Planning includes waste allocation alternatives, watershed management, resource management, and ecological restoration
Although a logistical planning process is a good watershed management tool, the issues are usually so complex that planning must also be flexible to be successful.

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Caveats about planning....

Planning is often much more variable than you might expect. In practice, it may not follow logical, consistent steps, or necessarily result in a published plan.

A classic paper from the planning literature is "The Science of Muddling Through" by Charles Lindblom (Public Admin. Review, 1959). In this paper the author points out that despite common guidance advising methodical decision-making, the reality is that the decision process seldom follows a set pattern. This remains true today; multiple viewpoints come into play in planning and executing any action. Perhaps the best way to view modern-day watershed planning is not as a cookbook with consistent recipes for success, but as a flexible framework for hearing, evaluating, integrating, and building support from numerous viewpoints and proposals. The planning framework has a logical structure and steps, but it's flexibility may be more important than taking every step literally and in sequence.

Use this module's general planning process as a guide, not as a prescription. Keep in mind that what appears to be the orderly progression of steps may not be quite so neat when you actually carry out the process. You should be careful not to jump to conclusions before your information is completely analyzed, yet it may be difficult to persuade members of the group to delay addressing their goals and proposed solutions early in the process. Patience is a crucial part of forming group cohesion. Maintain as much flexibility as possible, consistent with working out solutions carefully. You may even take on part of the problems (perhaps the easier part) on the first time through the planning process. Reserve more difficult problems for a second round, after you've had some success and gained confidence.

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Section 2 of 17