ABOUT US: In October of 2015, a group of local experts representing various organizations working in the Sonoita Creek watershed and concerned citizens met to discuss the formation of a Sonoita Creek Flood and Flow Study Committee (Committee). The group recognized that the watershed is a vital component of this community’s well being and all expressed a commitment to advocate for our water.
In November of 2015, the Patagonia Town Council formally approved the committee as a Town Committee.
One aspect of the Committee’s mission is to make recommendations to the Patagonia Town Council with respect to best practices within its jurisdiction to manage erosion, to enhance water flow, to create optimal flood mitigation and to promote the long-term health of the riparian corridor. The Committee meets monthly at 10 a.m. on the second Thursday in the Patagonia Town Council Chambers to discuss activities in the entire watershed and status of various projects in process within the Town of Patagonia’s jurisdiction. Representatives of any and all entities working in or interested in this watershed, as well as the general public are invited. Another aspect of its mission is to look at the entire watershed area to influence upstream conditions and to minimize negative downstream consequences. In May of 2017, the Committee finalized the Sonoita Creek Watershed Management Plan Phase 1 on behalf of and with the involvement of Watershed Stakeholders. As stated in that document: The Watershed Stakeholders are an unofficial volunteer group for watershed planning in the Sonoita Creek watershed. It is not a regulatory entity. It is initially formed as a special independent group that schedules meetings with the Town of Patagonia through its Flood and Flow Committee organization. The first broad stakeholder gathering and presentation was held on March 9, 2017. The Town of Patagonia’s Flood and Flow Committee commenced the process of drafting a watershed management plan and invited all stakeholders in the watershed to a gathering and presentation on March 9, 2017 at the Patagonia Council Chambers. The stakeholders’ meetings were formed to provide a framework for enhancing communication and collaboration among diverse stakeholders to better address the watershed’s many complex and cross-jurisdictional issues.
1.2.1 Participants
The Watershed Stakeholders is an open group for those who live and work within the watershed boundary,
with active participation by local, state, and federal government agencies, water and sanitation entities, environmental and educational nonprofits, agricultural organizations, community volunteer groups, as well as engineers, biologists, businesses, students, and other private citizens.
1.2.2 Stakeholders Mission and Structure
A general mission statement and strategy is provided guidance for future phases of the WMP. This may be updated and refined by the stakeholders as the WMP progresses.
Mission
The mission of the Watershed Stakeholders is to facilitate and support efforts by individuals, agencies, and organizations to maintain and improve the health and sustainability of the Sonoita Creek Watershed for the benefit of the people and ecosystems that depend upon it.
Strategies
The stakeholders use the following and other strategies to accomplish their mission:
• Collaborate on the development of a comprehensive, integrated watershed management plan to guide priorities and implementation strategies.
• Facilitate communication between public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders.
• Provide a forum for collecting, sharing, and analyzing information about, and creatively responding to, watershed issues.
• Refine understanding—among stakeholders, decision-makers, and the public—of the watershed’s conditions,
processes, interrelationships, and challenges from a variety of perspectives, including scientific, cultural, economic, and regulatory.
• Identify opportunities for members to leverage resources and work together toward common goals.
• Promote the priorities and projects of the watershed management plan to local, state, and federal officials.
• Seek funding and other support to implement priority watershed management projects.
• Monitor the effectiveness of, and regularly update, the watershed management plan.
• Facilitate coordination of watershed education activities.
Governance
Currently this stakeholder’s volunteer group is formed for providing information for the Watershed Management
Plan and constructive criticism and feed back to guide its development. The stakeholders are a voluntary organization that has no powers or authorities other than those already possessed by its member agencies. The agencies, organizations, and interests represented are not obligated to adopt or carry out the recommendations of the WMP, but give due consideration to the recommendations and take actions they consider appropriate.
And the third aspect is to share information about our watershed with all community members.
Minutes of the committee meetings are found on the following page
This is the Sonoita Creek Watershed Management Plan