ABSTRACT
Governance, according to Beck, is an organizational response to heighted complexity where a state cannot exercise central control. The pressure for governance as opposed to simply relying on state and market forces stemmed from civil society concern about the deterioration of the environment in the watershed. In the United States, it was assumed that the government has little authority to intervene in market decisions regarding the use of natural resources, besides providing monetary incentives to encourage soil conservation. Cultural hegemony of industrial agriculture is very strong, so that anything that might interfere with maximizing agricultural profits is anti-progress'. In building a new frame for governance, the RRWA called upon the natural history of the watershed place based collective memories to mobilize action. RRWA expanded the board of directors, diversifying the talents and influence present on the board. They increased their membership by offering educational meetings.
