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Influencea of huaAn soolsty. Spacial Attention chould ba p«ld to protecting 

 the interests of individuals alive today (Intragenerational equity) and future 

 generations (interganeratlonal equity). 



The ability to sustain a healthy biologioal ooomiinlty Is one of the best 

 indicators of the potential for beneficial use (broadly defined) of a vater 

 resource. Support of healthy asseablages of aquatic organisns requires the 

 proper quantity and quality of water, a straan channel in relative equilibrium 

 with its watershed (supply of water and sedlaent, geological substrate, and 

 vegetation cover, etc.), riparian vegetation that buffers the Impact of 

 terrestrial environments , and land use with nlnlnnim negative Impact on 

 riparian and stream channel environments. 



In their natural state, watersheds contain an Interactive nosalc of 

 environments that extend from headwater streaas and wet meadows at the upper 

 limit of drainage basins to the ocean. This mosaic includes small streams and 

 large rivers, riparian zones, the terrestrial watershed, groundwater 

 (Including the hyporhelc zone), and neat coastal and estuarine areas. All are 

 integral components of watersheds capable of supporting viable salmonid 

 populations . 



Individual hxinans actions within the watershed may produce small 

 effects, but when these Impacts are combined, they spawn more complex pr6blems 

 that cascade across the landscape and down the river, resulting in 

 considerable loss of natural resource values. The cumulative affect is often 

 Ignored because most conventional aquatic resource evaluations consider only 

 local water quality paranecers. 



Human actions degrade water resources by their Influence en five 

 components of river systems (Table 1). Examples from Northwest watersheds are 

 given for each of the five factors in Table 2 . Efforts to protect the aquatic 

 resources of Northwest watersheds are doomed to failure, unless they explicitly 

 Incorporate knowledge of these factors into a comprehensive planning process 

 that integrates the Influences of local and regional human actions. 



2SL. — What is the role chat riparian are as plav in promoting "ecosvstam 

 health." as well as providing high quality fish habitat? 



Riparian areas serve as buffer zones between the terrestrial and aquatic 

 components of regional landscapes (Karr and Schlosser 1978). Thus, riparian 

 corridors are an important first line of defense because they have the 

 capability of mediating the influence of landscape alteration on river 

 resources. But the cumulative effect of activities In upland areas can 

 overwhelm the effectiveness of rlpsrian buffer strips. Thus, riparian strips 

 should not be oversold as cures for depressed fish populations. 



Beware of the quick fix I I Clean water, flood control and hatcheries 

 have been the rallying cries of the paat, but they have failed to protact the 

 resource. Habitat, riparian corridor protection, barging of Juvenile salmon, 

 and bounties on squawflsh are today's rallying cries. Host are important 

 tools in the restoration arsenal but none is adequate. 



