An informational photo exhibit was displayed in highly visible businesses and institutions to heighten public awareness. A companion brochure generated understanding of the study while stressing far-reaching, and little known, impacts to the community. A delicate and complex web of factors greatly influence perceptions and local decision-making processes. Community pride and involvement are fostered through keeping the public informed, maintaining high visibility, and showing respect for local culture. An effort was made to visit 100 percent of the watershed residents and talk with as many other local people as possible during our field work.
Local people are extremely knowledgeable in locating problem areas providing historical insight.
Using local input, a degradation timeline can be constructed which will help determine priority sites and those that contribute most degradation. The Bear Creek partnership is made up of members from federal, state, and local governments, watershed residents and landowners, conservation groups, and universities. Presently, we have 16 core planning team members and over 30 active partners. Despite its large membership, unity prevails within this group. Each individual member brings a different perspective and expertise to the project.