Telling your Watershed

Story…

Nancy Roberts-Lawler

Musconetcong Watershed Association

WITH REPORT CARDS!!

What Would You Do?

?

Nice Idea, But…

How long does it take to figure out where the bottles go?

Our World

Once upon a time…

VM Collected Data

– Engage & Educate Public

– To understand our river

• Current year and trends

• Baseline vs restoration

• Basis for advocacy

– Elicit public project support

– Cost low but still…

– Were we answering a need?

Who Read the Report?

• Executive Director

• 2 highly committed volunteers

….What were we doing wrong?

What We Wanted

I’m replacing my lawn

with native plants!

Our citizens should

test their wells!

Our data shows that the % sensitive bugs is

declining, average nitrates are 3.0mg/l , the RBP

Habitat Score is under 100! Time to create a septic ordinance!

MWA

Our Audience

Puedo comer la trucha?

Should I drink

bottled water?

Our data shows that the % sensitive bugs is

declining, average nitrates are 3.0mg/l , the RBP Habitat Score is under

100! Why aren’t you collecting data by the Walmart?

MWA

Revelation

Is the Public Listening to Our Story?

Are We Giving Our Audience What They Need?

Water Monitoring World Focus

Collect Credible Data

Communicate

Problem or Question Study Design to Answer Question

Analyze Data

Process into Information

ACTION?

Focus Needed

Collect Credible Data

Communicate to Target Audience

Listen to Community Questions

Study Designed to Answer Question

Analyze Data

Process into Information

Community needs

ACTION!

Typical Source for the Audience

Audience Type Scientific

Management

Decision makers

Public

Source

Primary/documentation

Technical Documents

Summary Reports, NJGeoWeb

Newspaper articles, TV, Social media!

Typical Source for the Audience

Audience Type Scientific

Management

Decision makers

Public

Source

Primary/documentation

Technical Documents

Summary Reports, NJGeoWeb

Newspaper articles, TV, Social media!

REPORT NOT PICKED UP BY MEDIA!!

Back to the Drawing Board

• Action desired should relate to mission

• Our mission: protect & restore our river

• We want readers to HELP US protect & restore!!

Start at the End of the Story

• What did we want people to do or feel? – Identify MWA as credible

information source

– MWA cares about them

– Identify challenges AND SOLUTIONS

– EMPOWER THEM to help raise the water quality!

• How were we going to communicate that?

Report Card Prototypes

Kawartha http://www.kawarthaconservation.com/reportcard/2013KawarthaReportCard.pdf Nanticoke http://nanticokeriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2013-Nanticoke-RR-Final.pdf Baltimore Harbor http://ian.umces.edu/pdfs/ian_report_card_448.pdf Mystic River http://www.epa.gov/mysticriver/pdfs/MysticRiverWatershedReportCardMap2013.pdf Sacramento River http://ice.ucdavis.edu/waf/ Mississippi http://americaswater.wpengine.com/reportcard/ Chesapeake http://ian.umces.edu/ecocheck/report-cards/chesapeake-bay/2013/

NJDEP Fresh Water & Biological

Why Report Cards?

• Give air of authority

• People understand purpose

– Easy to read

– People understand grades. layout

• But…Hardly ever includes direction for improvement

Maybe More Engaging Content?

• Value of watershed

• Measurement explanations

• Value of data for

– Wildlife

– People

• Easy to Read

• Visually interesting

• Give direction

• Easy to re-use format (¢)

When Developing Content, Consider…

What Parameters Tell Story?

• Samples – All (DO,Temp, pH, NO3,

Macros, Habitat)

– Easiest to understand? – Most relevant to audience

• What metric? – Averages, min/max – Scores – Statistics

• Graphs – Points – Trends – Site Comparisons

Does Format Support Goal?

• In tables

• Assessments

– Grade (A -F)

– Evaluation (Excellent/Poor)

• Grades goal-oriented

– Fishing, swimming, drinking

– Standards/criteria oriented • DO/Temp, TP, NO3

• macroinvertebrate index

“C” is average! We are typical!

Concern: TMI=Confusion

What should it look like?

• Entice people to read?

• Attractive – Cover?

– Font?

– Color?

– How many pages?

– Layout

– How to fit?

– Pictures

– Photos?

Hire Professional Communicators: Artists!

Hire A Creative Team

Editor/Writer

• You develop content

• Independent editor – Improves readability

– Keeps consistent

– Help you reach audience

• Proofreading is not editing

• BTW: Word--grammar, also readability stats

Graphic Artist

• More professional looking

• Favorable impression

• May wish to consider – Data visualization specialist

– Illustrator

Creative Team Considerations

• Professional vs student

• Understand your issues?

• Copyright/Contract

• Time

• Who will Proofread?

– Copy

– Graphics & placement

– Photos

• Final Draft-Who has control?

MWA Report Card Content

• Cover

• Introduction – Report basis

– Links to more information

• Map of site locations

• Environmental Indicators

• Site Report Cards

• Conclusion—first steps!

Map: Where nearest site?

• Sites- – Roads

– Municipalities

– Read in color /B&W

• Options – Satellite?

– Symbols?

– Color?

• Impervious surface?

• Forest coverage

Introduction

• Who

• What

• When

• How

• For more information…

Actions to Improve Each Environmental Indicator

• Three to four actions

• Icons

– Planting

– Seek expert advice

– Replace when able

– Change practice

• Designed for focus

To Control Parameter, Which Actions?

• Parameters

– Source & Importance

– Control options

• MWA chose

– Temperature (Max)

– Nitrates (Average)

– Aquatic Life (Score)

– Habitat (Score)

Sub-optimal temperature

Improve riparian buffer

Sub-optimal nitrates

Test well, maintain septic system, test well

Site Report

• Photos

– Shot in same direction

– With people best

• Assessment with graphics

• Site Meaning & Actions

– Site value

– What are challenges

– Recommendations

Grading System

• Concern-

– “Good” or “B”= INACTION

– “Poor” or “F”=Fear or GIVE UP

• Kept Optimal, Sub-optimal, Fair, Poor

• Icon for each Grade

OPTIMAL SUB-OPTIMAL

MARGINAL POOR

Conclusion

• Actions for residents/municipalities

– Increasing buffers

– Decreasing impervious pavement

– Could take years

• Interim actions

– Work with MWA

– Look for grant $$

– Encourage small steps

Don’t Forget…

• Direct to links

• Direct to partners

• Footnotes

• Mention funder…

• Release to public

• Pre and Post Survey

What Is Your Story??