River Corridor Management and Wetlands Restoration

COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS FOR RIVER CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT AND WETLANDS RESTORATION
Prepared for State Wetlands restoration Conference, June 20, 2001 Baton Rogue, LA
Glenn Eugster, National Park Service, National Capital Region, Partnerships Program


I. ASSUMPTIONS:

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

2. COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS ARE TOOLS NOT PROGRAMS OR END-POINTS IN THEMSELVES.

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

WETLANDS RESTORATION IS PART OF THE OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE. DEFINED BY THE PRESIDENTS COUNCIL ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN 1999 GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IS "THE NETWORK OF OPEN SPACE, AIRSHEDS, WATERSHEDS, WETLANDS, WOODLANDS, WILDLIFE HABITAT, PARKS, AND OTHER NATURAL AREAS THAT PROVIDE MANY VITAL SERVICES THAT SUSTAIN LIFE AND ENRICH THE QUALITY OF LIFE".



IDENTITY/ MESSAGING:

IN ORDER FOR A STATEWIDE OR ECOSYSTEM-BASED WETLAND-RIVER CORRIDOR RESTORATION EFFORT TO BE EFFECTIVE IT HAS TO BE UNDERSTANDABLE. IF PEOPLE HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT; CAN'T EXPLAIN IT; DON'T UNDERSTAND IT; IT WON'T GO A FAR AS YOU WANT IT TO.

WHY? YOU NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE.

WHY? IN ORDER TO USE COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP YOU HELP YOURSELF ACCOMPLISH YOUR RESTORATION GOALS YOU HAVE TO MAKE FRIENDS.

IN ORDER TO MAKE FRIENDS YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO:

HAVE 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 WETLANDS-RIVERS AGENDA TO THE FOREFRONT OF LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL QUALITIES OF LIFE.

MESSAGING EXPERT PHIL MUSSELWHITE SAID--YOU CANNOT NOT COMMUNICATE

MANY OF THESE EFFORTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH WHAT I CALL THE TYRANNY OF SMALL SOLUTIONS. OFTEN OUR ORIENTATION IS AT A PROJECT LEVEL. SOME OF THE SITE SPECIFIC IDENTITIES ARE STRONG BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS WEAK.

IN SOME SITUATIONS, WHERE THE STRENGTH OF A RESTORATION EFFORT IS BASED ON STRONG SITES, THEN YOU HAVE TO BUILD THE IDENTITY FROM THE SITES UP, NOT FROM A FALSE OVERLAY DOWN.

ELEMENTS: ICON/ SYMBOL. WHAT IS THE CURRENT IDENTITY OF WETLAND OR RESTORATION EFFORT? 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 MESSAGING PURPOSES--ALTHOUGH THEY ARE THE LEGAL NAMES.

LET'S GO BACK TO THE IDEA THAT WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE.
WHY? PEOPLE WON'T GIVE THEIR SUPPORT, TIME OR MONEY TO SOMETHING THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF WHAT THEY HAVE AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.

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

ALSO, WHO SPEAKS FOR THESE WETLAND AND RIVER AREAS? BEHIND EVERY GREAT PROTECTION AND RESTORATION EFFORT IS A GREAT WRITER.


PROCESS MODEL: HOW DO THINGS WORK? WHO ARE YOUR COLLABORATORS AND PARTNERS?

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

MY MODEL INCLUDES INFORMATION ON:

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

GOALS

ISSUES

ALTERNATIVES

ACTIONS

MONITOR/ EVALUATE PROGRESS

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

WHAT IS YOUR MODEL?
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND WETLANDS AND RIVERS? 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 COLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP 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!

STUART COWAN SAYS IN HIS BOOK "ECOLOGICAL DESIGN" EVERYONE IS A PARTICIPANT AND EVERYONE IS A DESIGNER. RECOGNIZE THAT EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT AND THAT COLLABORATION NEEDS TO BE BASED ON 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 SEEKING! BRING PEOPLE INTO THE VISION YOU HAVE AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN ACHIEVING THE VISION.

WHY? IDENTITY EQUALS LOYALTY, COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT


V. TASKS:

IMPROVE THE IDENTITY OF YOUR WETLANDS AND RIVERS AND THE RESTORATION EFFORT. WORK ON THE ICONS AND NAME.

2. BORROW A PAGE FROM THE GREAT ENGINEERING PROJECTS OF THE USA. WETLANDS AND RIVER RESTORATION PLANS COULD BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THE STRATEGIES USED BY THE HIGHWAY BUILDERS. THE NATIONAL ACADMEY OF ENGINEERING, IN THEIR 1996 REPORT "ENGINEERING WITHIN ECOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS" SAID THAT WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING AND MAKING ALL ENGINEERS ECOLOGISTS. WHY STOP THERE? ECOLOGISTS WOULD BENEFIT GREATLY BY USING SOME OF THE VISION, DISCIPLINE AND STRATEGIES THAT THE ENGINEERS HAVE USED.

FOR EXAMPLE, PRESIDENT EISENHOWER'S ROAD BUILDING EFFORT IN THE 1950'S COMBINES ENGINEERING WITH COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS.

3. ANALYZE KEY STAKEHOLDERS BY WETLAND AND RIVER VALUES--ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC

4.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. GO BEYOND MINIMAL TASKS: 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. DOES YOUR IMAGE TRANSLATE TO GOVERNMENT? NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE DON'T CONFUSE WHAT YOUR EFFORT IS ABOUT. IT'S NOT ABOUT GOVERNMENT--ITS ABOUT WETLANDS AND RIVER RESTORATION!

FIND A WRITER THAT SPEAKS FOR WETLANDS AND RIVER RESTORATION--BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION EFFORT IS A WRITER! MARJORIE STONEHAM DOUGLAS AND THE EVERGLADES; JOHN MCPHEE AND THE NJ PINELANDS AND ALASKA, TOM HORTON AND THE CHESPAEAKE BAY, AND MANY OTHERS!

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. WE WORK WITH THE GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK ASSOCIATION IN CA AND THEY HAVE RAISED $43 MILLION TO SUPPLEMENT GOVERNMENT FUNDS. THEY USE A 12,000 MEMBER FRIENDS GROUP, TOURS-FOR-FEE, AND IMAGE-BASED PRODUCTS TO MAKE FRIENDS AND MONEY FOR THE CAUSE.



PREPARE A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGE PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS. PERHAPS START A COOPERATING ASSOCIATION. CONSIDER MARKETING PROJECTS TO SEEK SUPPORT. INCREASINGLY THERE A A NUMBER OF REGIONAL PLACE-BASED PARTNERSHIPS BEING DEVELOPED TO RAISE PRIVATE MONEY.

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!