Climate variability and persistent drought have focused attention on declining water availability across western U.S. riverscapes. Although meteorological drought indicators are well established, relationships between climate and ecosystem responses are less recognized and need to reflect multiple drought "flavors" and complex mediating processes. A better understanding of drought sensitivity in an ecological context (i.e., how ecosystems change in response to water deficits) will provide essential information for adaptation planning and management. We developed a prototype watershed drought vulnerability assessment using a combination of remotely-sensed observations and results from recent modeling efforts focused on the Donner und Blitzen River basin in southeastern Oregon. We compiled spatially-explicit time series representing meteorological indicators, hydrologic responses (streamflow and permanence, soil moisture, spring zones), and vegetation productivity (upland, riparian) and summarized interannual variability across years (1980-2021). We assessed sensitivity by examining variability within and among components, testing spatial patterns across landform classifications, and evaluating temporal trends. Our preliminary results reveal substantial spatial and temporal heterogeneity among landform types with mean productivity differing substantially among valley bottoms, warm slopes, and cool slopes. Streamflow variance exhibited strong spatial patterns, with headwater reaches showing highest variability. Our next steps include expanding to additional watersheds that represent gradients in ecological condition and landscape intactness, developing integrated indicators through data reduction, and constructing relational models, probabilistic networks, and tools for adaptation planning. Ultimately, we hope to provide an understanding of drought sensitivity that incorporates social and ecological elements to inform broad- to local-scale decisions and facilitate identification of watersheds and landscape positions most sensitive to drought.