Abstract
The Watershed Game is a decade-old proven interactive tool for educating audiences about relationships between land use and water quality in streams, lakes, and large rivers. Existing in both local leader (policymakers, community leaders) and classroom (student) versions, the game allows players to understand how land use impacts water quality, increases their knowledge of tools (Best Management Practices, BMPs) that can be used to reduce or prevent adverse impacts, and realize how their collective actions can help achieve a clean water goal. The gaming approach serves to break down group barriers, encourage dialogue, civility and mutual respect; and build a sense of community among participants. Over the years, users have requested expansion of the game to include a focus on the unique needs and issues of coastal and estuarine environments. For the past 2 years, a team of individuals including Sea Grant personnel from Minnesota and Mississippi-Alabama, the Alabama Water Institute, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and Gulf partners have worked to create a Coast model of the Watershed Game. The Coast model focuses on water quality but additionally integrates resilience into game play. Through literature reviews, surveys, and focus groups, the project team identified priority issues and existing BMPs. The Coast model’s gameboard depicts land uses appropriate for coastal environments, and the tool cards present plans, practices and policies that reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in coastal waters or enhance a community’s resilience to flooding. Two pilot workshops were held in Louisiana and Alabama (prior to cessation of travel due to the pandemic) and helped to refine gameboard graphics, select the most relevant tool cards, and clarify guidelines for game facilitation. Join us to tour the gameboard, view a round of play and offer input for the game’s remaining elements under development.
