Whenever I hear scientists or natural resource managers getting hung up on the definition of words such as ecosystem, biome, or landscape, I always steer them back to watersheds. We all live within a watershed and all of our actions on the land are reflected by their health. Watersheds perform three basic functions. They catch, store and release water over time. The health of our watersheds and forests is reflected by their ability to produce sustainable supplies of wood products, clean water, recreational opportunities, and fish and wildlife habitats.
Fish are the ultimate indicators of healthy watersheds.
Healthy watersheds retain historic flows and are resilient in the face of natural events such as floods, fire, and drought and more capable of absorbing the effects of human-induced disturbances. They connect headwaters to downstream areas, wetlands and riparian areas to uplands, and subsurface to surface flows. Floods then dissipate across floodplains increasing soil fertility and minimizing damage to lives, property, and the stream-course. The book documents thirteen case studies where people have come together to conserve and restore the health of the land that sustains us all. But it is really just plain common sense.