current IWRP Watersheds (map)
Objectives
IWRP Partners
What IWRP is Not
Phase 1 Components
How to Get Involved in IWRP
Evolution of IWRP
Beginning in the late 1990s, eight watershed restoration plans
and a number of other related assessments were developed for seven
watersheds in Santa Cruz County. Funded variously by the California
Department of Fish and Game, the Coastal Conservancy, and the Regional
Water Control Board, these plans were carried out by local governments,
nonprofits, and watershed groups with oversight by technical advisory
committees. Anticipating the completion of the plans, the focus
turned to ways to effectively implement the recommended projects
and programs, given the numerous stumbling
blocks that typically hamper watershed restoration efforts.
Wanting to alleviate some of these stumbling blocks, staff from
the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District (RCD), Coastal
Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Game, Coastal Watershed
Council, and the City and County of Santa Cruz began brainstorming
possible solutions. They recognized that watershed restoration would
be more effective as a coordinated county-wide effort and in May
2002 they developed the concept for the Integrated Watershed
Restoration Program (IWRP) for Santa Cruz County. The goal
of IWRP is to support local watershed partners in developing projects
and to coordinate agencies that provide technical assistance, permits,
and funds. Such coordination will reduce the staff time required
while helping to ensure that critical projects are identified, funded,
and permitted.
IWRP will improve the effectiveness of watershed restoration through
a variety of approaches. For local organizations and individuals
doing watershed restoration, IWRP will ease the process by providing
technical assistance, facilitating the design and permitting of
projects, and providing clear priorities and guidance to help develop
more competitive proposals. In order to ease the burdens of dwindling
agency staff, IWRP will provide a framework to coordinate state
watershed priorities and funding. To evaluate project successes
and identify future needs, IWRP will support the creation of a county-wide
restoration monitoring program. And as a complement to physical
projects, IWRP will support watershed outreach and education endeavors.
These targets, and the mechanisms being developed to achieve them,
are summarized below in the IWRP Objectives.
In June 2003, the Coastal Conservancy awarded a grant to the SCCRCD
to begin Phase 1 of IWRP. This first phase
is expected to last until 2006. Meanwhile, efforts are underway
to continue IWRP into the future.
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IWRP Mission Statement
To facilitate and coordinate
projects
to improve fish and wildlife habitat and water
quality
in Santa Cruz County watersheds
using a voluntary, non-regulatory approach.
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Current IWRP Watersheds
Additional watersheds may be included in the future.
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IWRP Objectives
1. Coordinate agencies on the identification, funding,
and implementation of watershed restoration projects.
2. Target proposals to critical projects supported
by the resource agencies.
3. Facilitate higher quality designs at lower
cost.
4. Simplify the permit process for watershed restoration
projects.
5. Effect institutional change to improve watershed
restoration efforts.
6. Develop a countywide outreach and education
program.
7. Develop a countywide watershed restoration monitoring
program geared toward future project identification needs.
8. Develop additional assessments and plans as
needed.
9. Serve as a watershed restoration information hub
for Santa Cruz County.
To see the mechanisms proposed to achieve each objective,
click here.
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IWRP Partners
Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District
Coastal Conservancy
CA Department of Fish and Game
Regional Water Quality Control Board #3
Sustainable Conservation
Santa Cruz County Dept of Environmental Health
Santa Cruz County Dept of Public Works
Santa Cruz County Dept of Planning
City of Santa Cruz
City of Watsonville
City of Capitola
NOAA Fisheries
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Army Corps of Engineers
USDA Natural Resources Conservation District
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Coastal Commission
CA Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
CA Department of Parks and Recreation
Fishnet4C
Coastal Watershed Council
...and numerous local watershed groups and organizations.
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What IWRP is Not
Not regulatory - IWRP is a
voluntary process and all projects are only done with willing landowners.
IWRP seeks to find proactive solutions for landowners in order to
avoid later actions by regulatory agencies.
Not a dedicated or guaranteed source of funding
- IWRP does not change the existing mechanisms for receiving funding,
but rather helps to identify projects the funding agencies consider
high priority and help partners develop proposals that will be very
competitive.
Not the only solution - IWRP is not meant
to be the "only game in town". Watershed partners are
encouraged to pursue funding avenues and other strategies as they
see fit. IWRP is a service to help improve and coordinate the development
of grant proposals for watershed-related projects, and provide other
resources for getting the projects done.
Not fixed in stone - IWRP is flexible enough
to adapt to new needs and stumbling blocks as they arise. IWRP will
offer various opportunities for watershed partners to exchange ideas
and come up with more effective ways of working together. The success
of IWRP will depend on how well watershed partners collaborate.
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Phase 1 Components
Recognizing the value of the IWRP objectives, the
Coastal Conservancy awarded $4.5 million to the SCCRCD in June 2003
to initiate Phase 1 of IWRP and dedicated a staff position to coordinate
the program. The SCCRCD manages and administers this Phase 1 block
grant and subcontracts with local governments and organizations,
as well as managing some SCCRCD-led projects. Phase 1 includes the
following components (for more details, see Featured
Projects):
- Designs/permits for ~55 restoration projects
- Underway
- Expansion of rural roads technical assistance program
(incl. an additional 20-40 erosion control project designs) -
Summer 04
- Comparative Lagoon Ecological Assessment Project
- Underway
- Countywide restoration monitoring program development
- Fall 04
- Countywide outreach & education program development
- Fall/Winter 04
- Watershed education activity and resource guide
(Gr. 4-12) - Underway
- Coordination and resources: annual Watershed Partner
Forum, IWRP reporting, IWRP website, technical assistance -
Underway...first Forum to be held in Fall 04
Phase 1 is focused on pre-implementation activities. Since funding
of designs and permits was recognized as one of the primary bottlenecks
to implementing projects, the bulk of the Conservancy Phase 1 grant
(over 70%) will go toward designs and permits for nearly 100 critical
watershed restoration projects in Santa Cruz County. These projects
will be reviewed and approved by the resource and permitting agencies,
which will make them very competitive for implementation funding
as part of future IWRP phases.
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How to Get Involved in IWRP
 Visit
the IWRP website for resource information.
Sign
up on the IWRP email lists to
receive announcements and reports.
Attend
meetings, including the annual Watershed Partner Forum.
Submit
project proposals, ideas, and suggestions.
Comment
on draft and final reports.
Volunteer
to help with IWRP or on specific projects.
Post
your organization's mission/needs on the IWRP website for networking
purposes.
Submit
your organization's announcements to Confluence, the IWRP Newsletter.
Collaborate
with other watershed partners to pool resources, brainstorm, and
prepare grant proposals.
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