The Watershed
Approach addresses environmental concerns
at a regional level that is defined by hydrological
linkages, in contrast to political jurisdictions.
However, the authority to take action on many
environmental issues in Rhode Island still
rests at the local, not the regional level.
Consequently, most of the environmental information
in this site is organized at the town
level, for seven towns in Washington County.
This site was constructed
in the Spring of 2001 by ES192-- and environmental
service-learning class in the Center
for Environmental Studies at Brown University.
It represents the second phase of a longer
term project to develop a base of information
on which sound environmental decisions can
be made. The first phase carried out by the
same class in 2000 explored the watershed
approach for the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed.
Subsequent efforts will connect these efforts
in a more fully integrated fashion. Some examples
of how this integration might work and some
comparative information are on this site.