When Tam Kutzmark ponders her new job-coordinating a five-county effort to create and implement a comprehensive Darby watershed plan-sometimes she can't believe what lies ahead of her.

It's not that Darby's new Watershed Coordinator is overwhelmed by taking on such an imposing task. Rather, she can't believe she has landed her dream job.

"I have to pinch myself every morning," she told DCA trustees at a recent meeting.

The ambitious attempt to craft a Darby watershed plan is a joint project of five county Soil and Water Conservation Districts: Champaign, Franklin, Madison, Pickaway, and Union. The districts decided to pool resources last year when state funding became available for 20 watershed coordinators state-wide.

The project will develop goals and strategies to conserve the natural resources of Darby Creek. It will emphasize citizen input, with representatives of locally based businesses, landowners, governments, and conservation groups playing an essential role in drafting and implementing the plan.

The effort will be supervised by a joint board representing the five conservation districts. Day-to-day operations will be supported by a 16-member steering committee, and advice and support will be provided by a 60-80 member Advisory Group of local stakeholders from throughout the watershed. Kutzmark will coordinate the effort.

Kutzmark is an environmental planner with nearly twelve years of experience. In her last job she worked for ACP-Vision & Planning, a Columbus-based firm that specializes in stakeholder involvement in planning projects.

In the Darby project Kutzmark intends to lay a strong foundation before developing the final plan. This will include speaking to as many stakeholders as she can, and putting in place an Advisory Group that represents all of the varied interests in the watershed. She anticipates this initial phase taking up the bulk of this year, with the plan's development beginning next year.

The importance of this effort can hardly be overstated. Kutzmark is adamant that she is not here to "heal the wounds" of the wildlife refuge controversy, which in the last three years stirred debate over the best strategy for protecting Darby. Nevertheless, some degree of healing will have to occur if this project is to succeed, as some landowners in the watershed remain wary of any coordinated effort to accomplish environmental goals, and some conservationists-such as DCA trustees-remain skeptical that purely local efforts will ensure Darby's future.

John Tetzloff