Erosion Vulnerability Assessment of Agricultural Lands
Upper Couderay River Watershed - Final Report
Results are summarized by UWSP GIS Education Specialist, Douglas Miskowiak here.
Download the complete report in pdf format here. (Note: this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download.)
From concluding comments:
Download the complete report in pdf format here. (Note: this is a very large file and may take several minutes to download.)
"LCO offers a classic narrative illustrating the tragedy of the commons. People acting rationally to maximize their own self-interests, whether it be for leisure, profit, or to minimize effort, consume a resource beyond its carrying capacity, until it is diminished of value. LCO is a commons resource owned by every citizen of Wisconsin and the United States by way of the Wisconsin State Constitution and the Public Trust Doctrine ... How humans respond to manage the commons is now in question."
Based on this remarkably thorough analysis of the agricultural practices in the Upper Couderay River Watershed, conservationists, farmers, and local government leaders can now develop the human partnerships necessary to negotiate fixes that address the source of the problems facing LCO and the entire watershed.