1. Public Outreach and Education for Fish Passage
My presentation is centered around WDFW’s fish passage and screening section.
I specialize in fish screening TA, not outreach, but I recognize the importance and would like to share some of my thoughts about how we approach it.
Danny Didricksen

2. How is Outreach Accomplished?
What is outreach?
Outreach is conducted at multiple levels
General presence - recognized expertise
Directed - alter a specific mindset or behavior
Responsive - quality customer service
In order to outreach and educate different
audiences, different media and tactics are
utilized
Multiple levels: 1) General presence – marketing ourselves as an agency to encourage professionals and the public to search us out for assistance. This takes time, demonstrated success, and leadership. 2) Directed – occurs when WDFW, as an agency, identifies a behavior or recurring action that needs to be changed to better serve our resources. 3) Responsive – responding to an event or issue that someone brings to our attention.
Don’t forget that our own staff is one of our audiences

3. General Presence Youtube videos Social media Recent developments
WDFW’s internet presence assists our passage and screening program outreach effort. We have staff available specifically for marketing and outreach. Our evolving web page provides updates on recent developments (NPR interview, Fish passage board info).
Internet page puts a premium on accessibility, creativity, and innovation. By providing links and referencing our web page via social media, it expands our viewing potential.
Guidance documents
Interactive tools

4. Directed Outreach
Jenni Novak and Josh Rogala salvage fish during fall shutdown
In terms of working with landowners, when people understand what we’re trying to do, why, and how it might impact them they are generally more willing to participate in a project as opposed to forced participation. That is valuable education.
Inventory crews, O&M crews, and TA staff from our fish passage and screening program interact regularly with landowners to help educate them about why screens are necessary or what benefits a compliant culvert might yield. In the salvage effort above, the land owner was present.
When we interact directly with customers it provides a valuable opportunity to achieve the goals of directed outreach.

5. Responsive
…and after
FFFPP project culvert before…
Cool Creek
When our expertise is requested, or an opportunity arises for us to encourage a path forward in the best interest of the resources, we must take advantage.
The Wanapum Dam issues in 2014 required outreach at many levels. We had to coordinate and collaborate with other governmental and tribal entities, make site visits to assist land owners, and develop practical solutions.
Need for top down communication internally to ensure correct message is delivered
It was a demonstration of the necessity of clear communication.
Working with landowners, ‘14
Wanapum Dam repair, ‘14

6. Walking the line between regulatory and outreach efforts
Recognizing outreach and education opportunities in situations that would typically be considered regulatory
Sometimes hands are forced – The Culvert Case
FPBRB
Cooperative Compliance Program – Walla Walla basin in the 1990’s
Fish screens needed to be brought into compliance. A regionally coordinated group of stakeholders secured funding and assisted irrigators with an 85% cost share. The result was hundreds of screens upgraded and partnerships formed that persist today.
CC: as a result of the lawsuit, progress needed to be made in a coordinated fashion and HB 2251 provided a mechanism for implementation and education.
Cooperative Compliance: it was known that a large number of non-compliant fish screens in the basin were posing risks to fish heath and survival. Cost share
More flies with honey, sustainable fixes as a result of landowner investment, they felt part of something.

7. Consistency Is everyone presenting the same message?
Do we understand the scope of our customer base?
Is the communication clear to
the audience?
Outreach is about conveying information and enabling actions that benefit fish passage. Many levels. Agency-programs-managers-field staff
Don’t leave out important people! Understand the SOW clearly and what is required to see it through. Regional coordination, watershed level planning

8. What can you do for me?
Much of our outreach and education is designed to promote behaviors or accomplish projects that benefit fish passage. So, how do we successfully attract project partners?
This is all great… but how can we use outreach to attract partners for activities that are difficult to fund?
This first point requires us to know our audiences. Dan’s presentation.
O&M
Second point: rhetorical. Also, demonstrated success.

9. Questions?