Clean Water Alliance Communications Plan

This plan is still in the proccess of being completed. There will be meetings in the future to complete this plan. The plan below is only a draft of the plan. Okoboji communications plan

Draft
1/24/2002

Clean Water Alliance
communications plan for 2002
facilitated by Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation

At a January 2002 meeting, the following communications tasks were considered of primary importance for 2002. Action plans for these tasks were suggested, and meeting participants committed to doing some of them in 2002.

This plan are organized around the two priority topics:

1) Keep invasive species out of the lake!
(two communications goals included)

2) Slow run-off, and keep contaminants out of run-off!
(three communications goals included)

 

 

NOTE: Under Goals 2 & 3 are plans for a public relations campaign related to each topic. There is some overlap of methods between the two public relations campaigns. The media and advertising portions of both campaigns should be planned and developed at the same time. However, other parts of each campaign are distinct from one another because the primary audiences for the two campaigns are very different.

 

 

 

Steps to finalizing this plan:

In addition to this plan:

 

 

 

Keep invasive species out of the lake!

Goal 1) State legislators and policy-makers pass the new bill to establish legal authority to remove invaders from boats & set fines/punishments for offenders

Message the legislators need to hear

Who do they need to hear this from, and how?

Leaders

Timing

Funding
  • This law is important to ALL the state’s lakes, not just Okoboji.
  • Must know cost of inaction (what these invaders do, cost of cleaning vs. prevention)
  • personal messages from constituents to legislators
  • Greg
  • Jane
  • Steve A.
  • DNR?

    • Jan - April

    0

    Plans to motivate the letter writers:

     

     

    WHEN SUCCESSFUL: strategize how to inform boaters and residents about the new law

     

    Goal 2) Boaters who use the Iowa Great Lakes and other area lakes clean their boats and do not introduce invader species to lakes.

     

    Messages the boaters need to hear

    Who do they need to hear this from, and how?

    Leaders

    Timing

    Funding
    • They must be introduced to the threat of Purple Loosestrife and Zebra Mussel, and reminded of the danger of milfoil
    • Must know what happens if invaders DO take over: what the loss will mean to their enjoyment of the lakes, or their pocketbooks
  • message must come from "trusted voices" - might be experts, neighbors, whose with experience from "lost" lakes
    • message must be strong enough and frequent enough to motivate action

    Jane

    Barb T

    Barb M

    Steve

    DNR?

    Jan-March preparation


    April through October campaign

    could use funds for professional development of ad campaign; some paid ad space; posters; brochures; signage at ramps

    Plans:

    Ad campaign phrases that might work:

    Voices/quotes in ad campaign & news stories should include people like Steve, Jane, Barb T who are seen as conservation experts, as well as community voices such as Herman Richter.

     

     

    Slow run-off, and keep contaminants out of run-off.

     

    Goal 3) Urban homeowners take specific, simple actions that can slow run-off and keep contaminants out of run-off.
    (See below for examples.)

     

    Message they need to hear

    Who do they need to hear this from, and how?

    Leaders

    Timing

    Funding

    Only the people who live and do business around the lakes can solve the run-off problems.

    We can’t have cleaner lakes without some simple changes in our daily lives.

    The changes are easy and free; many can even save you money.

    Both peers and experts can make these points convincingly.

    Need a variety of sources (written, verbal, visual, in person, hands-on, demonstration) because the audience learns & notices messages in a wide variety of ways.

    		  

    begin early in year, and continue messages this year and beyond.

    Some messages are more time-bound than others

    funds may be needed for professional development of campaign materials, visuals, or fresh approaches

    Plan:
    Ten action messages can be combined in a multi-faceted "One simple thing you can do" campaign - with a unifying look & message, using a rotating list of 10 things you can do for your lake.

    Ten simple actions to recommend:

    Changing habits regarding fertilizer:

    1. Use no-phosphorus lawn fertilizer (may include where to buy lake-friendly fertilizer - may help to get Walmart on board)
    2. Use no more fertilizer than you need (soil test, application rate)
    3. Don’t use quick-release fertilizers
    4. Clean off sidewalks after applying fertilizer

      5. Learning to value/employ infiltration in landscaping:

    5. Use natural landscaping, prairie on slopes, etc to increase infiltration
    6. Don’t run gutters into lakes
    7. Don’t clip banks or remove glacial deposits on your shoreline
    8. choose a gravel rather than an asphalt driveway

      9. Other:

    9. Don’t dump trash, oil, leaves, etc in storm sewers
    10. Don’t use the harshest chemicals to kill weeds (such as Weed-Be-Gone, but can’t name a single brand)

    Facets of the campaign:

     

    Some voices which may be asked to provide quotes for news articles and public service ads:

    Brett Hetland (Brooks)

    Herman Richter

    Barb Mendenhall

    Berkley Bedell (esp. on invasives)

    Ace Cory

    John Synhorst (DU/PF)

    Don Lamb

    Persuasive phrases to consider:

    need a variety of messages from serious to fun - and we need to say "please"

     

     

     

    Goal 4) Board of supervisors and city councils change stormwater ordinance to limit damages caused by development (demand better silt fences, catchment ponds, prairie grass, etc.)

    Message they need to hear

    Who do they need to hear this from, and how?

    Leaders

    Timing

    Funding

    Construction sediment is a major factor in lake pollution - and here are the facts & examples that show it.

    The stormwater problems "built in" to new developments will remain a problem for decades - and vice versa.

    Ordinance needs to be changed NOW because of building boom

    testimony and personal contacts from constituents as well as "experts"

    Donna

    		  

    0

    Plan:
    timing - ________________ will ask protective associations to explain stormwater problems, proposed ordinances to their members and urge them to express support to their policy-makers.

    Goal 5) Contractors, developers, and engineers use lake-friendly construction/landscaping practices.

    Message they need to hear

    Who do they need to hear this from, and how?

    Leaders

    Timing

    Funding

    Using these projects will enhance their sale value.

    There’s a market for this - and our PR campaign will show homeowners that it’s valued and the right thing to do.

    It’s not necessary more expensive to develop this way - and the payoffs for the community are great.

    message needs a "professional" voice - one of their peers with experience in planning & developing with conservation in mind

    Steve

    spring

    		  

    Plan:

    programs with Wayne Peterson of Iowa City, ___________position/expertise

    Wayne already did programs for local officials about "conservation development" concepts
    will do similar program soon for realtors & contractors
    will do another program for the public, perhaps at protective association annual meetings
    may do a Lakeside Labs workshop.
    Steve might tape the presentation for other uses