The Individual Service Project: Bonding the WSP Member and the Community in Direct Watershed Restoration Work

History

After the theme of more direct involvement between the community and the WSP member began to frequently reappear, the Individual Service Project (ISP) was implemented as a requirement for all WSP members in Service Year 11.  It provides an opportunity to build the base of professional development for the WSP member, and offers a unique experience for community members to engage with the mission of the WSP while learning or utilizing a valuable skill set.  Since its inception, the ISPs have engaged more than 13,500 volunteers and community members in direct watershed restoration work. 

Project Goals

• To develop community resources

ISPs create the unique opportunity for communities hosting WSP members to engage in coordinated and supervised watershed restoration work.  Instilling both a sense of place and a sense of ownership, this is a volunteer opportunity unparalleled outside of Northern California.  It offers the Northern California public access to a new skill set that could effectively promote conservation and restoration of our valuable salmonid habitat.

•  To build the professional capacity of the WSP members

Each WSP member is required to coordinate one ISP to complete the terms of her or his service year.  The successful completion of an ISP includes recruiting and training at least 13 volunteers, soliciting at least one donation from a business partner, and creating and distributing at least one media resource: a Media Advisory, a Public Service Announcement, or a Press Release.  Each ISP requires the development of professional management skills that build the member’s resume and career capacity.

• To enable positive WSP programmatic growth

Continued growth of the WSP program will offer more opportunities for community outreach projects and professional training for its members.  An extensive WSP program provides accessible benefits for hosting communities to continue to deepen the pool of shared knowledge about watershed health, while also broadening the skills of the members who move into positions of more authority within the natural resource conservation and management field upon completion of their service year.  The ISP provides quantifiable data to present to the California State and the Federal government to illustrate the WSP’s positive impact in the communities and within the watersheds.

Developing the ISP

Each WSP member follows a semi-standardized strategic plan for accomplishing a successful ISP.

1. Identify several watershed restoration needs in the community

2. Brainstorm project ideas that address these needs

3. Evaluate the propriety and feasibility of each project idea

4. Select one to develop

5. Set realistic and tangible goals to accomplish

6. Secure an appropriate location

7. Schedule a time and date for the event

8. Create a timeline of small steps to reach the goals specified

9. Identify a target number of volunteers to recruit

10.         Create a strategic plan for volunteer recruitment

11.         Create a strategic plan for media and publicity

12.         Create the media tools

13.         Determine the most appropriate type of donation

14.         Solicit a donation from a business partner

15.         Compile necessary volunteer forms from WSP office

Want more information?  Feel free to email Amanda at Wsp.vmtl@ccc.ca.gov or call the WSP office at 707.725.8601 with any questions about the Individual Service Projects.