2.4. Watershed Planning Sometimes all that is necessary to limit the effects of humans on the watershed is to do some careful planning and thinking. Projects that are planned improperly can do massive damage to water systems while well-planned activities can be carried out to limit the effect on our water and the life in it. More and more often now, scientists, governments, the public and industries understand the need to manage our watersheds as a whole system. In the Adopt-A-Stream manual there are sections on different types of watercourses in the watershed. These sections include: Moving Waters (brooks, streams, rivers), Stillwaters (lakes, ponds, wetlands) and Estuaries. Although these systems are separate ecosystems in themselves with different plant and animal species they may all be within one watershed system. One of the reasons it is so important for you to understand the concept of watershed management is because the success of the work that you do in adopting a particular watercourse may be very much affected by what someone else is doing or has done, many kilometers upstream or downstream from you. It's pretty easy to see that if someone dropped huge amounts of chemicals in a stream right beside where you are working that many forms of life might be affected. But what if someone drops something into the stream up on that ridge of land at the top of the Highlands where you can't see it? The effect of that action will still be felt many kilometers away. For example, detergent flushed into a river can affect fish 80 kilometers downstream. In some instances many community groups are now looking at watershed management as a way to ensure good water quality and habitat for fish and other animals. This section of the manual will discuss all the different ways watersheds and their watercourses are affected by the activities of humans