Effective evaluation is an important part of any watershed management plan. An evaluation process will provide measures of the effectiveness of implement the watershed management plan. Showing success will gain support from the community and increase the potential for project sustainability. LCWC developed evaluation techniques to fit categories of their implementation tasks based on suggestions outlined by MDEQ (2000). The Implementation Plan is directed toward activities dealing with informing, educating, or involving people, or with the restoration of degraded habitat (i.e. structural improvements). The following table outlines the evaluation activities that LCWC will carry out to measure success in LCWP.
|
Task or Objective |
Evaluation Technique |
Measurement |
Pros and Cons |
Implementation |
|
Workshops, seminars, presentations, Information/ Education Campaigns, Public outreach, Publications
|
Public Survey (Perform at beginning of implementation phase, midway through project, and at the 10 year mark) |
Level of awareness; participation in project; before/after knowledge; opinions; attitudes (proof of behavior change) |
Moderate costs. Instant feed back. Suggestions included |
Pre and post surveys by mail, telephone, or focus group; attendance lists; suggestion box-feedback forms; determine progress on goals/objectives |
|
Focus group, presentations, and discussions |
Success of partnerships, public ownership/acceptance/participation in implementation plan, behavior and attitude change, perception changes, knowledge and awareness |
Good representation of community opinions/awareness/knowledge |
Presentations to groups; group discussions on project successes |
|
|
Interviews with community technical advisors, etc. |
Opinions, beliefs, attitudes |
Easy to do, moderate cost |
One-on-one discussions |
|
|
Structural Improvements |
Photographs, calculations, models, monitoring |
Pollutant load, BMP’ s installed, physical outcomes, before and after results |
Photos are easy to do, moderate costs; calculations are relatively easy to implement, moderate costs |
Photograph sites before and after BMP installation, measure erodable soils before and after installation, and design and implement computer and mathematical models; gather continuous physical, chemical, and biological data. |
The Les Cheneaux Watershed Project will need to develop evaluation criteria to gauge success in reaching goals for desired uses of the watershed. Aesthetic quality, maintaining natural environments, and preserving historical, cultural, and environmental features can all be perceived differently among the community and project partners. The Les Cheneaux Watershed Council will work with local townships in developing and adopting biologic and economic “Indicators” to guarantee that economic success is not being realized at the expense of the environment, which ultimately is driving that success.