Stakeholder education and involvement are important components of every WRAPS project, especially Planning Projects which involve decision-making about watershed restoration and protection measures.

Hosting informational meetings/workshops and developing printed materials (brochures) are two ways of educating stakeholders. Regardless of the methods, it is important that stakeholders are actively engaged in the process of developing the watershed Action Plan.

Goals are general statements about what the WRAPS is meant to achieve. They are often based on achieving “ideal” conditions to ensure the watershed provides the functions stakeholders value, such as safe drinking water and high-quality habitat.

Types of Goals:

• Restoration Goals: Identify existing impairments (e.g., TMDLs).
• Protection Goals: Identify emerging problems or issues to prevent future impairments.

Example: “Reduce phosphorus loading in Anytown City Lake to reduce the level of eutrophication.”

This involves identifying actions to achieve the goals set in Step 3. These generally fall into four categories:

• Structural Practices (BMPs): Best Management Practices designed to reduce pollution (e.g., riparian management, livestock grazing management, industrial pollution prevention).
• Information & Education: Outreach campaigns, water festivals for schools, or watershed tours highlighting successful restoration practices.
• Funding: Cost-share funds and in-kind technical assistance to help landowners construct improvements.
• Regulatory Action: Local codes, erosion control ordinances, or land use management policies (zoning/subdivision ordinances).

A “watershed management scenario” is simply a combination of BMPs or other actions intended to achieve goals. Computer models can be utilized to help identify the most effective scenario, especially for pollutant load reductions.

Economic Analysis: This is also critical to ensure that the proposed actions are economically feasible.

Based on the outcome of modeling and economic analysis, a specific scenario is selected to achieve watershed goals. Ideally, this scenario will include a host of actions that are technically effective at improving watershed conditions (restoration) or protecting resources, while remaining cost-effective.

An action plan will only prove successful if watershed stakeholders and agencies offer an endorsement. This commitment can be formal (proclamation, resolution) or informal.

Regardless of the form, it is critical for long-term success that stakeholders “buy in” and support the restoration and protection actions.

The final plan should identify:

• Goals for specific water or natural resources.
• Specific actions/measures to achieve each goal.
• A timeline for implementation.
• Agencies and individuals responsible for implementation.
• Needs for financial and technical assistance.
• Indicators or benchmarks to assess progress.