CATCHMENT COUNCILS AS AN OUTREACH STRATEGY FOR THE CHESAPEAKE WATERSHED INITIATIVE AT FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE

The Chesapeake Watershed Initiative (CWI) aims to understand the effects of colonial settlement, dam construction, dam removal, and restoration in human impacted floodplains in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. We establish “catchment councils” or groups of landowners along short stream reaches, to study the effectiveness of different outreach strategies for cooperative restoration. The Indian Run catchment council, established in Lancaster County, PA, leveraged local connections to maximize participation and reach council goals.

Landowners first received informational mailers about the CWI’s idea for the council and an invitation to an introductory meeting. Streambank erosion maps with property-specific, high-resolution LiDAR data were provided to council members to provide necessary information to guide action, with erosion data framed as a peer comparison among parcels along Indian Run. Peer-to-peer outreach between council members and nonmembers encouraged additional neighbors to join and consider multi-property restorations.

To conclude the year-long study, members and nonmembers completed a survey to share information about their concerns and motivations behind their participation decisions (n=12 of 19 nonmembers, 10 of 11 members). The council goal of reducing streambank erosion and addressing problems relevant to their own properties were strong motivators for joining the council, corroborated by interviews with each council member. Nonmembers noted a range of factors in their decision not to participate, including the time commitment and their lack of awareness of the council. According to interviews with council members, the 3 restoration designs planned for member properties, and tangible progress towards environmental goals were the most beneficial outcomes of the council. Several noted that they would like to continue meeting.

Three restorations along Indian Run are planned as a direct result of the council, strongly supporting the effectiveness of catchment councils as a mode for restorative action. To establish future catchment councils, property-specific erosion maps will help target streams with the most potential for restoration. We will continue to leverage neighborhood networks and peer comparisons for outreach and collect valuable opinion data to steer our efforts.