Chapter 9 Education & Outreach Plan

Transcription

1 Chapter 9 Educatin & Outreach Plan Never dubt that a small grup f thughtful, cmmitted citiznes can change the wrld; indeed, it s the nly thing that ever has. Margaret Mead 123

2 Educatin and public awareness is essential t effective water resurces management. Public educatin will raise awareness abut the envirnmental impacts f daily activities and build supprt fr watershed planning and prjects. This Plan includes the framewrk fr a detailed educatin and awareness prgram specifically designed t: Raise public awareness f water issues and needs t fster supprt fr slutins Educate the public and ther identified target grups in rder t increase awareness and encurage behaviral changes Crdinate with ther public as well as private entities t maximize the visibility f the Indian Creek Watershed Management Authrity and its messages One f the highest ranked implementatin strategies in the Plan is t develp a cllabrative cmmunicatin & educatin plan between all ICWMA members using existing materials. This sectin will utline hw the educatin and public awareness prgram can be rganized as bth a watershed-wide prgram managed by the ICWMA and educatin activities undertaken by member lcal gvernments. An Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee f the ICWMA will be established t crdinate the educatin messages, materials and methds used amng ICWMA Members. A variety f resurces including State agencies, the Iwa Strm Water Educatin Prgram (ISWEP), and the Cunty Cnservatin Bards (CCB) have already created educatinal tls such as mass media cntent, brchures/factsheets and presentatin materials. Crdinating educatin and utreach effrts will have many benefits including reducing duplicatin f effrt, imprving cst effectiveness by sharing csts, and expanding the size and scale f educatin effrts t include mass media such as televisin and radi advertising. The gal f the ICWMA Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee will be t develp a watershed level public educatin prgram that raises awareness f lcal water resurce prtectin issues. An infrmed public will be mre likely t supprt lcal activities as well as change behavirs that will lead t the lng-term prtectin f ur water resurces. Invlving the public in lcal watershed prtectin effrts is crucial because it prmtes brader public supprt, helps create an ethic f stewardship and cmmunity service and enables the public t make infrmed chices abut water resurces management. The fllwing educatin strategies were identified as pririties fr the first 5-year phase f the Plan and will guide the effrts f the Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee in the near term. partner with ISWEP t hld wrkshps (with CEUs) fr develpers, builders, engineers, and inspectrs abut infiltratin practices and Lw Impact Develpment (LID) develp a cllabrative cmmunicatin & educatin plan between all ICWMA members using existing materials (such as the CCB watershed PSAs) rganize events t cnnect urban residents with the creek such as strm drain labeling, installing watershed signs, r festivals in parks with access t the creeks, etc partner with city & cunty planning departments t prvide trainings, turs r lunch-n-learns t Planning & Zning Cmmittees, city staff, and ther decisin makers n strmwater management practices cmmunicate the imprtance f prper management f pet wastes t residents cmmunicate with landwners abut the Nutrient Reductin Strategy (NRS) recmmended practices & fster general understanding abut the NRS thrugh wrkshps, demnstratin vides, and implementatin f mre example prjects in the watershed cmmunicate the results f water quality mnitring t educate abut actual vs. perceived surces f pllutin in the watershed develp an annual State f Indian Creek reprt t highlight activities, water quality, steps tward prgress 124

3 cmmunicate the cmparisn f repeated fld recvery csts t pr-active fld mitigatin practices t plicy makers and the general public prmte BMPs installed within the watershed as mdels thrugh signage and/r inclusin in the self-guided pdcast tur establish user friendly cmment submittal system n ICWMA website t cmmunicate issues with the trails and stream cnditins rganize Rainscaping wrkshps and urban BMP turs fr hmewners, plicy makers, r ther interested stakehlders t cmmunicate the purpse and attractiveness f BMPs The ICWMA Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee will cnsider the fllwing prgram framewrk as a starting pint t building a watershed level public awareness and educatin prgram. 9.1 Prgram Elements The watershed level public awareness and educatin prgram shuld include bth public educatin and utreach and public participatin and invlvement activities defined as: Educatin and utreach activities are designed t distribute educatin materials and messages, and perfrm utreach t infrm citizens and target audiences. Public participatin and invlvement activities prvide pprtunities fr citizens t participate in prgrams and becme active in implementing watershed prtectin prgrams. Educatin / Outreach Prgrams Bill inserts r newsletters Brchures at lcal gvernment facilities Website with watershed educatin infrmatin Speakers bureau presentatins Event displays and/r kisks Press releases Schl classrm educatin Table 9-1. Example Activities Public Invlvement / Participatin Prgrams Creek water quality mnitring prgram Watershed festival Creek clean-up events Strm drain stenciling events Watershed citizen advisry grup Rainscaping wrkshps Agriculture stakehlder grup 9.2 Watershed Public Educatin Messages The ICWMA Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee will cnsider incrprating these central messages fr the watershed level educatin and public awareness prgram as well as incrprating the Scial Assessment recmmendatins (see Chapter 6). Everything we d, where we wrk, live r play can impact ur water resurces We are all part f the slutin t strmwater pllutin / we are in this tgether Clean water fr drinking, recreatin and ecnmic benefits need t be prtected fr future generatins Watershed stewardship: It is the respnsibility f everyne t prtect ur water resurces We all live dwnstream 125

