Benefits of Multi-Level Watershed Management Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a significant role in establishing grassroots methods of environmental protection while incorporating citizen involvement. The most common types of NGOs in the United States are those that mobilize public opinion and advocate for legislative and/or social change. Among these are the various Public Interest Groups (PIRGs), the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace. Public education and involvement are critical components to the success of these organizations. Therefore, the application of NGOs to other issues could prove effective in advocating and implementing change while improving the community in which they live. This is the case with the relatively new watershed management associations in New Jersey. These organizations employ grassroots tactics to increase community education and establish stronger environmental protections. I therefore argue that intermunicipal (and interstate as we will see later) watershed management, through the use of non-governmental organizations, has the capacity to have a profound impact on how natural resources are managed and, consequently, on how a The area is developed. This is extremely valuable for a state like New Jersey, where uncoordinated development has led to a sprawling landscape that causes fragmentation of natural features and severe depletion of water quality. Furthermore, in the vast bureaucratic development system that dominates New Jersey, this NGO method of watershed management is a qualitative and creative way to promote democracy, public education, and public participation. Examine how watershed management associations can improve environmental oversight and consequently development. models, we must first examine the existing landscape model on a physical and political scale. New Jersey is made up of 566 municipalities, each functioning pseudo-independently of one another. These municipalities, “…each with the authority to govern at home to make development decisions and policies without regard [to] their potential negative effects on neighboring cities,” (Shutkin 2000) create an atmosphere of competition and discord. This unproductive circumstance is a product of human invention. For it is “multiple ownership or stewardship within watersheds [that] presents some important challenges for watershed management policy and planning” (Satterlund and Adams 1992). Municipal boundaries do not take into account larger natural boundaries. While it's true that a municipal boundary might coincide with a stream or ridge, municipalities generally overlook larger, more important delineations such as watersheds.