Public Participation and Perceptions of Watershed Modeling

Public participation in environmental management is increasingly common across many natural resource sectors. Environmental policies in the water resources sector, in particular, depend upon both computer-based watershed modeling activities and public participation in watershed management decisions, though the integration of participation in watershed modeling remains uncommon. Case studies of two watershed councils in Central New York offer differing perspectives on the effectiveness of public participation in modeling efforts as a mechanism for improving environmental conditions in watersheds. Although watershed modeling is improved from public input in the forms of local knowledge and data contributions, care must be taken at the outset to ensure that public participants appreciate what modeling can and cannot provide so that modeling activities are best able to inform watershed management decisions. A critical assessment of three A’s of public participation in watershed modeling (e.g., model applicability, accessibility and accuracy) should be undertaken prior to model development.