Draft Watershed Mapping Project Work Plan   3/30/99

Prepared by :Donna J. Ashizawa

Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of the watershed mapping project is to allow for the cultivation of a deeper respect for the watersheds, simply by getting to know it better.  The main goals of this project are to develop, organize, and coordinate community watershed mapping activities to locate and document features in the Ko‘olaupoko watersheds that pertain to water quality;  to help facilitate the development of the Watershed Information Network at Windward Community College; and to ensure pathways for schools and individuals to access the information/data/maps resulting from the mapping efforts as well as related data/maps obtained from other sources.   

Rationale

The main reason for data collection of any kind is to provide information.  Depending on the data, a simple tabular presentation of the results may suffice.  However, it is usually necessary to analyze, graph, or otherwise manipulate the raw data to render more meaningful interpretations and/or to compare the results with other studies.  A consistent problem with many community water quality monitoring projects is the disconnection between the data collection process and the results thereof.  Often, community volunteers do not have access to the reports/findings that were based on the data they collected.  This disconnect discourages continued active involvement in the community monitoring process.  A new approach must be taken to make it easier for those who wish to gain access to the gathered information, to be able to see visual changes, if any, within a study area over time, and to be able to compare selected features with those in other areas, both within and outside of the watershed of interest.  Currently, measurements taken at study sites are seldom compared geographically with other features in the watershed.  For example, by looking at a below-average dissolved oxygen (DO) measurement in a table of various DO sampling results, one could only speculate why it might be so.  However, if a spatial analysis of the watershed were done using other information, such as vegetation, type of streambed, upstream habitat, etc., a stronger hypothesis could emerge. 

For the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program, KBAC members have chosen to address the Windward community’s water quality issues by first characterizing watershed features, with an emphasis on polluted runoff.  At the beginning of this project, I strongly urged KBAC members to invest in using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to facilitate widespread use of the data for informational and educational purposes.  To that end, the KBAC has purchased data collection equipment, particularly a Global Positioning System (GPS), and has entered into a partnership to share the Windward Community College’s GIS facility, the Hoa‘aina Center.  The development of the resulting Watershed Information Network (WIN) will provide the Windward community with the needed tools and expertise to collect information about their watersheds and to view features of interest using a computer-based data management system.

Global Positioning System

With the use of the Trimble Pro XR GPS, information about streams and the greater watershed can be collected easily and electronically, while simultaneously being tagged with the latitude/longitude position of the feature of interest.  The GPS communicates with the U.S. Department of Defense’s satellite system and is able to locate its position with sub-meter accuracy.  The GPS software allows for the initial input of a data dictionary, which defines the parameters of the monitoring work.  In the field, the user can scroll through the menu-formatted dictionary to store different feature data along with their physical locations.  There is also a default mechanism that allows the user to add generic items that was not included in the data dictionary.  

The datalogger for the ProXR model can accept up to 2MB of data.  After a particular field exercise is completed, the data are transferred electronically to a GIS to be transformed into a map form.

Geographic Information System

A GIS is a computerized data management system that allows users to display and analyze their data by creating dynamic maps.  We are using Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.’s (ESRI) software called ArcView GIS.  Excerpting from ESRI, ArcView GIS allows people to visualize data as maps; design simple to sophisticated “what-ifs” in the form of database and map queries; display the results of queries in the form of maps, charts, and tables; perform basic statistical analysis and spreadsheet functions; join data from outside sources to existing geographic data; link photos, video, text, and graphics to specific locations; and design and print map, chart, table, and graphic images.

The GIS allows for interactive layering of different themes, which can be customized by each user.  An important feature of the GIS is that one can analyze relationships between any features on any layer.  This ability to perform spatial analyses is very useful when studying aspects about watershed quality.  The GIS can be used by young children performing simple queries about their neighborhood streams or can be used by land resource managers for more complex decision-making analyses.

Current Status:  Work Plan for Spring/Summer 1999

Geographic Information Systems and Watershed Education

Understanding how a watershed functions involves focusing on many interdisciplinary topics including science, geography, and cultural aspects.  A GIS enables users to integrate information from separate sources and disciplines into a database that can be analyzed numerically, spatially and visually.  The main advantage of the GIS over using stand-alone maps is its ability to make instant visual maps in response to queries made across broad themes.  It also allows for the incorporation of newly collected data into existing themes and maps.  Therefore, student teams can make custom maps depending on their particular investigation, and can easily update them throughout the semester. 

ESRI has a strong K-12 educational support system in place.  They have already donated a copy of the GIS software for our use.  Schools may purchase an educational package including the software for a much-reduced price.  However, the problem is not so much the lack of computers in the schools, nor the lack of computer savvy on the part of the students, but the lack of PCs in the schools.  ESRI does have an older version that can be used on Macs, but all new versions and upgrades are only for PCs.  There are several ways that the KBAC could help this situation. 

·        Give grants to selected schools to purchase a PC for their library, which would at least enable students to look up GIS maps/data on their own time. 

