COASTAL WETLANDS PLANNING, PROTECTION & RESTORATION

COASTAL WETLANDS PLANNING, PROTECTION & RESTORATION
Prepared for the Breaux Act Public Outreach Committee Meeting January 18, 2001
Glenn Eugster, National Park Service, National Capital Region, Partnerships Program


ASSUMPTIONS:

YOUR WORK IS CONSIDERABLE AND YOUR STRATEGY HAS LOOKED AT INFORMATION THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO SEE OR UNDERSTAND;

YOUR EFFORT IS SUCCESSFUL AND MY COMMENTS ARE AN ATTEMPT TO ADD VALUE TO THE GOOD WORK YOU ARE INVOLVED IN.

COMMUNICATION IS DIFFERENT THAN OUTREACH

YOU HAVE MULTIPLE MISSIONS: EDUCATE AND INTERPRET; GENERATE SUPPORT AND REVENUE.

THERE ARE MANY, MANY PLACE-BASED OUTREACH MODELS. I'LL DRAW HEAVILY FROM CBPO, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION/ POTOMAC RIVER WATERSHED AND MODELS I'M STUDYING (I.E. GOLDEN GATE PARK IN CA.)


I. IDENTITY/ MESSAGING: COMMUNICATIONS FROM ONE GROUP TO ANOTHER

TOP-OF-THE-MIND CONSCIOUSNESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFORT AND ITS WORK

IMPROVE COMMUNICATION TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMUNITIES AND THE INDIVIDUALS, WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE AREA.

GOAL: MOVE THE COASTAL WETLANDS AGENDA TO THE FOREFRONT OF LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL QUALITIES OF LIFE.

PHIL MUSSELWHITE SAID--YOU CANNOT NOT COMMUNICATE

ELEMENTS: ICON/ SYMBOL. WHAT IS THE CURRENT IDENTITY OF COASTAL LOUISIANA? THINK OF THE AREA AS A PRODUCT. REMEMBER "GOT MILK"? THINK OF GREAT IMAGES--PROMOTE THE AREA IN THE SAME WAY.

BOIL EACH AREA/ SITE DOWN TO ITS ICONIC SELF. SIMPLIFY THE IDEA, MAKE IT A BOLD AND SYMBOLIC IMAGE. RAISE AWARENESS THROUGH A POSTER CAMPAIGN TO "BRAND THE AREA".

MORE THAN A SHORT-TERM PROMO IMAGE BUT RATHER A PREMANENT IDENTITY.

MESSAGE NAME: VAGUE AND CUMBERSOME NAMES DON'T WORK FOR MARKETING PURPOSES--ALTHOUGH THEY ARE THE LEGAL NAMES.

WHO CARES? OR, WHY SHOULD ANYONE CARE? NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE. PEOPLE WON'T GIVE THEIR TIME OR MONEY TO SOMETHING THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF WHAT THEY HAVE.

WHO IS THE MESSAGE CARRIER? NOT ALL MESSANGERS ARE EQUAL--OR TRUSTED BY LEADERS.

ALSO, WHO SPEAKS FOR COASTAL LOUISIANA? BEHIND EVERY GREAT PROTECTION AND RESTORATION EFFORT IS A GREAT WRITER.


PROCESS MODEL: HOW DO THINGS WORK?

PROCESS MODELS ARE A WAY TO ORGANIZE INFORMATION AND YOUR STRATEGY!

MY MODEL INCLUDES INFORMATION ON:

VALUES {ALL STEPS ARE TIED TO AND WITHIN THE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS]

GOALS

ISSUES

ALTERNATIVES

ACTIONS

MONITOR

EXAMPLES OF MODELS: Riverwork, Watershed Protection Approach, Community-Based Environmental Protection, and others.

WHAT IS YOUR MODEL?
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND COASTAL WETLANDS? HUMAN ECOLOGY/ CULTURAL ANTHROPOLGY APPROACH

EXAMPLE: SOUTH CAROLINA RIVERS. WHAT VALUES ARE MOST COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH SC'S RIVERS AND WATERSHEDS?

BECAUSE OUR ORGANIZATIONS ALIGN OURSELVES WITH VALUES, WE NEED TO KNOW, WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PUBLIC AGENCIES AND PRIVATE GROUPS THAT HAVE ADOPTED THESE VALUES? IF YOU COULD ONLY MAKE ONE PHONE CALL, WHO WOULD IT BE?

