Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds

Over the last decade, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been promoting the adoption of a watershed approach as a means to more comprehensively address aquatic resources protection and restoration. One of the core principles of the watershed approach is partnerships. Supporting community-based watershed partnerships is also one of the major tenets of the Clean Water Action Plan. This emphasis on citizen stewardship gives those people who depend on the aquatic resources for their health, livelihood, or quality of life a voice in the decisionmaking process and a responsibility in the management of these resources. These community-based efforts have many and diverse needs for scientific knowledge and technical skills, some of which could be fulfilled by the wealth and diversity of expertise housed within universities. Public service is an integral part of many universities ’ missions. The public looks to universities to be active participants in their local communities. In addition to public service, universities are responsible for educating our future water resources professionals. These two responsibilities, public service and the innovative education and training of future water resources professionals, can come together through university service-learning programs in which faculty and students become partners and service providers of socially relevant research and expertise to community-based watershed efforts. University assistance to community-based watershed efforts can benefit communities, can enrich the education of our future water resources professionals, can be personally and professionally rewarding for faculty, and can make a tremendous difference in the health of our nation’s aquatic resources