(Below is the result summary of my study while I was in World Forest Institute's fellowship program. This was also a paper material that was already accepted for IS-River conference in France-2015 which unfortunately I was not able to attend. I just want to share it again here on my personal blog.) 

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Public Engagement in River Management, Lessons Learned From The Willamette River in USA to Indonesia’s River

Sudiyah Istichomah

Indonesia,  nonette262@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

There is an obvious need for the public to be involved in the management of natural resources, including forests, rivers, and resources. There are major challenges in Indonesia around river management such as floods, pollution, land conversion, and low community participation. The Minister of Environment stated that in 2014 75% of the large rivers in Indonesia were contaminated. This study aimed to explore how rivers are managed in the US, using the Willamette River in Portland as a case study. The focus was especially on public involvement  and how that can be applied to Indonesia. Many things can be learned from the Willamette River are 1) Government agencies are actively involved in community programs, the public are also actively involved, and there are nonprofit organizations that oversee government management, 2) Things like dam removal, installation of LWD for fish habitat, and re-meandering rivers are all management tools that would benefit Indonesia, 3) The use of an iconic species such as salmon as the impetus to restore the river is an excellent idea. Indonesia can look for an iconic  species  of their own , 4) Using the river as part of urban ecotourism. The Willamette River is a great Portland attraction for things like jogging, sailing, swimming, etc.

KEYWORDS

Public engagement, involvement, river, USA, Indonesia

1           Introduction

      Indonesian River and Challenges

There is an obvious need for the public to be involved in the management of natural resources, including forests, rivers, and resources. Today, water and river management  is an important issue around the world. There are major challenges in Indonesia around river management such as floods, pollution, land conversion, and low community participation. The Minister of Environment stated that in 2014 75% of the large rivers in Indonesia were contaminated.

This study aimed to explore how rivers are managed in the US, using the Willamette River in Portland as a case study. The focus was especially on public involvement  and how that can be applied to Indonesia.

Why this study is important:

1. Water is necessary for all life on earth. Rivers reflect the level care that is put into managing water resource and they need to be cared for.
2. Learning how developed countries use public involvement in river management  in important so that developing countries can learn from these models.
3. The Willamette River is an important river in Oregon. It flows through the city of Portland and has a complex management, influenced by the urban environment with many different governmental and interested parties engaged in its management.

For 6 six months fellowship program in World Forest Institute, June – November 2014, writer did a study to learn about river management within the USA, with case study of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon State. The study’s objectives are to know about the general condition of the river management and to find lessons learned that can be applied in Indonesia.

Four main questions for this study are,

1. What is the current state of management of the Willamette River in Portland?
2. Who are the actors that play a role in the management of the river and what are the roles?
3. Is there a forum that brings together those parties?
4. How does it compare with the situation in Indonesia?

The research was conducted in two ways: interviews and literature studies. Interviews were conducted with government agencies, experts, non-profit organizations and the general public in random. Literature was reviewed from websites, journals, news and other sources. A number of  fieldtrips with the World Forest Institute also allowed me to gain knowledge about the management of natural resources, especially rivers of PNW in general.

2. RESULT

2.1 Willamette River – Portland, A river with a long history

The Willamette River Basin is the largest watershed in the state, covering more than 11,500 square miles. Portland occupies only a small fraction of the river’s drainage basin, about one-half of one percent, but is the most urbanized area. Native salmon, steelhead and other fish and wildlife species live within Portland’s urban boundary, and also  migrate through Portland to other parts of the Willamette River Basin, Columbia River Basin and beyond.

The Willamette River faces a lot of problems, including pollution and water quality. In 2000, the federal government established that the river has become one of the Super Fund site cleanup projects because of it’s heavy pollution. This program involves many stakeholders: governments, private companies, numbers of environmental organizations, and also the general public who actively care for the implementation of the programs.

Restoration carried out in upstream rivers and creeks also provide a major influence on the Willamette River in Portland. Restoration of the Willamette River, and generally in the PNW, is closely related to salmon, which has been included in the category of endangered species. Salmon migrations connect the downstream and upstream of river systems and salmon habitat restoration has proven beneficial for the restoration of the river as a whole. Various restoration programs are conducted with the involvement of the general public, such as  volunteer-based tree planting, cleaning streams of garbage, and invasive species removal.

