Conservation of fish and other water-borne critters has been a critical driving force in many of our watershed-based efforts. Maintenance and enhancement of aquatic habitat is usually one of the main rationales (along with water quality and soil conservation) for "watershed work". Fisheries biologists are often the primary partners of hydrologists and soil scientists on interdisciplinary teams within land-management agencies. Until recently, these associations have generally been implicit (but obvious to the professionals) rather than explicit (and known to administrators and the public). In the past decade, aquatic conservation programs have become more holistic and wide-ranging. Declines of many aquatic species have been widely recognized as consequences of habitat degradation, and that degradation has been increasingly recognized as a cumulative result of human disturbances within, adjacent to, and upslope from a stream and its tributaries. Thus, river basins and watersheds have become part of the essential framework of many of these recent and current efforts. This issue of the Networker provides a cursory overview of a few of the high-profile species-recovery and habitat-conservation programs that use a watershed approach and are making news in 1999.
In the Pacific Northwest, the March listing of eight species of salmon and steelhead as threatened and one as endangered brought a long-simmering watershed-and-aquatic-habitat issue to network newscasts and national magazines. The complex relationships between landscape degradation, water management, and endangered species as well as a host of other associated issues are becoming more common topics of conversation in the affected region. In the Colorado River basin, efforts at recovery of four endangered species of fish may produce major changes in reservoir operations and land management. A systematic review of options for restoring the habitat of these fish is underway throughout the Upper Colorado River basin. In northern California, a joint state-federal purchase of a redwood forest in March made national headlines because of the high price tag and the theatrics of the final negotiations. However, the associated habitat conservation plan will guide management over a vast area for half a century. These three examples suggest that when we allow excessive degradation of aquatic habitat, the public investment needed for recovery can be immense.
In addition to the regional examples of aquatic habitat conservation, there are also geographically-widespread changes in management practices that should improve the health of aquatic systems. Two of the human impacts on aquatic systems that are gaining increasing amounts of attention are roads and dams. The 18-month long moratorium on road construction in the National Forests captured a lot of headlines, but was merely the most attention-grabbing aspect of a detailed review of the vast transportation network administered by the U.S. Forest Service. Ensuring adequate road maintenance gets little press or political attention, but controversies abound when plans emerge for road removal and rehabilitation. In most of this century, dams received press coverage for their engineering and construction marvels. However, in the past few years, dams were mentioned in the media when their demolition was debated. We hope to explore these topics in future issues of the Networker.
This issue of the Networker merely outlines a few examples of watershed-related issues of aquatic habitat conservation. Our membership is familiar with a vast range of similar stories. We hope that you contribute your experience to the Networker. Another opportunity to share your experiences in these matters is at a conference of a sister organization in Seattle in December. The American Water Resources Association's annual water resources conference has as its theme, "Watershed Management to Protect Declining Species". Although the deadline for submitting abstracts has now expired, WMC members should find this conference to be of great interest.
