"The watershed is the first and last nation whose boundaries, though subtly shifting, are unarguable." –-Gary Snyder, "Coming into the Watershed"

"We all live in a watershed — the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer, or even the ocean — and our individual actions can directly affect it. Working together using a watershed approach will help protect our nation's water resources." --US EPA

The watershed scale is of central significance for a diverse range of ecological issues, from water quality to nutrient loading. Along the West Coast of North America, the watershed scale is especially important for the restoration or maintenance of Pacific salmon runs. Yet many of us in this region would be hard pressed to even name our watersheds, let alone know anything about their characteristics or about groups in our areas that are working to improve watershed health.

The Find Your Watershed mashup helps users across the Pacific salmon territory of North America to identify and learn about their watersheds and to connect with restoration groups working in their areas. We have launched a prototype of the Find Your Watershed mashup at our research portfolio website, Inforain.

The Find Your Watershed mashup fosters a key shift in thinking about the places we inhabit. As important as the global connections to a Wiser Earth are the local relationships on which community resilience is based. We share mutual interests in improving the social and ecological health of the places where we live.