2.2 Actors in Willamette River Management

Who are the actors in river management?

In general, there are four groups that play an active role in management: Government, Private companies/ land owners, nonprofit organizations, and the general public.

Government plays the largest role in river management. They set the policy and develop the manage plans. They engage the public throughout the entire process using various means. Some of these are: transparency – letting the media and public know of their plans, public comment periods for each program so they know what the public wants, providing public field tours, and creating advisory groups.

Nonprofit organizations such as Willamette Riverkeepers or watershed councils can play a complimentary role to government organizations. Through their programs and campaigns, they raise awareness about the river and encourage public to be more. They also can monitor the work of government.

Private companies and land owners typically use a lot of water resources for their business and do have a voice in management of the water. They can support the government and nonprofit organizations that works for river by give fund or have partnership. Landowners usually do the stream restoration and conservation in their property.

The general public is the most important part of this system. The public can actively participate in river management in many ways: read the news and updates about government programs, give active responses during public comment periods, and volunteer in events related to the river.

There are of course many divergent opinions about and interests in the Willamette River. Public engagement is one way to help the various groups work together and understand each other interests in the water. However, developing  discussion forums and consensus on ideas and is difficult and requires a lot of work to have all the parties come together.

Are there forums that bring together interested parties?

Advisory councils and watershed councils provide a forum for people to meet and discuss their concerns about the river.

Watershed councils are locally organized, voluntary, non-regulatory groups established to improve the conditions of watersheds in their local area. They bring together local stakeholders from private, local, state, and federal interests in a partnership, to help plan restoration. In Oregon, there are at least 74 watershed councils that build a big network of people dedicated to supporting the work of river protection and restoration throughout the state.

2.3 Lessons Learned: From Portland to Indonesia

River management in Indonesia is led by the government. There are at least 14 ministries related to water management with the Ministry of Public Work being the main ministry in charge of infrastructure and management of the river. There are also several NGOs that are actively involved in water issues. But there is  a lack of participation by the general public.

In Indonesia, there is also a Water Resources Council, a forum of river management parties at the national or provincial level. They don’t function well however  because coordination is lacking and not everyone’s interests can be accommodated. The most interesting thing is the trend of community volunteer organizations like River Defenders which recently formed all around Indonesia as an expression of concern from a small number of the public for the poor condition of the river.

Many things can be learned from the Willamette River:

•  Government agencies are actively involved in community programs, the public are also actively involved, and there are nonprofit organizations that oversee government management.
• Things like dam removal, installation of LWD for fish habitat, and re-meandering rivers are all management tools that would benefit Indonesia.
• The use of an iconic species such as salmon as the impetus to restore the river is an excellent idea. Indonesia can look for an iconic  species  of their own.
• Using the river as part of urban ecotourism. The Willamette River is a great Portland attraction for things like jogging, sailing, swimming, etc.. Urban rivers in Indonesia have not been widely used for leisure purposes.

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img source: here 

(August 21, 2014)

Just a day before the day, I got an email from Chandalin, my supervisor in WFI, about an invitation to a regular discussion in Sierra Club. This environmental club established in 1892 and has its regular discussion once in a month at 3rd Thursday. It's interesting that the discussion always open to public. And in August, the theme of discussion was about Willamette River, the river that I'm interested most in USA! So, even it was a last minute invitation, I made it! I felt that I need to come to this event. And I was right!

Last minute e-mail invitation

The theme was "Protecting the Willamette and Environmental Justice: the Portland Harbor Community Coalition". There was a presentation from Portland Harbor Community Coalition (PHCC), presented by Cassie Cohen (the executive director of Groundwork Portland) and Faduma Ali (Community Organizer for Groundwork Portland). Both Cassie and Faduma are amazing women. They are so young and spiritful. They presented about the Willamette river regarding the big project of Portland Harbor Superfund and their work with the coalition. It was the first time I heard about this coalition. Furthermore, we discussed about the pollution in Portland Harbor, concern toward the people affected by the river condition, and the work of government agency in the project (EPA). It was a really fast discussion and sometimes I felt confused. There were too many abbreviations and terms that I didn't know. (And of course they talked really fast. :0 )


At least there were 20 people that came in that Wednesday meeting. It was a very lively discussion where most of the participants were very enthusiast about the topic. They asked many questions that the presenters often cut them. :) . The meeting ended at 9 pm. I had not any chance to ask any questions but I had contact with Faduma. She's lovely girl and I'd like to know about her work more. (I met her again a week after that!).