THIS ANALYSIS IS ESSENTIAL--A FOUNDATION FOR YOUR OUTREACH EFFORTS.


COLLABORATION/ PARTNERSHIPS: PUBLIC OUTREACH EQUALS FRIENDSRAISING

HOW DOES THE CAUSE RELATE TO PEOPLE'S LIVES?

NEED TO INVOLVE PEOPLE--LOOK FOR PEOPLE OF ACHIEVEMENT WHO HAVE A LOVE FOR WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO. GIVE GROUPS A PLACE AT THE TABLE SO THEY CAN DEVELOP A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP.

GOVERNMENT APPROACHES OF THE PAST: BEWARE TO PROJECTING THE ROLE OF "THE TIN MEN"--SELLING ALUMINUM SIDING IN BALTIMORE, MD. HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!

EVERYONE IS A PARTICIPANT AND EVERYONE IS A DESIGNER. RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT AND THAT PUBLIC OUTREACH NEEDS TO BE A DIALGOUE BETWEEN THE INTERESTS.

DIALOGUE: TREAT THE OTHERS AS EQUAL IN EVERY RESPECT; WILLING AND ABLE TO LISTEN AND RESPOND EMPATHICALLY; WILLING TO BRING ONE'S OWN AND OTHERS' ASSUMPTIONS INTO THE OPEN WITHOUT JUDGEMENT.

LISTEN TO THE WISDOM YOU ARE SEKING! BRING PEOPLE INTO THE VISION YOU HAVE AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE VISION.

WHY? IDENTITY EQUALS LOYALTY, COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT


COMMENTS & IDEAS

MY SENSE OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING:

YOUR VISION FOCUSES ON CRISIS, IMPORTANCE, SUPPORT

YOUR MISSION CALLS TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS, INVOLVE PUBLIC OFFICIALS, SECURE $ AND PUBLIC SUPPORT

YOUR GOAL IS AWARENESS AND SUPPORT FOR ACTION

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD TO GET PEOPLE TO TAKE NOTICE AND HAVE FAITH IN WHO YOU ARE AS AN ORGANIZATION. ONCE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S ABOUT, THEY WILL SHOW OVER WHELMING INTEREST IN BEING SUPPORTIVE.


TASKS:

IMPROVE THE IDENTITY OF THE COAST OF LA AND THE RESTORATION EFFORT. WORK ON THE ICONS AND NAME.

ANALYZE KEY STAKEHOLDERS BY COASTAL WETLAND VALUES--ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC

WHAT DO PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE EFFORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP GROUP? CONSIDER MARKETING RESEARCH ON VALUES, IMAGE, MESSAGES, AND EFFORT. PERHAPS SOME TYPE OF ATTITUDES SURVEY.

CREATE A STRONGER AWARENESS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE AND GROUPS TO BECOME INVOLVED. CURRENT: VOLUNTEER, PARTICIPATE IN MEETINGS, KEEP ABREAST, STUDY ISSUES, AND SUPPORT WITH ADEQUATE FUNDING. PERHAPS THINK ABOUT PROJECTS AS ANOTHER WAY TO BECOME INVOLVED AND BE SUPPORTIVE.

THINK ABOUT THE IMAGE OF THE KEY PARTNERS AND PRIMARY CONTACTS. THEY SEEM ALL GOVERNMENT--NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE TO INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN THAT THIS IS ABOUT GOVERNMENT--ITS ABOUT COASTAL LA WETLANDS!

FIND A WRITER THAT SPEAKS FOR COASTAL LOUISIANA WETLANDS--BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION EFFORT IS A WRITER!

LAY A FRAMEWORK FOR EARNED INCOME: THINK ABOUT PRODUCTS AS A WAY TO GENERATE REVENUE AND REINFORCE THE IMAGE OF THE CAUSE AND YOUR ORGANIZATION.

PREPARE A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGE PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS. PERHAPS START A COOPERATING ASSOCIATION. CONSIDER MARKETING PROJECTS TO SEEK SUPPORT.

FIND A WAY TO MEASURE SUCCESS AND COMMUNICATE YOUR PROGRESS TO OTHERS. PROTECTION AND RESTORATION INDICATORS ARE ESSENTIAL!

QUESTIONS?

MAY YOU HAVE CONTINUED SUCCESS IN YOUR WORK!