In 1992, WMC conducted a poll of its members on the subject "Obstacles to Integrated Watershed Management". The most highly rated outreach proposal was a suggestion by Melvin R. George (WMC News, Fall 1992): "Existing watershed knowledge should be organized and synthesized so that it is more available to watershed professionals for professional training, policymaker education, and public education programs."

Similar thoughts were provided by Eric B. Janes, which offer a rationale and direction for the proposal. "In order to recapture the resource manager's interest and funding support for watershed management research, we as a profession somehow need to tidy up the research findings landscape. Many regulators, senior land managers and university administrators see chaos in today's watershed research landscape. Research findings are voluminuous, often contradictory and fragmented, contain technical jargon and are frankly of minimal transfer-value to ecosystems beyond specific research locations.

"It discourages these same managers to recall that watershed research is among the most expensive of natural resources research, and that even with the considerable research investment over 40 years, the profession still argues convincingly around many sides of some fundamental watershed management principles and techniques."

One way to synthesize and present the state-of-the-art in watershed management is to develop an integrated watershed management handbook. A blue-ribbon cooperative effort which includes practitioners and researchers could be initiated by the Watershed Management Council to address the above concerns, reach conclusions, reassure management, and realistically portray future issues and needs for watershed management research.

What do you think? This issue of the newsletter is reviewing some of the currently available handbooks, guides and references as an initial attempt to evaluate what may still be needed. Please share your thoughts with the WMC Board members and we will see what develops.