Summary Points: Sophia Paul and Katje Pritchard are second-year Master’s students at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). Sophia studies Environmental Policy & Planning and Environmental Justjce and Katje studies Conservatjon Ecology and Environmental Policy & Planning. Also featured in this webinar are Dr. Julia Wondolleck and Dr. Chris Feurt. Julia is a professor at SEAS and member of the NERRS Science Collaboratjve team. She teaches courses in Collaboratjve Natural Resource Management, Environmental Confmict Management, Negotjatjon, and Mediatjon. She served as the faculty advisor for this project. Chris is the Coastal Training Program Director at the Wells Natjonal Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and the Director of the Center for Sustainable for Communitjes at the University of New England in the Department of Environmental Studies. Chris was the client contact for this project.
Summary Points: • The Master’s program at SEAS is a professional Master’s Projects degree program structured to give students Master’s Projects the knowledge and skills to become efgectjve environmental professionals. The program is two years and each entering class contains 125-150 students. • Capstone requirement for MS degree • Capstone requirement for MS degree • Students specialize in a one or more fjelds, such as Environmental Policy & Planning, Conservatjon Ecology, Sustainable Systems, NERRS Science Collaborative Webinar • Interdisciplinary, team-based research • Interdisciplinary, team-based research Environmental Justjce, Environmental Informatjons, or Behavior, Educatjon & Communicatjon. • Client-focused, professional product • Client-focused, professional product • The degree has a capstone requirement and 25% of students fulfjll this by completjng a March 27, 2018 traditjonal research thesis, while 75% elect to conduct a Master’s project. • 3-6 students/team, 20-25 projects/year • 3 -6 students/team, 20-25 projects/year • Master’s projects focus on a pressing, real- world problem or questjon of interest to a real-world client. All projects result in a • Public and private sector clients • Public and private sector clients professional product for that client. • Local, state, federal agencies; communities; • Local, state, federal agencies; communities; NGOs NGOs • Private sector companies • Private sector companies
Summary Points: Master’s Project Process • Projects can be proposed by faculty, students, or clients. There is a formal proposal submission process, with a December 1 submission deadline (the exact date changes year-to-year). Project Proposals • Students cluster into teams and select the Great Bay NERR • Client, faculty, or student-initiated projects they’ll work on in early January. SEAS hosts a client fair in early January where • December 1 deadline for submission clients can join in person or remotely to talk to students about their proposed project. (seas.umich.edu/research/capstone) • About 50 projects are proposed each year and 20-25 of these projects are ultjmately selected by students. Project Adoption • Project implementatjon occurs over the ensuing 12-16 months in an interactjve way • Client fair (early January) with the client. • Student teams form (late January) • The project, “Possibilitjes for Collaboratjon in the Saco River Watershed: An Assessment,” was the product of a conversatjon that Chris and Julia had at the NERRS Annual Meetjng a few years ago. Chris put together a drafu Project Implementation proposal, Julia reviewed it and made a few suggestjons, and Chris submitued the proposal for consideratjon to SEAS. • 12 - 16 months 9
Summary Points: Project Team Context • The Master’s project team for the project, “Possibilitjes for Collaboratjon in the Saco River Watershed: An Assessment,” was comprised U-M SEAS Masters Students of four SEAS students representjng diverse professional backgrounds and academic specializatjons. • Katje and Sophia are two members of this four- person team. Garrett Powers Alice Elliott Sophia Paul Katie Pritchard Academic focuses in Environmental Professional experience in nonprofit Policy & Planning, Environmental management, project management, Justice, and Conservation Ecology consensus processes
Summary Points: Saco River Watershed What is a Buffer? • The Saco River watershed spans Maine and New Hampshire and is home to a quarter million people. • The Saco’s headwaters originate in the White Mountain Natjonal Forest and extend southeast through Conway, NH - one of the Spans Maine and New watershed’s three major citjes. Hampshire • The middle stretch of the river begins at the Maine-New Hampshire border and extends Drains 1,700 sq. mi. southeast through approximately 20 Maine municipalitjes. This stretch of the watershed is largely rural and undeveloped. Home to 250,000 people • The river meets the Atlantjc Ocean in the Saco River Estuary, which is surrounded by the citjes of Saco and Biddeford. Wells NERR is located just south of the estuary, in Wells, Maine. Heavily forested and rural • Because the watershed is largely rural and the river’s headwaters are located in a protected Historical lack of industry forest, water quality is excellent. In additjon, due to high precipitatjon and the fact that High quantity and quality the watershed is underlain by a stratjfjed drifu aquifer, there is a high quantjty of both ground surface and ground water and surface water. Source: MWV Chamber of Commerce/Wiseguy Creative, Flickr
Summary Points: Saco River Watershed Why do we care about buffers? The watershed’s high quality and quantjty of ground and surface water allow it to support a multjtude of difgerent actjvitjes and uses, Activities and Uses including: Promote water quality Reduce Erosion • Public and private water extractjon. The Saco River is a major regional drinking water source and many municipalitjes in Maine, including Water Extraction Forestry Saco and Biddeford, rely on the river for drinking water. Residents in the middle stretch are largely reliant on private well water. In additjon, Poland Spring, which is a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America, engages in private water extractjon on the Maine side of the watershed. • Recreatjon. The river supports a robust Recreation Agriculture tourism economy in the middle stretch during the summer months, drawing visitors from around the country for tubing, paddling, and Reduced flood risk Promote fish and Wildlife Habitat camping. • Hydropower. The river supports six hydroelectric dams on the Maine side. Hydropower Fishing There has been discussion for years among residents about the need to manage competjng and confmictjng uses more collaboratjvely. Interest in managing competing and conflicting uses more collaboratively
Summary Points: Project Goal and Objectives • Chris Feurt, who had facilitated a collaboratjve process in the Saco River Estuary, proposed that a student team come in and conduct background research that could inform the creatjon of collaboratjve To inform ongoing discussions about ways to enhance communication organizatjon in the greater Saco River watershed. and collaboration in the Saco River watershed by providing an independent and nonpartisan assessment of current issues, activities, • Unexpectedly, a Saco Watershed Collaboratjve began to take shape around What: A grant-sponsored collaboration of and aspirations for the watershed. the same tjme the student team signed onto the project. This collaboratjve was partjally public, academic, and nonprofit organizations funded by Poland Spring, which was a source of controversy among some residents in the watershed who had previously expressed 01 Identify major issues 02 Identify individuals and interest in creatjng a collaboratjve. Purpose: To enhance the capacity of NH • The fact that the student team was confronting the watershed parties with interest or stake in the independently funded and providing an watershed stakeholders to make informed decisions about neutral, third-party assessment of issues, actjvitjes, and aspiratjons in the watershed buffer restoration and protection in the Great became partjcularly important. 03 Learn individuals’ and parties’ 04 Assess transferable lessons Bay region • Ultjmately, the student team’s fjndings and recommendatjons were targeted to both the emergent Saco Watershed Collaboratjve, values and visions of the watershed, from existing watershed as well as stakeholders more generally perspectives of issues, level of collaboratives in the watershed who aspire to greater collaboratjon. interest in greater collaboration
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