Projects
The WATERS Collaborative creates projects that enhance academic training of the next generation of professionals and inform sustainable management practices in local watersheds.
Projects are developed by an interdisciplinary team of Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) staff and Sonoma State University (SSU) faculty, staff, and students.
Current Projects
Project descriptions and resulting data can be accessed by clicking on project categories in the navigation bar on the left.
Project Design, Implementation, Reporting
The WATERS Collaborative undertakes projects that maximize student participation and address SCWA management needs.
Design
- Watershed management needs are identified by SCWA staff.
- Management needs are broken down into project activities (e.g., literature review, sensor development, data gathering and analyis, etc.)
- Project activities are matched with faculty interest and academic structures (e.g., service-learning, internships, Master's theses, special study research groups, volunteer activities). Resources are made available to assist with this process (i.e., faculty expertise, water-related courses, permitting guidelines, academic engagement guidelines). Projects often include service-learning, where faculty guide students to undertake the project as part of their required course work.
Implementation
- Students in a variety of courses and as part of independent research engage in diversity of project activities.
Reporting
- Students present their work in a Copeland Creek Symposium each spring which is open to the public.
- Data, reports, and presentations are made available via this website so that new students can continue to contribute to the project
- When results are summarized across disciplines, courses and years, they contribute to real-world solutions.
Disclaimer
The WATERS Collaborative is an educational endeavor meant to provide motivational educational experiences for students with local watershed management issues. Data collected by students vary widely in quality. While we endeavor as much as possible to quantify measurement error, we provide data with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be correct or complete. Conclusions drawn from such information are the sole responsibility of the user and the user assumes the entire risk related to use of this data and this site. Neither SSU, nor any of its members or employees makes any warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or utility of this information, nor does the fact of distribution constitute a warranty.