·        Support field trips to WCC for special “watershed analysis” workshops (bus and monitor fees, for example).

·        I will be using the KBAC’s laptop and have purchased a projector to be used for on-site demonstrations.  This could be also be effective for a short-term classroom project; however, they will not be able to store their data at school.

During the last several months, I have been speaking to a number of teachers and principals.  There is a high level of interest because they see how the use of GIS not only supports water quality education, but it allows for student investigations to proceed from the start to finish; that is, using the GPS, taking water quality measurements, inputting the data, and using GIS to look at spatial relationships and to create maps.

Assuming we circumvent the PC roadblock, we can establish GIS modules for different class levels.   An easy start (K-3) could be similar to the exercise I did at the last KeikiFest.  I had kids place stickers by their houses and then look at their surrounding watershed.  However, with the GIS, we can change the scale by zooming in or out to really “bring home” the relationship between the waterways and their own neighborhood.  I could even have them use the GPS to map their neighborhood storm drains and add them to the map.  4^th-6^th graders could add in their monitoring data.  Higher grades could import land use and other state/global data for analysis.  The possibilities are endless.  However, as you know, I have no background in the field of Education, so it would be helpful to enlist the aid of someone who has.

Mapping

The watershed-mapping project began in September 1998 and will hopefully continue indefinitely, through Windward CC, after the VWQMP funds are depleted.  As of March 1999, approximately 200 volunteer hours have been logged, not including outreach talks.

The strategy for the mapping project has been to start with gross-scale features and then to add in more detailed data in phases.  The phases, as outlined earlier, are:

I.                    Reconnaissance:  look at features, obstacles, hazards, overhead cover (line of sight to satellites is needed for GPS)

II.                 Water flow (general, not measured), stream bottom characteristics, inlets, dump/litter sites

III.               Erosion, adjacent land use

IV.              Flow velocity, temperature, vegetation, stream animals (presence/absence)

V.                 Bioassessment, water quality testing

The purpose of the groundwork mapping is to create base maps to which features could be added.  Since much of the existing agency GIS stream maps are taken from paper maps, their accuracy is variable.  In order to map stream features and have them line up with the actual stream, it is necessary to try to get as much of the stream mapped as possible.  The task of mapping the actual streamline has proven to be a difficult process, largely due to accessibility.  While the channelized streams are relatively easy to access, other streams do not have safe access, are too questionable as far as water quality, or are choked with vegetation, making GPS readings difficult.  Therefore, some maps may have some missing segments.  Additionally, for the sake of volunteer safety, the stream mapping should be reserved mainly for adults.  Later, children may participate by investigating water quality features at selected sites.

As reported in my monthly updates, we have been steadily mapping stream features in Waimanalo and Kane‘ohe.  For the streams we have initiated, we have completed phase I and are working on phases II and III.  The main objective of using community volunteers in the mapping process is to get lay people to learn first-hand how the streams flow through their neighborhoods, and to become familiar with the factors that may impact the water quality along the way.  By using a GPS data dictionary that emphasizes watershed features, there is an automatic water quality focus during the mapping investigation.   For example, Table 1 lists the dictionary features and menu choices used for Inoa‘ole Stream in Waimanalo.

Table 1.   Data Dictionary for Inoa‘ole Stream, Phases II/III

 Phases IV/V Habitat assessment and measurements

There has been much discussion about the use of water quality test kits, and KBAC members have opted to focus, at least for the time being, away from the kits and towards a habitat assessment.  The concern remains, however, that the assessment should not be made for the sake of assessing, but rather to provide meaningful information about a place.  To date, there is not an official bioassessment or general habitat assessment protocol that has been approved and tested for use in Hawai`i.  However, there should soon be a very usable protocol, designed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), that is being modified for Hawaii’s unique ecosystems.  I know that some council members are eager to begin such an assessment, but I caution against using protocols that obviously require expert knowledge or that do not provide any meaningful data at the local level.  Once the local NRCS office modifies the national protocol, we can begin documenting habitat quality at selected sites.

 Volunteer Recruitment

In an effort to expand the mapping effort to Kailua, I had a display table at the “I Love Kailua Town Party”, and seven individuals signed up.  Training will be held the week of April 6^th.  I will also have a display at the KeikiFest April 24^th, WCC on May 1^st, and at the Taro Festival during the summer.  As we turn out more maps and people get a sense of how valuable the data collection will be, I think more people will be interested in learning about and mapping the water quality features. 

Since this project lends itself naturally to a number of Boy Scout merit badges and the Eagle Award, I met with the Ko’olaupoko Boy Scout leaders.  Subsequently, I met with several boy scouts at WCC for an orientation in March.  They are still deciding whether to do the watershed mapping for their projects.  Suggested projects for them are stream mapping, large parking lot delineations, and neighborhood storm-drain mapping.  I may even let them map the fast-food outlets as a possible source of litter to nearby streams.

