Sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station. The project goals is to produce information for farmers and landowners that promotes practical conservation actions aimed at protecting stream organisms and their habitats. The project goals are to develop methods for identifying the location of high aquatic biodiversity in major river basins and to provide regional-scale information useful for targeting conservation measures. Outcome An overview of the watershed conservation efforts based in the Cornell's Department of Natural Resources would identify information needed to better promote conservation practices. Inadequacies in understanding of the relations between land uses, aquatic biodiversity, and pollution mitigation practices are currently impediments to effective programs.
Constraints imposed by landowners limit the conservation actions that are feasible.
A broad recognition of the challenges in watershed conservation can be realized by exposure to key biological and physical science issues and the constraints associated with land owner perceptions and judgements.