Managing watersheds: Improving the Decisions with Science and Values

Excerpt

Most people care about the quality of watersheds and there is a tremendous breadth of data and knowledge available concerning watershed management. However, the questions about watershed management remain numerous and the answers few! There is often a conspicuous absence of consensus about which programs should be implemented and which land use practices should be altered. Why is it that with all our knowledge, we haven't provided the residents of watersheds with “The Answer?” Why is it so difficult for many concerned citizens to accept scientific solutions?

We suggest that it is because decisions are required in order to arrive at answers or solutions and those decisions are site-specific, not generalized to all watersheds on the continent or to all watersheds in the Corn Belt. Watershed solutions depend on the problems identified, the soils, slopes, cropping patterns, resources available, technical expertise, technologies, and the desires of its constituents.

This process of making decisions about our watersheds requires a melding of science and values. Scientific information or knowledge is essential for determining alternative solutions and the effects or impacts of those solutions, BUT science cannot answer the question about which of those impacts …