THE PROBLEM:
Watershed Management is challenging, however modern mapping and modeling offer unique opportunities to change how investments and coalitions could be made.
People benefit from investments upstream and all projects benefit from the leverage that multiple investment partners bring. All else equal, projects upstream have more value to more people but currently investments tend to be local.
THE CONCEPT:
I propose creating a searchable central clearinghouse for all proposed watershed improvement projects. This clearing house would provide a.) opportunities to request assistance for public and private private projects, b.) provide a portfolio of unfunded projects to the widest audience of investors and c.) a watershed mapping based format to be coupled with best available science/models to determine upstream opportunities for investment.
Think “Kickstarter” for watershed projects
This would allow:
1.) Proposed projects are automatically shared to everyone downstream based on watershed maps
2.) Investors can search for projects that have the greatest impact to them and/or the most people.
3.) Proposed projects will automatically reach the widest possible audience
4.) Reporting/tracking the estimated impact of individual and watershed-wide projects and could be easily tracked and shared to stakeholders. Investors can more easily share the impact of their support to constituents via automated project updates and summary fact sheets.
5.) Even small private projects could benefit from a wider pool of investment. Likewise small investments pooled create tremendous leverage.
6.) Opportunities for investment by non-traditional sources to high-impact projects is easy (eg community foundations, individuals, businesses).
7.) Categorization of project impact types (eg fish habitat, nutrient reduction, flood/storm water mitigation) would allow investments based on interest.
8.) Project impact could be estimated and ranking would help inform, but not always dictate, decision-making for investment.