In this partnership, the federal government provides the funding and some technical support, the provincial government provides some matching funding and technical support, the provincial agricultural groups provide program management and support and client 20 services, and the farmers provide the human resources and know how to implement the best practices on their farms, with the assistance of t [...] The partnership is a virtual one, with no bricks and mortar, and with the objective being to facilitate “wise conservation and management of the Bay’s natural resources and habitats, by encouraging cooperative activities on issues facing the Bay, monitoring the state of the ecosystem and disseminating information.”. [...] The extent to which the user pays principle is applied is for the most part through the payment for the costs of supplying municipal drinking water and the costs of treatment of waste water. [...] The challenge is to deal with the valuing of the common property aspects of water resources, especially those associated with the costs of source of supply protection and provision of water quantity and quality for in stream uses such as wildlife and fish habitat. [...] The role of planning, monitoring and research in expanding and improving the information used in clarifying issues and in supporting decision making is recognized in all of the success stories, and is especially highlighted in the Fraser Basin Council and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.