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A Deeper Look at the Ouachita River: Ecosystem Services and River value to Community Wellbeing
Citation:
Fulford, R., L. Sharpe, B. Michaud, AND J. Stubblefield. A Deeper Look at the Ouachita River: Ecosystem Services and River value to Community Wellbeing. EPA/OP Live Webinar on RESES Project Report Out, West Monroe, LA, August 19, 2019.
Impact/Purpose:
The intent of the presentation was to 1) share with Ouachita Parish community members the results of the analysis performed by the EPA and contractors; 2) allow for an interactive discussion of the presented results; and 3) allow for community input into the format and content of the final report so as to make the final report as useful to the community as possible.
Description:
The RESES team worked, with extensive input from the community, to identify the ecosystem services that the Ouachita River provide and how that contributes to the community’s well-being. The work began by identifying the community’s values and goals and how they contribute to making Ouachita Parish a place they enjoy living and working. Once those values and goals were identified, they were connected to the River and the services it provides. These connections between river maintenance and management actions, how they impact the river and the services it provides, and how those services impact the community’s values, goals, and overall well-being were made explicit and shared with the community for feedback and validation. Those validated connections were then used to quantify the benefits that the community derives from the Ouachita River. This work provides the community with a more holistic analysis that can be valuable when considering river management and pushing for funding.