NHD/WBD Stewardship Roles and Responsibilities

1. NHD/WBD Stewardship Roles and Responsibilities Stewardship Conference April 16, 2009 Denver Colorado.

2. From the WBD Issue Paper….. Issue #2 The Roles and Responsibilities for Stewardship of the WBD have not been well defined.

3. Recommendations from the WBD Issue Paper….. • NRCS and USGS should work with State Stewards to establish clear definitions for WBD stewardship roles and responsibilities. • These definitions should respect that primary stewardship responsibility resides at state level. • The Paper provided a starting point for the description of specific roles and responsibilities. • WBD should be added to new Stewardship Agreements or existing agreements should be modified to include the WBD.

4. Expanding to include the NHD….. • The SSWG viewed this as an opportunity to address the integration of NHD and WBD stewardship. • This made sense since stewardship concepts for both dataset were very similar. • This was an opportunity for the WBD Stewardship Community to benefit from the developing stewardship strategy for the NHD.

5. The resulting document… • An agreed-upon description of stewardship roles and responsibilities for both the NHD and WBD. • An approach that works for both datasets even though there are some differences between the two. • An approach that is general enough to apply to any state or partner implementation. • A broad agreement on key concepts and terminology for all levels of Stewardship.

6. Development Process • The SSWG created an initial draft and provided it for review and comment by both the WBD and NHD Stewardship Communities. • End result: A document that captures a broadly accepted view on these roles and responsibilities.

7. So… How can this information used? • These descriptions will help with the implementation of a stewardship strategies that encompass both datasets. • As a good source of information for the development or update of national stewardship agreements and in-state agreements. • To assist stewards when they need to describe these responsibilities within their own organizations.

8. Roles addressed in Paper • State Steward • National Steward • National WBD Technical Coordinator(s) • WBD Steering Committee • USGS Liaison • USGS Stewardship Points of Contact (POC)

9. State Steward Responsibilities General Responsibilities • Serves as in-state steward for the NHD/WBD • Adopts a cooperative and integrative approach • Ensures working relationships that promote NHD and WBD integration • Provides publically available information on status of stewardship activities

10. State Steward Responsibilities Relationship to other in-state entities • Establishes in-state agreements • Coordinates with other federal and in-state agencies, Canada, Mexico, Native American organizations, counties, and other local governments • Accepts input from other agencies and organizations • Maintains awareness of related activities within state

11. State Steward Responsibilities Relationship to National Stewards • Acts as stewardship Point of Contact for USGS and NRCS • Collaborates with national stewards on any proposed edits originating at national level • Reworks updates following timelines identified in Stewardship Agreements

12. National Steward Responsibilities General Responsibilities • Serves as National Steward for the NHD and WBD • Promotes integration of all technical management aspects of Database • Provides annual review and development of Operations and Maintenance • Organizes and schedule yearly stewardship workshops

13. National Steward Responsibilities Relationship to state stewards • Works collaboratively with State Stewards to develop requirements for enhancements and change • Coordinates on any proposed edits originating at national level • Works to prevent overlapping and conflicting edits • Supports edit transaction process and communicates status • Provides quality control on submitted edits • Supports states with replicates of the dataset • Ensures that dataset is not altered without prior consultation with State Steward

14. National Steward Responsibilities Relationship to other federal entities • Provides Liaison and coordination with national interagency oversight committees • Works with federal agency partners on implementation of the Database within their internal environments

15. Summary • Reaching agreement on and documenting these roles and responsibilities has value. • This provides an important framework for developing state-specific strategies. • It provides a solid starting point for crafting new or modifying existing Agreements. • Where to find: Section one of current draft of National Hydro Database Stewardship Handbook. • PLEASE REVIEW and PROVIDE COMMENTS

16. Contact Information Dan Wickwire U.S. Bureau of Land Management Oregon State Office 505.808.6272 Dan_Wickwire@blm.gov