The introduction provides a general description of the watershed in terms of its natural and human-made features, ownership, and current land uses. Information in section 1.2 was compiled from the Oregon Watershed Assessment Manual (Watershed Professionals Network, 1999), the Lower Cow Creek Watershed Analysis (USDI Bureau of Land Management, 2002), and the Lower South Umpqua Watershed Analysis (USDI Bureau of Land Management, 2000). Additional information is from the following sources’ databases: The Oregon Climate Service, the US Census Bureau, and the Douglas County Assessor.The West Fork Cow Creek Watershed assessment has two goals: 1) To describe the past, present, and potential future conditions that affect water quality and fish habitat within the West Fork Cow Creek Watershed; and 2) To provide a research-based action plan that suggests voluntary activities to improve fish habitat and water quality within the watershed. The West Fork Cow Creek Watershed is 55,914 acres. There are no highways and no cities or population centers within the watershed. According to data from the 2000 US Census, the population of the West Fork Cow Creek Watershed is zero. Forestry is the only land use within the West Fork Cow Creek Watershed. Land ownership is primarily federal (53%).