I am proud to have been part of the development of the Watershed Management Council. From being one of the attendees at the first biennial conference who heartily agreed that it was necessary to establish the Watershed Management Council and volunteered to assist, through to today in preparing for the fourth biennial conference, I have felt that being affiliated with this group was one of the keys to overcoming obstacles to integrated watershed management. Lack of communication and understanding are the biggest obstacles that we have. The forum that the Watershed Management Council attempts to provide for a free exchange of ideas, networking, and promoting education on watershed issues is one step towards overcoming these obstacles.

The Earth Summit in Rio highlighted environmental issues world wide. The call to think globally and act locally is particularly relevant to watershed issues. Reframing it as thinking of the watershed and all that it entails and then acting at the project level with respect and integrity for the dynamic nature of the system, will achieve the positive results that we need for sustainable watershed use.

-Luana Kiger