WATERSHED HEALTH REPORT CARD
STORYMAP
For more information and status of the indicators of watershed health, check out the interactive StoryMap developed by Luciane Coletti, Abbie Beane and Erika Garig.
Some topics include:
What's the story behind the Watershed Health Report Card? What indicators are included? What will happen next?
The CRWC directs and commissions the Carmel River report card, measuring dozens of health and habitat factors from the Carmel River and watershed.
This report card has provided scientific guidance to the Carmel River Task Force in setting priorities and action plans for river restoration and protection.
CURRENT GRADE
As of May, 2023, the Carmel River Watershed received a grade of 65%: C
View the report cards below to see the breakdown of this score.
Prepared for the Carmel River Watershed Conservancy by CSUMB graduate student Erika Garig and Dr. John Olson.
PURPOSE
Watershed Report Cards are increasingly being developed for watersheds as an emerging Best Practice in the field of Watershed Science and Management. They are designed to provide a concise (typically a one-page summary) overview of the health of a watershed based on solid scientific data.
The list the key indicators of a healthy watershed graded from A (healthy) to F (unhealthy) and where more work needs to be done to bring each indicator up to a grade of "A." They are thus easily digestible by the general public, as well as being able to be "drilled down" into the underlying data underpinning each key indicator's score for experts working in the environmental field to improve watershed health.
PARTNERSHIPS
This research also guides policy positions and programs for the CRWC and organizations working on river and water supply issues. Most research is done through our partnership with Cal State University Monterey Bay and occasionally the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County.