America’s Great Watershed Initiative Report Card Framework
Heath Kelsey University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Jonathan Higgins The Nature Conservancy, Global Freshwater Team
27 September, 2012St. Louis, Missouri
• Why report cards?• Framework• Applications for AGWI• Next Steps
Framework as a tool for assessment and management
• Communicate complex information in a simple way• Highlight critical issues for decision makers• Engage communities, gain support• Provide accountability• Provide a unifying framework
Why report cards?
Example: Local watersheds
Example: South River, Maryland
Example: Great Barrier Reef
Example: Gulf of Mexico
Example: Puget Sound
Application to AGWI
Moving the process forward
Does the scorecard framework make sense? If not, what changes or clarifications do you suggest?
Question 1:
Question 2:Is it appropriate to define objectives for Values and Goals, and to measure progress by sub-basins as well as for the entire basin? If so, should we add the Red River and a portion of the Gulf of Mexico?
Question 3:What are a set of draft Values you would assign for a given Goal? What matters most to you?