News & Notes December 2006

"Sorry, we're all filled up!"
Increasing Attendance at Your Mini-Grant Event

Have you ever planned a great event and worked on it for months, only to have a handful of people show up? I think we all have. What does it take to have a large audience? It takes planning, research, and knowing your audience. We've put together some suggestions for you to consider when planning your next workshop, field day, tour, or festival.

1. Before setting the date, check the community, agency, and school calendars. One county found out the hard way that fair week is not a good time to hold a farm tour. Know your target audience and their busy times. Stay away from conflicting dates and times.

2. Come up with a good, understandable, short-and-to-the-point title. If your audience is a technical crowd, then technical jargon may be appropriate. If you are targeting homeowners, then skip the abbreviations. Your neighbor may not know what a BMP is.

3. Publicize your event starting about three to four weeks beforehand. People will forget about your event if you advertise too far in advance, and will have made other plans if you advertise too late.

4. Think about who is important to invite: Will your program generate broad appeal for the entire community? Or are its messages better suited for a more targeted audience such as farmers, homeowners, or municipal officials? Target your invitations to those you want to reach. And don't forget to include your local legislators and county commissioners when showcasing district projects. They need to know about the valuable work your district does.

5. Research what kind of invitation works best with those you plan to invite. Is this an Internet crowd? Do they listen to the radio? Would a postcard in the mail be enough or should you use a letter with an RSVP card? What will get the attention of the people you are sending invitations to? Be creative within the realm of what is acceptable for your target audience.

6. Make sure your event is listed on local community calendars for TV stations and cable access channels. Don't forget your district's newsletter or those of the organizations that will be represented at your event.

7. If this is an annual event, make invitations, flyers, and press releases that highlight what's new this year: speakers, topics, hands-on training, or site visits, for example.

8. Post flyers where your target audience "lives." One project sought out Amish and Mennonite farms, so advertising on TV wasn't going to work. They distributed flyers to stores and other locations frequented by them. If you seek homeowners, post flyers at hardware stores, supermarkets, and gas stations.

9. See about getting your event posted on the "town sign," if there is one available.

10. Write a press release and send it to all of the following in your area. Many of these may have email addresses you can send press releases to - quick and saves postage.

a. Radio
b. Regular newspapers
c. Targeted newspapers, such as those for farmers
d. "Shopper"-type weekly free papers
e. Local television news programs
f. Public access shows (cable TV programs)
g. Local college publications

11. Should you have a registration fee? That's a tricky one. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. You need to know your target audience.

Here are the good things about registration fees:

• Helps you plan (order the proper number of materials, let guest speakers and media know the expected crowd size, can help influence sponsor donations).
  
• Reduces the number of no-shows.
  
• The people that attend may be more interested in the subject than the ones who would show up for the free meal.
  
• Shows your program has value and is worth paying for.
  

On the flip side:

• Some people may not be able to afford or be willing to pay the registration fee.
  
• "System" constraints, such as travel restrictions, may reduce attendance of agency employees.
  

12. Address the recommendations of previous events. One event this past summer had people leaving early due to the scorching sun. If there's no shelter where you will host your event, make sure you rent a tent - and don't forget the port-a-potties. Troubleshoot for next year based on the evaluations you record this year.

13. Do all you can to hold your event in a convenient and easy-to-find location. One district holds two farmers meetings - one in the north end of the county and one in the south. Another district held their demo day in a difficult to find location, but had many signs directing people to the field on that day.

14. Dress for success. Conservation district staff are professional and should present themselves as such. Just as a suit and tie may be inappropriate for a farm tour, a flannel shirt and pair of jeans may not be appropriate when delivering formal presentations.

15. The final suggestion is to build a reputation for your district by offering high-quality events. If your program provides important information not available elsewhere in an efficient, professional manner, then you will build a loyal clientele. And they will tell their friends about the great program they went to and will bring them along next time. Perhaps that's the best way to increase attendance at your events.

Watershed Specialists Gather for Annual Meeting & Training

The sixth annual statewide meeting of the conservation district watershed specialists (CDWS) was held October 17-19, 2006 in State College, PA. The diverse sessions included a Tech Exchange, Section 319 Watershed Implementation Plans, Landowner/Real Estate Concepts, and Capturing the Potential of Act 167.

The Tech Exchange received one of the highest ratings in the meeting evaluations. The exchange included use of temperature loggers, lake monitoring, and environmentally sensitive stream maintenance. All three topics were presented by watershed specialists (Tom Clark, Indiana; Brian Pilarcik, Crawford; and Rob Parker, Bradford) who shared their experiences including costs, benefits, and how they use these tools.

Ann Donovan, Centre County CDWS said, "The most useful session for me was Cadie Pruss's Section 319 Watershed Implementation Plan session." Cadie Pruss, a fellow CDWS presented this topic on the first day of training. Cadie illustrated her experience in Mifflin County where she developed a stream implementation plan. "Cadie's presentation was the best. She is a good presenter and her information was the most applicable to me in my county," added Donovan.

A topic new to many watershed specialists was the Landowner/Real Estate Concepts session. The presenters got the audience thinking about what can happen if a new owner doesn't want an environmental project on their land, or if the original landowner dies and those who inherit the land don't want it. "No one's ever talked about this before. Our district never thought too much about it," said Marty Warchol, Beaver County CDWS. The session emphasized doing research and having ironclad agreements before implementing a project.

Watershed specialists also cited the "Capturing the Potential of Act 167" as valuable. "The topic is appropriate since we are going to have to know more about it. It is becoming more and more of an issue," said Donovan. The stormwater issue is so important that it was in the top three priorities cited by CDWS for next year's training.

In addition to the formal sessions, watershed specialists stated that the meeting provided the opportunity to meet peers previously only known through email. "Networking is important. It is important that we are able to learn from each other," said Donovan. "I like to find out what others are doing," said Warchol.

PACD asked watershed specialists what their priorities are for next year's training. The top three suggestions were:

1. Highlight watershed specialist projects that could be implemented statewide;
2. Fundraising and grant opportunities; and
3. Stormwater management plans (Act 167)

PA Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Steve Lathrop will coordinate next year's training. The feedback he received from CDWS regarding topics and speakers will be used in planning the 2007 meeting.

The 2007 watershed specialist annual meeting and training is scheduled for October 16-18 at the Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA. Questions and suggestions for the 2007 meeting should be directed to Steve Lathrop at 717-772-5618 or slathrop@state.pa.us.

Fran Koch opens gifts during a farewell dinner the watershed specialists organized in her honor. Fran, the CDWS contact at DEP, retired in September. During her tenure she promoted the work of watershed specialists both within the DEP and outside of it. "Fran was our fearless leader and mother hen. She did everything to guide us in the right direction. She gave us tools and moral support to do our jobs," said Heather Fowler, Fayette County CDWS. PACD presented Fran with a certificate of appreciation from the Association during the dinner.

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