In the late 1990s, several salmonid species were listed as endangered or threatened in Oregon due to overfishing and deteriorating environmental conditions in the state's watersheds.  To address this problem, the state government mandated the formation of 89 watershed councils and created an independent state agency to fund, support, and monitor the efforts of these councils, as well as the efforts of other groups.  Since that time, more than 7000 collaborative watershed restoration projects have been undertaken by the councils and other groups.  This presentation, based on Qasim Mehdi's paper, explores how the structural characteristics of these collaborative efforts affect their cost effectiveness.  The results indicate that collaboration form, participant numbers, and resource contributions affect cost effectiveness, but participant diversity does not.  

Qasim Mehdi is a Ph.D. candidate at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.  His areas of emphasis are Public Administration and Environmental Policy.