This project uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) as a tool for estimating soil erosion on a watershed scale. A new and key tool for managing ecosystems in North America are resource management plans based on watershed areas. Watershed management plans are a response to widespread concern about the cumulative effects of nonpoint source pollution (such as agriculture pollution) on water resource quality.The primary objective of this project was to develop a method using GIS to estimate the annual gross erosion for each of the watersheds. Sediment delivery was calculated within each of the subwatersheds of Bear Creek, and the amount of sediment that potentially could be trapped by vegetative filter strips in each watershed was determined. The area that was used for the study site is the Upper Bear Creek watershed. The Bear Creek watershed is a subwatershed of the Loblolly watershed in Jay County, Indiana.The analysis determined that 99% of sediment was contributed from cropland. When vegetative filter strips were modeled, the sediment delivered to a load cell was substantially reduced. Cropland area required for vegetative filter strips would be 2.3% for the whole watershed. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management