4 9.3 Educatin Fcus fr Target Audiences The ICWMA Educatin & Outreach Subcmmittee will tailr the messages fr the target audiences identified in the Lunch & Learn events as summarized belw. General Public Basic cncepts f strmwater runff and nn-pint surce pllutin including hw their actins can impact water quality. Students / Schls Wrk with Ce Cllege t distribute their newly develped curriculum t schl systems t incrprate water resurce prtectin lessn plans int current curriculum. Hmewners / Urban Agriculture / Glf Curses Best practices fr fertilizer and pesticide use n gardens and landscapes as well as prper dispsal f grass clippings and leaves in rder t prtect nearby water surces. Using lw impact develpment practices t mitigate runff such as rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable paving. Builders / Develpers / Design Prfessinals Best management practices n prper dispsal f cnstructin materials, ersin and sedimentatin cntrl, lw impact develpment and buffer prtectin. Realtrs / Fldplain Residents Explain lng term fld risk t ptential hme buyers. Lcal Gvernment Staff Educate lcal gvernment staff such as public wrks, parks and recreatin, cde enfrcement, planning and zning, etc. n best management practices that affect water quality. Lcal Elected Officials / Gverning Bards Imprtance f prmting and sufficiently funding the implementatin f best management practices in rder t prtect lcal water resurces. 9.4 Educatin Prgram Delivery Techniques There are a number f ways t reach target audiences in a public educatin effrt bth at a lcal and watershed level. Sme examples f these delivery methds are utlined belw. Internet Website An internet site r page can prvide an inexpensive way t fster awareness and educatin f strmwater management and watershed prtectin issues at the cmmunity r reginal level. A website can als serve as an infrmatin clearinghuse fr ther educatinal materials, and prvide resurces and additinal links fr target grups such as the general public, the develpment cmmunities, and varius industries. newsletters can prvide infrmatin n upcming utreach events as well as tips n nnpint surce pllutin cntrl fr targeted audiences and the general public. is ften the least expensive way t reach a larger number f individuals and entities. 126

5 Streaming media Tls such as streaming audi and vide, webcasts, nline training wrkshps, and ther interactive electrnic media tls can prvide additinal pprtunities fr reaching target audiences. Printed Materials Brchures & Fact Sheets Brchures, fact sheets and ther literature can be fr general infrmatin r prvide messages and tips specific t a particular tpic r target grup. Printed materials ften cmplement ther educatin and public awareness activities such as public utreach events and wrkshps. Bill Inserts Printed materials can be designed t accmpany utility bills r ther crrespndence t lcal citizens and businesses. Inserts can include brchures, newsletters, tips n best management practices and event ntices. Bill inserts are an excellent way t distribute educatinal materials withut additinal pstage expenses. CD / DVDs and DVD-ROMs are mediums fr prviding interactive educatinal material and are especially well-suited fr yuth and classrm educatin. In additin, vide DVD s can be used t distribute cntent such as public service annuncements (PSAs), vide prgrams, and instructinal/training vides. Psters Wall psters prvide a great deal f infrmatin quickly t the target audience at a statinary lcatin and can be displayed at lcatins such as libraries, schls, and ther public lcatins. Mass Media Press Relatins Bth lcal cmmunities and the ICWMA can wrk with the media t ensure cverage f strmwater and watershed prtectin issues and activities. This can include bth articles and event listings in general circulatin newspapers, specialty papers, and reginal magazines; radi and televisin interviews; features n radi and televisin news and public affairs prgramming; and cverage f events such as watershed fairs and creek cleanups. Televisin Public Service Annuncements Televisin advertising using PSAs prvide an immediate impact with a visual message. Bradcast channels reach a wide audience but are high-priced. Cable televisin ffers lcal cmmunities the ability t target their citizens and even tailr advertising t specific channels and audiences. Radi Public Service Annuncements Radi PSAs are an alternative t televisin and prvide a less expensive way t reach a large number f individuals with messages and nnpint surce pllutin tips. Outdr Advertising Billbards and ther utdr advertising such as bus shelter ads can be a way t reach audiences thrugh a different medium. These utdrs ads are well suited t shrt theme messages and specific tips n strmwater pllutin preventin. Other Advertising Other advertising methds that may be cnsidered include mvie theater PSAs, paid ads in newspapers and print magazines, and spnsrship f traffic and/r weather spts n radi. Outreach and Invlvement Wrkshps Wrkshps and seminars are pprtunities t prvide mre detailed infrmatin and training t citizens, businesses and public sectr grups. Speakers Bureau A speakers bureau prvides an pprtunity fr gvernment staff and ther prfessinals t address cmmunity rganizatins, business grups, hmewners assciatins, church grups and educatinal institutins n issues related t strmwater and watershed management. 127

6 Events Hsting r participatin in cmmunity events prvides an pprtunity fr the distributin f infrmatin and resurces directly t target cmmunities. In additin, tpic specific events such as watershed fairs, stream cleanups and strm drain stenciling are an imprtant way t invlve citizens directly in watershed management effrts. Event Display An event display prvides a way t present infrmatin and educatinal messages at wrkshps and ther events. Exhibits may be permanent r prtable and can have static displays, vides, r interactive features. Prtable display bards are ften effective fr use at events r wrkshps. Prmtinal Items Prmtinal giveaways such as magnets, pencils and bumper stickers can be imprinted with pllutin preventin messages and tips and distributed at cmmunity events, schls and wrkshps. 128