Watersheds Research Cooperative

Research

Planning

Activities of the Cooperative are guided by a strategic plan produced every five years to include 1) research projects for the five-year period; 2) plan of action including timetables for the initiation, progress, and completion of research projects; and 3) budgets and estimates of in-kind contributions for each project. The five-year plan is reviewed annually by the Advisory Committee to determine the need for mid-course modifications such as adding or deleting projects.

Each year the Advisory Committee developed modifications to the five-year plan as necessary using the following procedure:

• Names a five-year plan subcommittee composed of Advisory Committee members.
  • Subcommittee reviews the Cooperative's accomplishments over the past year and makes recommendations to the Advisory Committee on any operational or structural changes needed. This Committee also helps the Cooperative Director develop a revised five-year plan.
  • Subcommittee develops a list of specific research projects and prioritizes them for the next five years.
    • Using this list of projects and priorities, the Director and the five-year plan subcommittee develops alternative plans of action and budgets for consideration by the full Advisory Committee.
  • The Advisory Committee meets to make final decisions on modifications to the five-year plan.

Approach

A number of issues currently deserve study with regard to intensive forest management and environmental watershed research. In the long run the Cooperative intends to support a number of projects that will develop new knowledge at different temporal and spatial scales and in various geographic and geologic settings. Initially, the Cooperative is focusing on the Hinkle Creek Paired Watershed Study, a large project with water quality, fisheries, amphibian, and aquatic invertebrate components on a watershed scale. However, this project represents only one data point in the foothills of the southern Cascades. Thus, developing more than one of these projects would seem appropriate. While there is a long-term vision of multiple large and small projects across the Pacific Northwest, for now the Cooperative is championing Hinkle Creek, and will seek to replicate the project at other locations

Reports And Data

Results from Cooperative research projects are non-proprietary. Once data have been analyzed, interpreted, and reviewed, they become public information. All information is reported as quickly as possible. The Cooperative produces two types of formal reports:

• Project reports - Information from Cooperative research projects published in newsletters, proceedings, scientific articles, extension bulletins, etc.
• Annual reports - Includes a membership list, recent accomplishments, overview of research projects, publications, and a summary of financial support.

While contents and authorship of project reports are specified in the work plans, the Forest Research Laboratory will edit and report all results of WRC studies appropriately to the public. Preliminary results are communicated to Cooperative members through meetings and interim reports. Interim reports are provided to WRC members and scientific colleagues for review and comment. Because these interim reports contain preliminary data, their distribution will be restricted.

Copies of WRC data sets are stored in a data bank maintained by the Director. A Cooperator may request data from installations on the Cooperator's own land, or from all installations included in the research project. When a Cooperator requests data collected from someone else's land, the origin of the data will be concealed. Non-WRC data loaned to the Cooperative will not be released without the Cooperator's permission.