 Watershed Information Network        Now that the KBAC/WCC MOU has been signed, the GPS and GIS data can physically reside at Windward CC’s Hoa‘aina Remote Sensing/GIS Center.  The greatest advantage of this partnership is that there is already an established infrastructure for community environmental education and outreach.  Drs. David Krupp and Joe Ciotti are committed to maintaining the Hoa‘aina Center as a place for community members and students to become engaged in watershed stewardship by learning and doing.  Thus, the KBAC’s efforts will have a lasting legacy.

 The Dell Internet NT Server has been ordered and we are working to hire a technician to install and configure the server to WCC’s system so that we may post our ArcView map data on the Internet.  There are a few steps and other software to procure before everything is running smoothly, but I estimate that we can see results within three months.  In the meantime, I have taken initial steps to procure a web designer (see below).

 Website            In previous reports, I have stated my views on developing an effective website for the WIN project.  There is already a site for KBAC’s administrative information, which Judy Nakamura is currently managing.  Also, Gene Dashiell has posted his preliminary report to the KBAC on his own website.  For the purposes of watershed education, and particularly to extend our knowledge to the elementary school level, it is important that we develop an engaging and creative website that will teach local watershed issues interactively, using our GIS maps.  I see this website as a showcase of the KBAC’s accomplishments.  It would be the electronic equivalent to the Watershed Manual that Roland Libby proposed, with a wider audience and with the lasting quality of the Internet.  Here are some collective ideas on the website design:

 1.      Links to above sites or redesigned to include all KBAC information at one location.

2.      Roadmap to various pages within the site, perhaps by age group, including adults who may prefer the text version only.

3.      Presentation to be visually appealing to kids, using videos, animation, and sound.

4.      General information on water quality, or links to existing sites on the subject.

5.      Explanation of GIS and the free downloadable ArcExplorer software (PCs only).

6.      Our interactive GIS maps, along with other files, which can be used for background or queries.

7.      Photographs, both local and others, as acquired.

8.      Interactive map games (such as get the o‘opu UP the stream with the trash coming DOWN the stream).

9.      Links to other relevant sites.

10.  Perhaps a bulletin board feature, which allows for users to post comments to the community about site-pertinent issues.

11.  Notices about what is happening around Ko‘olaupoko and elsewhere.

12.  Contests, student essays, awards, volunteer highlights, etc.

 I have been searching for a web designer to develop and implement such a website.  I have visited the websites of potential designers and have concluded that the level of expertise needed for a relatively sophisticated site could only be found at the professional level.  The professional can perform the needed tasks in a timely manner, under contract, and has the skills and computer expertise to design a website that is effective and quick.  Some sites that I visited took too long to download because the graphics were not compressed.  I foresee that our site will have numerous graphics in the form of photographs and maps.  Since the average web visitor will switch to a different site if the image appears too slowly (in seconds, not minutes), our first impression must be both dynamic and fast.  After the initial site is developed, maintenance may be provided by a computer science student.

One component that I feel is critical to the success of the website is the inclusion of engaging educational components.  There should be interactive questions and answers, puzzles, and thought-provoking problems, in addition to the maps and the informational text.  During my search for a web designer, I was unable to find anyone who was gifted both in computer science/graphic design and in education.  Therefore, the initial website needs to be developed by a team, minimally a computer science person and an education person, who preferably is knowledgeable in water quality education.

Coordinator Assistance

The coordination, training, oversight, and implementation of the above tasks take up a good deal of time and it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to be everywhere doing everything.  In order to effectively provide this service, I will need an assistant to take over certain tasks.  Otherwise, my heavy load will result in many things getting done at a less than optimal level.  As it stands now, Gene Dashiell would like the maps prepared faster than we can churn them out.  An assistant, who could be a student, working 10-20 hours per week, would greatly facilitate the program’s goals.  The assistant would help in both the training work at WCC, working on the GIS maps, and also assist with the classroom exercises.  Alternatively, the same person could help with the educational aspects of the website, if there is sufficient expertise  in that area.

Summary

The purpose of the watershed-mapping project is to enable community members to explore and retain an interest in their watershed, with respect to its water quality. 

The mapping is currently in the second and third phases for certain streams and are just beginning for other areas.  Volunteers include students in high school and college and adults from the community.  Recruitment and training is ongoing and shall continue throughout the project.  

The established partnership between the KBAC and Windward Community College will allow for the development of the Watershed Information Network, using the GIS.  The WIN will provide water quality information, maps, and internet access for interactive watershed inquiries and links to other databases.  As community interest continues to build, the monitoring program will spread to wider audiences.  I am certain that we are on the right track to watershed fitness, awareness, and stewardship.  Moreover, we are at the cutting edge and can lead by example.

It will be necessary to hire a contractor to install the server at Windward CC and to design and install an educational website.  In addition, an assistant is needed to help with the GPS/GIS training, to prepare GIS maps for uploads, and to create educational pages/modules for the classrooms and/or the website.