ABSTRACT

Introduction The complexity of collaboration requires evaluation from multiple perspectives. Has the collaboration’s approach to protecting water quality succeeded? What has happened to the capacity of the watershed itself to protect the water supply? Has the collaboration overcome the barriers to cooperation, and established viable processes for cooperation? How has the collaboration affected the watershed economy and the economic well-being of its residents, employers, and farmers? The growing need for sustainable economic processes on the planet raises other questions. Has the collaboration acted as a green milieu and moved the watershed economy closer to sustainability? Is the collaboration a good model for sustainable development? Are watershed collaborations a useful tool for achieving sustainability? This evaluation assesses the collaboration in the following categories: water protection, process, economics, and sustainability.