I need to write more about the discussion but it's too complicated right now and I don't want to be more confused or maybe make you that read this note confused. Haha...

One thing that I know, "I need to know more about the big project of Portland Harbor Superfund!". It's a big project that many parties in this city really concern both from government, environmental organization, public, and community. Why? It's a super big money, big issue, and big impact to the lower Willamette river.

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That night, I went back home alone, take a bus from 1821 SE Ankeny Street to Barness and Cedar hills blvd. It was almost an hour drive and in the middle of the way I knew that I forgot my keys (I left them in my room).. Still lucky, at least my landlord was awake so I didn't have problem to enter the house. :)

Wilson River - Tillamook

Percakapanku kemarin dengan seseorang menginspirasiku untuk menulis catatan singkat ini. Teman bicaraku waktu itu adalah seseorang yang bekerja di pemerintahan Kota Portland khusus menangani urusan air. Kira-kira begini potongan dialog yang terjadi antara kami.

"So, do you think that people here love the river?", kataku.

"If you ask people that questions, I'm sure they will answer, "Yes, I do". But for me, as my self, I love the river." Dia menjawab.

"If they do, what can they do or what do they do to show their love?", aku tanya lagi.

.... hening sejenak.

"Well, that's a good question! I need to find the answer too. I love the river through my job here." jawaban dia.

Kita berbicara tentang cinta dan bagaimana mengungkapkan cinta. Mungkin bagi seorang pegawai pemerintah khusus di bidang air akan mudah menjawab pertanyaanku. Tapi bagaimana dengan orang biasa? Misalnya saja orang kota, para pekerja kantoran, atau mahasiswa yang hidupnya sama sekali tidak berinteraksi langsung dengan sungai, bagaimana dengan mereka?

Pernah aku bertanya kepada seseorang tentang urusan cinta ini. Jawaban dari pertanyaan pertama sangat mudah. Kamu cinta? Iya saya cinta. Bagaimana? ..... (aku tidak tahu,...)
Bagaimana (How) memang adalah pertanyaan tersulit. Bagaimana mencintai sungai, itu juga pertanyaan sulit. Tapi aku rasa jika seseorang mempunyai cinta, pasti tidak akan sulit menjawabnya. Jika tidak bisa menjawab, maka perlu diragukan rasa cintanya. Tulus atau hanya sebatas omongan saja.

Kenapa?

"Love is an action!" Cinta itu adalah perbuatan, tindakan, nyata dan bisa dirasakan. Sekecil apapun cinta itu pasti ada wujudnya. Tak pernah ada cerita cinta dalam hati saja, itu tidak cukup. Dan aku berani berkata itu bukanlah cinta.

Jika kamu mencintai seseorang maka kamu akan melakukan sesuatu untuk orang yang kamu cintai kan? Kamu akan berusaha membuatnya tersenyum dan bahagia. Kamu bahkan rela berkorban untuknya. Iya kan?

Nah, sekarang aku bertanya juga, "Bagaimana cara kita mencintai sungai? Bagaimana cara kita membuat sungai tersenyum dan bahagia? Apa yang bisa kita lakukan?". Bisakah kita menemukan jawabannya. Harus bisa!

Atau perlu sekali kita bertanya dan meragukan kata 'cinta' yang sering kita ucapkan pada sungai yang semakin hari semakin merana. Terlalu banyak kata cinta yang diterima tanpa aksi nyata. Istilah gaulnya di-PHP-in.

Aku pun demikian. Aku mulai menanyakan pada diriku juga. Apakah aku cinta sungai? Bagaimana caraku mencintai sungai?

