BUILDING cONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS
Special Feature - Newly expanded

Bolling, David M. How to Save a River: A Handbook for Citizen Action. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1994.

This readable account will inspire and inform those interested in defending their local rivers.  Countless examples of ordinary citizens who have made a difference illustrate the various steps of organizing a river protection campaign.

Lindloff, Stephanie. Dam Removal: A Citizen's Guide to Restoring Rivers. Madison: River Alliance of Wisconsin, 2000.

This comprehensive guidebook is for anyone interested in learning about the option of dam renewal for river restoration. It also has great information on advocacy, researching potential problems and environmental effects, and selecting tools to use if the project is undertaken.

Bernstein, Richard A. A Guide to Smart Growth and Cultural Resource Planning. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 2003.
Also a vailable on the Web at
wisconsinhistory.org/hp/smartgrowth/smart_manual.asp

Wisconsin is one of only a few states that mandates that state comprehensive planning efforts address cultural resources. This guidebook is designed to help communities take advantage of the opportunity this presents for protecting cultural, historical, architectural and archaeological resources. It walks interested parties through planning and implementation and provides many tips and examples from communities who have already taken part. 

Elder, Don et al. The Clean Water Act: An Owner's Manual. Portland, Ore.: River Network, 1999.

An easy-to-use "roadmap" to the Clean Water Act for people interested in cleaning up their rivers, streams or watersheds.  It explains legal and scientific jargon, points out how to get involved in regulatory decisions, and provides a multitude of references and Web addresses for further study.

Community Culture and the Environment: A Guide to Understanding a Sense of Place. Washington, D.C.: U.S. EPA Office of Water, 2002.
Also available on the Web at
http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/pdf/ccecomplete.pdf

Drawing on the disciplines of anthropology, cultural geography, political science, and sociology, this guidebook provides members of nonprofits or other organizations with the tools and theories necessary for working more closely with community members to achieve environmental goals.

Using the Clean Water Act to Protect Wisconsin's Waters: A Tool for Individuals and Organizations Who Care About the Waters of Wisconsin. Madison: River Alliance of Wisconsin, 2001.
Understanding the Clean Water Act (CWA) and knowing who the key players are in CWA implementation are important first steps for those interested in protecting Wisconsin waterways. This book covers those aspects and also includes resources on how to collect and use effectively data on your watershed.

Bohman, Monica et al. Being Heard: A Citizen's Guide to DNR Hearings. Madison, Wis.: Midwest Environmental Advocates, 2001.
Also available on the Web at www.midwestadvocates.org/media/publications/dnrguide/

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is required to hold public hearings for many of the important decisions it makes. Anyone can participate in the hearings and this guide provides excellent background on the different types of hearings and what to expect if you take part. It also has a section on requesting a hearing.

Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations. Portland, Ore.: River Network, 1996.

Veteran leaders in the river and conservation movements provide excellent advice to new organizations on setting goals, fund-raising, and recruiting volunteers and public support for their organization. Includes an extensive set of resources and references to useful books, journals, and supporting organizations as well as networking possibilities.

Houck, Oliver A. The Clean Water Act TMDL Program: Law, Policy and Implementation, 2nd ed.  Washington, D.C.: Environmental Law Institute, 2002.

Professor Houck of Tulane University presents a thorough analysis of the history of water quality-based regulation, the larger issues raised by the TMDL Program, and the Program's chances for success.  This lively and well-written book is a first-class guide to the development of public policy related to water pollution control.  It contains "all there is to know about the TMDL requirements of clean water legislation."

Dates, Geoff. River Monitoring Study Design Workbook. Montpelier, Vt.: River Watch Network, 1995.

This workbook is intended to help interested people come up with study designs for river monitoring that are both based in the community and maintain scientific credibility. Information on the who, what, when, where, and why of monitoring is presented in an easy-to-follow format.

Moore, Robert et al. Permitting an End to Pollution: How to Scrutinize and Strenthen Water Pollution Permits in Your State.  Champaign, Ill.: Prairie Rivers Network, 2002.

This handbook guides citizens through the process of reviewing and commenting on proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Also included is a helpful glossary of terms. Supplementary resources to accompany this guide are available at www.cwn.org.

Reed, Angie and Geoff Dates. Listening to Watersheds: A Community-Based Approach to Watershed Protection.  Portland, Ore.: River Network, 2003.
Intended primarily for tribal environmental departments, the purpose of this guidebook is to begin using the knowledge and beliefs of native communities pertaining to watershed assessment to produce better assessments and healthier watersheds.  This book blends "western scientific procedure and the traditional scientific knowledge of First Nations."

Dolan, Kari and Gayle Killam. Tracking TMDLs: A Field Guide for Evaluating Proposed Watershed Restoration Plans.  Portland, Ore.: River Network, 2002.
TMDLs or Total Maximum Daily Loads are management or clean up plans required under the Clean Water Act for threatened or polluted rivers, lakes or coastal waters. This guide is written to help citizens who want to review and comment on TMDL plans.

Avner, Marcia.  The Nonprofit Board Member’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy.  St. Paul: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, 1994.
Nonprofit lobbying is exciting, rewarding, honorable work. Lobbying is a proven way to advance issues, support good ideas, respond to crises, avert disasters, and ensure that an organization's work is adequately supported. Through lobbying, specific laws and regulations that will further an organization's mission can be identified and pressed for adoption. Public policies can be shaped and sustained to reflect an organization's values and priorities.

Behar, Sharon. Testing the Waters: Chemical and Physical Vital Signs of a River.  Montpelier, Vt.: River Watch Network, 1996.

The design and implementation of a sustainable river monitoring or protection program can be a complicated process, but the clear writing and excellent organization in this “how-to” guide allow for greater understanding of the processes and consequently more comprehensive results from water quality projects. A valuable guide for high school teachers and community groups.

Dates, Goeff. Living Waters: Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Habitat to Assess Your River's Health.  Montpelier, Vt.: River Watch Network, 1997.

The organisms that exist in rivers and streams directly reflect the water quality and habitat conditions so creatures, such as benthic macroinvertebrates, can be used as important indicators of watershed health. Developing projects to survey for these tiny organisms and assessing the results are the focus of this information-packed guidebook.