Watershed Stewards Project

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Watershed Stewards Project

Please view our short video detailing WSP’s mission.

The Watershed Stewards Project was established in 1994 as a comprehensive, community-based watershed restoration and education program. Members serve in coastal watersheds throughout California, supporting the WSP mission to conserve, restore and enhance anadromous watersheds for future generations.

In collaboration with commercial and sport fishing industry representatives, timber companies, teachers, community members, non-profit organizations, and public agencies, the WSP partnership works to revitalize watersheds that contain endangered and threatened species by conducting monitoring and carrying out state-of-the-art watershed recovery techniques.

During their year of service, members learn and implement advanced watershed assessment procedures, participate in in-stream and up-slope restoration activities, present the WSP Real Science curriculum to local K-12 grade students, engage community members in volunteer projects, perform public outreach and facilitate environmental education workshops and symposiums.

WSP Staff Bios

Carrie Lewis - Program Director
Kristin Kovacs - Program Manager Region I
Jody Weseman - Program Manager Region II
Zia Schatz - Office Manager
Sarah Jones - Member Coordinator
Bonnie Stewart - Member Coordinator

Our Mission

The mission of the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project is to conserve, restore and enhance anadromous watersheds for future generations by linking education with high-quality scientific practices.

A project of the California Conservation Corps, WSP is administered by CaliforniaVolunteers and sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Pay/Benefits

Qualifications: Minimum of 25 semester units of science and/or equivalent scientific fieldwork/study; strong interest in natural resources; dedication to serving the community full-time. Also, you have to be 21 years old and either a U.S. Citizen, National, or Lawful Permanent Resident Alien.

Duration: 10.5 months and a minimum of 1,700 hours total

Stipend: $13,600 total (approximately $1,312 per month)

Benefits: No-cost Health Insurance, Child Care Provisions (eligibility requirements for child care benefits apply), Student Loan Forbearance (for most loans), and Numerous Training and Professional Development Opportunities

Educational Award: $5,550 upon completion of the 10.5-month / 1700 hour term

Placement Sites

Member Duties

WSP members serve a minimum of 1700 hours under the mentorship of natural resource professionals throughout California's coastal communities. Their 10.5 month term of service begins in October and runs through mid-August. Each WSP placement site engages two or more members in all of the following service activity areas. Each site's overall strategy, emphasis, effort, and timing of service activities varies based on location.

Watershed Recovery Activities (60%)

All members spend the majority of their term performing watershed recovery tasks such as:

Assessment

• Habitat typing

• Culvert & Road projects

• Water quality/quantity monitoring

Data Collection (Sampling)

• E-fishing

• Salmonid trapping

• Water quality surveys

• Vegetation surveys

• Salmonid spawner & snorkel surveys

Data Analysis and Compilation

• Lab work

• Report Writing

• Literature Review

• Research

• Mapping

Watershed Restoration

• Re-vegetation

• In-stream Structure Implementation

• Bank Stabilization

Education & Community Outreach (20%)

Members provide educational presentations relating to conserving, restoring, and sustaining local watersheds within their communities such as:

• Present Real Science, a six lesson series of watershed/salmonid based curriculum in K-12 classrooms

• Staff informative booths at environmentally-based public outreach events

• Deliver presentations to community members and service groups

• Lead field trips and coordinate educational games/activities

• Volunteer within the community during National Service Days (four hour minimum)

Professional Development (15%)

Members attend a variety of trainings to enhance technical watershed / fisheries skills and professional development

• Orientation: members are trained in Swift Water Rescue, Wilderness First Aid/CPR, and WSP program policies and procedures

• Regional Training: members learn Real Science curriculum, classroom management, and effective communication techniques

• WSP Spring/Summer Trainings: members attend workshops, fieldtrips, and panel discussions based on watershed related issues (varies from year to year)

• Site specific trainings: each placement site trains their members in the skills necessary to complete tasks assigned throughout the member’s term of service

• Additional trainings may include: Salmon Restoration Federation Conference and Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education Conference

Volunteer Recruitment (5%)

Members engage community members in hands-on watershed restoration through the coordination of Individual Service Projects (ISPs)

• Create public service announcements and media releases to recruit volunteers

• Outline and present safety considerations for each event

• Engage students, teachers, and community members in hands-on restoration projects

For specific information about the work done at each WSP placement site, please refer to the main page of this website and click on “Current Members” to review the various placement site handbooks.

The Experience

Click on the various Tributary Trubunes to read about members' experiences in these member created newsletters:

Tributary Tribune (Northern Region, 2011)
Tributary Tribune (Central Region, 2011)
Tributary Tribune (Southern Region, 2011)
Tributary Tribune (Northern Region, 2012)

WSP In Your Community

Education:

Watershed Stewards Project’s (WSP) Real Science Watershed Education Program aims to provide classrooms with quality watershed and salmonid lessons that students can apply to understanding their local watersheds. The Real Science Program is a six-visit interactive series of lessons (generally one hour per week), which focuses on California’s coastal watersheds, watershed-related topics and salmonid species, salmon and trout, provided at no cost to schools within our project communities. Trained WSP members typically present the series in pairs and can accommodate K-12 classrooms of approximately 30 students.

The Real Science curriculum is aligned with California State Content Standards and can be tailored to incorporate additional standards. Opportunities to incorporate field trips and service learning projects can be explored as well.

Overall the education component of the WSP program has been extremely successful. Since the programs creation in 1994, WSP members have instructed 37,362 students using the Real Science curriculum on salmon lifecycles, watershed processes and best land-use practices, as well as shared scientifically-based salmon and watershed restoration information with 203,842 students and community members.

For any questions or requests to participate in the WSP Real Science program, please contact the WSP Team Leader at 707-725-8601 or by email at wsp.etl@ccc.ca.gov.

Outreach:

WSP members also offer single visits for teachers who may not have the time for the extended visits, but would still like to incorporate some watershed education. These single visits vary and can include fish dissections, a salmonid life-cycle slide show presentation or educational games and art projects.

Members help strengthen communities through environmentally-based public outreach activities that include assisting in the organization of environmental education fairs, delivering presentations to community members and service groups, coordinating a hands-on community restoration project, and staffing public information booths at fairs and other public events.

For any questions or requests to participate in the WSP Real Science program, please contact the WSP Team Leader at 707-725-8601 or by email at wsp.otl@ccc.ca.gov.

Watershed Stewards Project

1455-C Sandy Prairie Ct

Fortuna, CA 95540

Phone: (707) 725-8601

Fax: (707) 725-8602

Satellite WSP Office

1530 Madera Ave

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Phone: (805) 542-8461

Fax: (877) 568-8937

E-Mail: WSP.Info@ccc.ca.gov