America’s Great Watershed Initiative Report Card Framework

Heath Kelsey University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Jonathan Higgins The Nature Conservancy, Global Freshwater Team

27 September, 2012St. Louis, Missouri

• Why report cards?• Framework• Applications for AGWI• Next Steps

Framework as a tool for assessment and management

• Communicate complex information in a simple way• Highlight critical issues for decision makers• Engage communities, gain support• Provide accountability• Provide a unifying framework

Why report cards?

Example: Local watersheds

Example: South River, Maryland

Example: Great Barrier Reef

Example: Gulf of Mexico

Example: Puget Sound

Application to AGWI

Moving the process forward

Does the scorecard framework make sense? If not, what changes or clarifications do you suggest?

Question 1:

Question 2:Is it appropriate to define objectives for Values and Goals, and to measure progress by sub-basins as well as for the entire basin? If so, should we add the Red River and a portion of the Gulf of Mexico?

Question 3:What are a set of draft Values you would assign for a given Goal? What matters most to you?