Aku mulai dengan mencoba mengenalnya. Karena 'tak kenal maka tak sayang' masih aku percaya. Aku mempelajarinya dan mencoba memahami kebutuhannya, suka-dukanya, deritanya. Berbicaralah dengan sungai melalui bahasa alam, mencoba berbincang. Sekali-kali teriak di pinggir sungai juga tidak apa-apa, asal jauh-jauh dari tetangga. Tapi ternyata mengenalpun tak cukup kan. Cinta memang menuntut, tapi ajaibnya yang dituntutpun biasanya dengan senang hati melakukannya. Sungai menuntut untuk dibersihkan dari sampah! dan sejumlah pecinta sungai pun dengan sukarela memungut sampah itu. Untuk apa? Agar sungai bahagia! Seperti saat kita memberi hadiah untuk pacar kita, biar dia senang.

Ah, jadi ingat teman-teman penjaga sungai di tanah air, teman-teman KPC di Bogor, Garda Brantas di Jatim, River Defender di Riau, Bang Asun dan kelompoknya, YKWS di Lampung,dan banyak lagi. Aku bangga dengan kalian yang telah menunjukkan cara kalian mencintai sungai. Karena kalian tahu, cinta butuh tindakan, tak bisa hanya disimpan di hati saja.

Aku sendiri sedang mencoba bertindak, melakukan sesuatu, tidak mudah memang, tapi hati ini bahagia. Dan selama aku di Portland ini aku mencoba berkenalan dengan Sungai Willamette, sungai yang baru kukenal beberapa bulan lalu. Aku mencintai sungai ini meskipun ini bukan sungaiku. Sungai inilah yang menjadi jembatanku untuk mengenal sungai di tanah air. Memahami apa yang terjadi di sini memberiku gambaran tentang apa yang terjadi di tempat lain. Aku ingin belajar dan memahami, ingin berbagi dan ingin bercerita. Wujud cintaku sederhana, mengenalkannya pada semua yang kukenal, menyebarkannya.

Jadi, aku ingin bertanya pada semuanya saja yang mungkin mampir di tulisan ini, "Apakah kamu cinta sungai? Bagaimana cara kamu mencintainya?"

Kalau kamu tidak bisa menjawabnya, kamu tahu apa yang kumaksud. :)

MAX train (Img source: here)

Pada awalnya aku pikir transportasi umum di negara maju itu pasti sangat disiplin, selalu tepat waktu dan tidak pernah ada masalah. Setelah sebulan berada di kota terbesar di negara bagian Oregon-Amerika Serikat yaitu Portland, barulah ketahuan bahwa tidak ada yang sempurna di dunia ini. Ceileh, kayak dakwah yah! Selama 2 hari berturut-turut, sistem transportasi umum Portland yang lebih dikenal dengan sebutan TRIMET mengalami gangguan. Apakah gerangan?

Sejak hari ke-2 aku menginjakkan kaki di AS, tepatnya tanggal 2 Juni 2014, sejak saat itu pula aku berkenalan dengan TRIMET. Ada dua moda transportasi umum di sini, yaitu bus dan kereta listrik yang terintegrasi dan sistem ini disebut Trimet. Semua informasi ada di websitenya di sini.

Jalur-jalur bus banyak tersedia di tempat-tempat strategis dan pemberhentiannya pun lumayan banyak. Selain itu tepat waktu pula. Sangat mudah mencari jadwal bus-bus ini, asal bisa online atau punya pulsa. Tinggal kirim pesanan langsung deh informasi di tangan.

Khusus kereta listrik lebih dikenal dengan sebutan MAX. Ada 4 trayek MAX yang dibedakan berdasarkan warna yang kesemuanya melintasi pusat kota (City Center/ down town), yaitu:

- Red Line MAX = PP Airport – City Center - Beaverton TC

- Blue Line MAX = PP Gresham – City Center – Hillsboro

- Yellow Line MAX = PP Expo Center – City Center – PSU (Portland State University)

- Green Line MAX = PP Clackamas – City Center – PSU

Trimet Max Light Rail (img source: here)

Untuk PP dari rumah homestay sampai tempat kerja aku dapat naik MAX Red Line atau Blue Line yang  sama-sama melintasi Sunset TC (dekat rumah) dan Washington Park (dekat kantor) yang hanya berjarak 1 stasiun. Cukup 5 menit dan sampai. Tapi,… aku harus jalan kaki 25 menit dulu dari Sunset TC – rumah atau sebaliknya. Itung-itung pembesaran betis dan olahraga juga. 

