The Scotts Creek Watershed Council

The statement of purpose of the council is:

To protect and enhance the natural, social, and economic resources, and productive qualities of the Scotts Creek watershed, including the anadromous fishery, riparian habitat, forest and grasslands, croplands and estuary.

The Scotts Creek Watershed Council (SCWC) was formed in 1997 as a coalition of landowners and managers in the watershed working with agency and environmental group representatives, and private residents. Active council members (including active technical advisory committee members) collectively have over 400 years of experience studying, managing, and critically observing the Scotts Creek watershed. SCWC members are dedicated to working toward improving fish populations and have donated more than 3,000 collective volunteer hours since the Council's inception. Project ideas and problems are presented at Steering Committee and Full Council meetings and decisions are made by consensus. A diverse group of professionals and experts are involved in the Steering Committee, the Council at large, and the Technical Advisory Committee.

The Scotts Creek Watershed Council has received five, DFG administered, SB 271 grants beginning in 1998. These have been for coordination and organization of the watershed council, production of an informational brochure and a newsletter focused on salmonid habitat and population conditions, the removal of invasive exotic plants, the inventory of roads and landslides in the watershed and resultant report on sediment deposition in the creeks, an assessment of creek-side trees in the watershed, and the production of a watershed assessment document.

Another important function of the Council is to publicize the exemplary natural resource conservation and restoration efforts of local land managers such as Big Creek Lumber Company, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Swanton Pacific Ranch, and the Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout Project. Demonstration of successful advances in land use management and habitat restoration helps to provide a model for others to follow. Advances in scientific knowledge pertaining to the watershed are also publicized, particularly when related to management of endangered species.

Currently the SCWC is operating without external financial support. Project planning, design, and permitting are, however, proceeding with the assistance of public funds secured by The Coastal Conservancy and administered through the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District. This funding process is known as the Integrated Watershed Restoration Program (IWRP). Current IWRP projects proposed for the Scotts Creek watershed in spring 2004 are the following:

• Treatment of Priority Road Sites identified in the Roads and Landslides Sediment source Investigation (SCWC, 2000). Out-sloping, application of rolling dips, and rocked crossings will be the primary treatments.
• The Mill Creek Restoration Project is a road-related fine-sedimentation reduction and habitat conservation project.
• The Swanton Road Demonstration Project would create needed durable in-stream escape cover while preventing a potential landslide that would deposit the County road into Scotts Creek.
• The Scotts Creek Gauging Station collected flow data at a permanent gauging station from 1921 to 1982. Since then collection of flow data has been spotty. The current project proposes to reinstate gauging of Scotts Creek flow at a permanent site for the purposes of advancing scientific knowledge and as a water resources management tool. Cal Poly State University (San Luis Obispo) is currently acting as the lead in this project, but they are looking for a 50% partnership with another entity for maintenance and management. The U.S. Geological Survey is considering this partnership  

Developing Trust and Confidence in Private/
Public Partnerships

Developing trust and confidence in private/public partnerships requires considerable effort on the part of all concerned. Under our legal system, the parties are frequently adversaries. The SCWC seeks to avoid the development of adversarial relationships with any agency, non-governmental organization, or individual. The SCWC seeks proactively to avoid the development of conflicts requiring formal conflict resolution proceedings. Should the need for formal conflict resolution process (i.e., professionally mediated process) arise, the SCWC will willingly and cooperatively enter a process that is based upon sound peer reviewed science, provided that opportunities for further investigation into the topic of dispute are implicit and explicit to the resolution process. Against this background, good science, rational thought, reasonable expectations, and mutual respect are necessary for a successful outcome to the watershed planning and restoration process.