Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance
Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance
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Wildcat
Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc.
Click on image for full view of Wildcat Watershed Alliance area! Organization In the spring of 2000, an organization assembled by IDEM called the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network submitted a Section 319 project proposal through the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) to address water quality issues in the Wildcat Creek watershed. The Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 program provides funding for various types of projects that work to reduce nonpoint source water pollution (IDEM, 2002). The Section 319 project proposal included the following goals: 1) hire an Executive Director/Watershed Coordinator, 2) to build upon recommendations of the Wildcat Creek Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS), 3) coordinate planning efforts throughout watershed, and 4) develop two subwatershed management plans in the Wildcat Creek watershed. A grant of $109,500 was awarded to the IASWCD from the US EPA through IDEM. The grant period is from July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003. Eleven consulting firms and/or individuals responded to the advertisement for an Executive Director/Watershed Coordinator position for the Wildcat Creek Watershed planning effort. Representatives from the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network, NRCS, and IDEM selected Goode & Associates, Inc. from Indianapolis as the contractor for the two-year project. In the fall of 2001, the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network, reorganized, drafted By-laws, elected officers and officially became the Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc. The law firm Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis prepared the not-for-profit Section 501(c)3 corporation papers as a pro bono service. Mission
Statement The Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance is a partnership of concerned citizens dedicated to developing and implementing successful watershed plans to improve and protect the water resources of the Wildcat Creek Watershed. Membership The membership of the Wildcat Creek
Watershed Alliance (WCWA) is constantly
growing.
Currently, 485 individuals representing local government, industry,
agriculture, development, environmental, and concerned citizens are active in
the WCWA (see Map 5). Membership
into the WCWA is open to 1) any individual person over the age of 18 who resides
in, owes real property in, or does business in the watershed, 2) any business,
community or industry group concerned about water resources in the watershed, or
3) any governmental entity whose geographic jurisdiction lies in the whole or
part in the watershed. The efforts of the WCWA are lead by a
13-member Advisory Board. Each
member of the Advisory Board is elected at the WCWA Annual Meeting and serves a
3-year term. There are four officer
positions including President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary (see
Table 2 – organizational chart). According
to the WCWA By-laws, the Advisory Board must consist of one representative from
Tippecanoe, Carroll, Clinton, Howard, and Tipton Counties and one from either
Madison or Grant Counties. The 4
remaining members can be from any of the 7 counties in the Wildcat Creek
watershed as long as 2 represent the public education system, universities, or
colleges; 2 represent businesses or industries; 2 represent the agricultural
businesses, farm bureau, or related agricultural related associations; and the
remaining 5 from any vocational field. The WCWA has 4 committees that are open
to the general membership. The
Education & Outreach Committee focuses its efforts on educating the general
public and decision-makers in the Wildcat Creek watershed through workshops,
newspaper articles, and field days. The
Funding Committee is working toward securing long-term funding sources for the
WCWA. The Land Use Committee
targets land use and water quality issues in the watershed. And the Technical Committee coordinates, collects and
analyzes water quality data throughout the Wildcat Creek watershed. Public
Participation The WCWA is volunteer-based and public participation is essential to maintaining the strength of the organization. Information to the membership is disseminated through newspaper articles, quarterly newsletter, workshops, annual and quarterly membership meetings as well as regularly scheduled Advisory Board and committee meetings. The Annual Meeting for the general membership is held the first quarter of each year. Quarterly Stakeholder or Membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday of January, April, July, and October. |
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