History of Watershed Management Group

WMG Founders Jared Buono and Sowmya Somnath lead Engineers Without Borders drinking water project in Ghana

WMG founders Lisa and Catlow Shipek work with watershed group in Costa Rica to create spring protection demonstration project

Lisa Shipek becomes volunteer Executive Director, WMG’s first staff member
WMG receives first grant to develop 6 water harvesting demonstration sites in Tucson

Run 16 public water harvesting workshops in Tucson including first Earth Day event with 50 volunteers
Schoolyard Water Education program launched in Tucson
Workshop series at Tucson’s Ward 3 Council Office: idea for Co-op sparked through conversations with volunteers

Start Tucson Green Living Co-op; 1st year has 70 members and 12 workshops
Green Streets program emerges through two-year stormwater harvesting project with Rincon Heights neighborhood and federal water quality funding
First job training program – 10-month Water Harvesting Apprenticeship, a bilingual program with southern Tucson partner Tierra y Libertad

Neighborhood-scale green infrastructure model created in Tucson, transforming 10 city blocks through 12 workshops with 200 volunteers. Project wins “Making Arizona Competitive in the 21st Century Award” from American Planning Association.
India office established by founders Jared Buono and Sowmya Somnath after year-long needs assessment
Water Harvesting Certification curriculum and exam created; first training run with 20 students
Schoolyard program gets funding boost from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, funding two school projects, including Manzo Elementary in Tucson

Partner with Habitat for Humanity to incorporate greywater into new buildings
Donors fund watershed training to assist villagers in Burkina Faso, Africa
Run 75 hands-on workshops creating dozens of water harvesting, green infrastructure, and native habitat sites
Publish Green Infrastructure for Southwestern Neighborhoods manual, available for free download
EPA funds Green Streets program; WMG develops 6 green infrastructure standard designs with City of Tucson
Run first program in Phoenix – Water Harvesting Certification
Conserve to Enhance pilot launched with 60 participants in partnership with Sonoran Institute and UA Water Resources Research Center

Inherit property from Marguerite Fisher to become WMG’s Living Lab and Learning Center
Work with five Arizona cities creating Green Infrastructure Demonstration sites
Broaden environmental education through Soil Stewards program
WMG takes on toilets. Build and monitor 24 pilot composting toilets in Tucson and 25 latrines in India through community programs
Selected as Top Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits
Record year for Green Living Co-op: 66 workshops in 3 cities, with 2,770 volunteer hours logged
Conserve to Enhance pilot wraps up, with participants saving over 2 million gallons of water, installing 30 water harvesting systems, and donating $2,000 to restoration projects
Created Drinking Water program in India through spring box and watershed restoration with 3 villages

Merge with Phoenix non-profit Arizona Homegrown Solutions to open Phoenix branch, starting Green Living Co-op and Green Streets projects
Start program in Santa Barbara – offering water harvesting presentations, hands-on workshops, and professional trainings
Start U.S.-Mexico border community program, including running 9-day Water Harvesting Certification in Spanish
Green Streets Neighborhood Leaders program trains 15 people from 6 neighborhoods and implements 12 new Green Streets projects in Tucson
Initiate the Community Water Coalition with partners and house Coalition Coordinator as staff at WMG
Create School Handwashing and Watershed Restoration program in India
380 Co-op members, 32 workshops
Win YouTube DoGooder Award with “It’s In Your Hands” video on sanitation. Over 100,000 views.

Watershed Management Group staff, late 2014