Nah, di musim panas ini, Kota Portland dan sekitarnya menjadi lebih panas dari biasanya. Wajar kan, namanya juga musim panas. Suhu bisa mencapai lebih dari 90 F (32 C). Kalau suhu sudah di atas itu, maka terjadilah gangguan di sistem transportasi rel ini. Semua kereta listrik akan melaju lebih lambat dari biasanya. Keterlambatan bisa mencapai 15-20 menit. Apakah ini menggangguku? Hemm....

(Beruntungnya jadi orang Indonesia itu adalah menjadi lebih sabar. 15-20 menit hitungannya tidak lama jika dibandingkan molornya jadwal kereta di tanah air, macetnya jalanan kota hingga berjam-jam atau bahkan ngetemnya tukang angkot yang biasa maju-mundurin angkotnya buat menarik penumpang. Sudut pandang beruntung atau tidak itu memang sangat rawan ya. Kalau logikanya begini, berarti lebih beruntung jadi orang super miskin atau sakit sekalian karena tidak akan ada lagi yang bisa menyusahkan mereka. Beruntung orang tak punya karena tak akan takut kehilangan. (Halahh,.. kebiasaan tidak fokus mulai lagi nih. Hehehe). Lanjut. )

Ternyata, penyebab kereta api melambat adalah ... (ada yang tahu?). Persis dengan ilmu IPA pas jaman SD dulu. Yap, relnya pada memuai karena kepanasan. Untuk menghindari kerusakan pada kereta dan sistem perkabelan maka kereta-kereta itu jalannya harus diperlambat. Mungkin biar relnya tidak semakin panas karena pengaruh gesekan. (Apakah telatnya kereta di tanah air juga karena ini? Ah, kok tidak yakin ya! Kan suhu Bogor-Jkt biasa tuh diatas 30an. Tiap hari malah.) Enaknya di Portland adalah setiap ada keterlambatan ataupun masalah lain, pengumumannya cepat sekali. Jadi tidak pernah ada cerita calon penumpang terlantar tanpa tahu penyebabnya.

Selain itu, MAX juga bersih dan longgar meskipun kalau jam pulang kantor agak penuh. Bedanya lagi nih, para Portlander (penduduk Portland) tidak rebutan tempat duduk di kereta. Bahkan sejumlah penumpang memilih berdiri dibanding duduk. Tak jarang terlihat banyak penumpang berdiri meski sejumlah kursi masih kosong. Kursi prioritas juga banyak tersedia dan tidak ada yang curhat karena kursinya diminta sama ibu-ibu hamil. Fasilitas khusus lainnya di MAX adalah sebuah ruang yang cukup luas (bisa untuk sepeda, kursi roda, koper besar, dan kereta bayi) dan jalur melandai/ ramp (untuk pengguna kursi roda). Sungguh sangat mendukung semua kalangan kan.

Gantungan sepeda (img source: here)

Tapi tidak semuanya juga bagus. Ini bukan tentang keretanya tapi lebih ke penumpangnya. Kadang-kadang aku melihat penumpang yang kakinya naik ke kursi sebelahnya, atau sampah-sampah yang diselipin di antara kursi. Aih, orang Amrik ada juga yang jorok ya. Tidak banyak sih, tapi tetap saja ada.

Yah, pada intinya aku ingin menyampaikan jika sistem transportasi umum di Portland lebih baik daripada di tanah air. Kenapa? Tepat waktu, responsif, dan melayani segala bentuk keperluan. Apakah kita pesepeda, penyandang cacat, membawa barang besar, ataupun bersama anak-anak, kita akan mendapatkan fasilitas yang memudahkan untuk menikmati layanan transportasi umum. Yah, meskipun tidak semuanya sempurna. Gangguan teknis dan perilaku penumpang yang kurang baik juga bisa ditemui di sistem ini.

Portland,
07 Agustus 2014