"Operating Manual for the Spaceship Earth" was the title of a thin volume authored by R. Buckminster Fuller and published in 1969. While operation of the Earth is probably a little more complicated than can be captured in 133 pages, the book does guide the reader toward paths to insight, ways of thinking broadly, and a philosophy of continually optimizing-leaving non-optimal methods of operating behind. Watershed manuals can help us do the same.

While watershed manuals are often telephone book sized and chock-full of detailed modules on assessment, monitoring and restoration techniques, it's a mistake to think of them exclusively as recipe books. None of them contain a complete set of instructions on how to manage watersheds without thinking. The best convey guiding principles that can help the manual user apply the information sensibly.

A Federal Agency Guide for Pilot Watershed Analysis (version 1.2) (1994) is based on the premise that if you can come to understand the processes that are taking place in a watershed, the path to better watershed management will reveal itself. The Guide is an outgrowth of the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team report (FEMAT, 1993) in which Watershed Analysis (WA) is identified as a key component of FEMAT's conservation strategy. Enlightenment through understanding is the core philosophy. Ironically, this is very close to the principle of scientific management on which Gifford Pinchot founded the USDA Forest Service at the turn of last century. On the eve of the next millennia, commitment to this philosophy is being renewed with this Guide, perhaps with a shift of values.

The Guide in its current version is about 200 pages long and broken into two parts. Part one is entitled Analysis Strategy. It introduces Watershed Analysis (WA) and breaks WA into eight sequential steps. This section's prime focus is process. It's useful both in terms of understanding what is proposed for the Pacific Northwest in terms of FEMAT's WA and in terms of a model for other regions. Part two is entitled Analytic Modules and contains guidance on how to evaluate individual aspects of watershed condition like stream water temperature regimes, various types of erosion and sedimentation, and channel condition. For most of these elements, two versions of the evaluation process are presented: 1) preliminary evaluation (quick and dirty, and done mostly in the office), and 2) detailed evaluation (longer and more comprehensive, usually requiring much more fieldwork).

Most evaluation modules contain five parts-goals, data needs, products, procedures and references. The modules tend to be short and bare boned-providing good guidance, but not stand-alone recipes. Some needed evaluation modules appear to be missing, and some issues are not given enough attention. The water quality section does not contain a section for evaluating chemically polluted runoff from such things as abandoned mine sites. Fire is relegated to the module on evaluating Historic Disturbance, giving short shrift to the notion that fire is an ecological necessity in many systems. The Guide is intended to be continually updated and expanded as needed. The Guide is new and as yet untested.

Digressing just a moment, The Volkswagen Manual for the Complete Idiot by John Muir was one of the best manuals of any kind I have ever used. This manual was revised several times based on user input. Of course, auto maintenance and repair is a lot more mechanistic than good watershed management and restoration, but nothing beats feedback from users for testing and improving the utility of a manuals.

The Washington (State) Forest Practice Act Board Manual entitled Standard Methodology for Conducting Watershed Analysis (version 1.10, October 1992) is getting some user testing now and consequently may be a more useful model. Indeed, it appears the Manual served as a model for the FEMAT Guide, discussed above. The Manual is not quite twice the length of the FEMAT Guide, appears to be more complete, and of course is focused on the river basins of Washington State.

The Manual is also divided into two parts. The first part (about a third of the Manual) is entitled Watershed Analysis Workbook, and is divided into four sequential sections-startup, resource assessment (inventory, synthesis and report format), prescription process, and monitoring. The second part (about two thirds of the Manual) is a collection of nine appendices, collectively entitled Resource Assessments and individually entitled Mass Wasting, Surface Erosion, Hydrology, Riparian, Stream Channel, Fish Habitat, Water Quality, Water Supply/Public Works, and Routing. In October 1992, the completion and inclusion of the Water Quality module was still pending. The Resource Assessment Appendices have all the features of the FEMAT Analytic modules, plus useful information both general and specific. For example, the Appendices prescribe the minimum qualifications of persons performing each type of assessment. The analysis areas for various types of assessment are also described in terms of actual river basins. Finally, the Washington State Manual tends be more specific about analytic methods.

Entering the Watershed (March 1993) by the Pacific Rivers Council (formerly the Oregon River Council) is subtitled "An Action Plan to Protect and Restore America's River Ecosystems and Biodiversity". This approach to watershed management grew out of the observation that without watershed protection upstream, Wild and Scenic Rivers downstream are at risk of degradation. For those interested in approaching watershed conservation from the policy side, this is the manual for you. This 319 page Report to Congress discusses ecological problems, policy problems, and recommends a new approach. To quote the report, "This approach is founded on principles of watershed dynamics, ecosystem management, and conservation biology-a community and ecosystem-based strategy that maintains and restores riverine processes and biodiversity at the watershed level." The report has a definite point of view. Some using the Report as a reference may find the advocacy distracting, others may find it inspirational.

The report is divided into three sections: Part one, entitled Forgotten Waters, discusses the problems; Part two, entitled Recommendations, makes recommendations for solving the problems; Part three is comprised of four appendices, each with great appeal for watershed policy wonks. Appendix A focuses on federal acts. Appendix B focuses on federal land management. Appendix C focuses on the federal policies and programs affecting rivers that flow through private lands. Appendix C focuses on state and local riverine management approaches, and briefly cites three successful efforts-the Merrimack River (New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts), the Mattole River (northern California) and the Upper Mississippi River.

Some of the Report's recommendations are already being tackled. The beginnings of a National Watershed Registry have been compiled by the Watershed Management Council with the support of EPA and has recently become operational. Local cooperative watershed management efforts are springing up in many places both ad hoc and under the flags of various programs. U.S. EPA has become very much more interested and active in watershed management over the last couple of years.

In contrast, the Report makes many legislative recommendations, and few if any of these have been acted on yet by Congress. The Report does propose some new bureaucracy, which personally makes me nervous. However, the main thrust of these recommendations is to rationalize the existing hodge-podge of laws, regulations and policies affecting watersheds and riverine systems. The need for this rationalization is growing as fast as the current explosion of interest in restoring and managing watersheds better. The Report has a lot to say on this theme.

In a nutshell, these are three watershed manuals you ought to look at-two similar ones from the technical side and one from the policy side. I hope I've sparked your interest in exploring these and more.