Hickory Creek Watershed Preservation

Public Awareness Campaign Proposal
Re: Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group/Communications Subcommittee
By Ann C. Piasecki

I’ve given a tremendous amount of thought per the Communications/Public Awareness Campaign on behalf of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group. Below are some proposals for consideration that I would be honored to oversee or support.

1. I think we can gather public awareness and community investment in several ways.
2. Remember that Earth Day is coming up, so we can take advantage of it, if we move quickly to establish partnerships with area school districts.
3. Instead of the traditional poster contest within the schools, I think a YouTube contest aimed at junior high school students would gain more interest and inspiration (the kids could create a commercial promoting preservation of the creek—this kind of thing is fun for them). I’d be willing to approach the Web Page design teachers to discuss the project—maybe these teachers will have some other suggestions (I know that each spring the NL Elementary Dist. Offers free Web Page designs for interested businesses…I’m sure other districts have similar projects)
4. Maybe we could create a cardboard tabletop coaster for distribution—I don’t know the costs associated with that, but perhaps we could find some money (grant to support it). Let the Middle School kids design the front of the coaster (add the HCW website at the bottom); the back side would feature a few essential points per protection (How To preserve the stream)
5. The high school horticulture classes can create rain garden designs
6. The high school art class can decorate rain barrels for auction
7. The college students can be lured with the opportunity to conduct research for classes (botany, water management, environmental education and more)
8. I know how to tap into the media relations folks at the schools to get them to boast about the efforts of their students (thus free and easy access to community newspapers). I’ll write the press release about specific efforts at various schools, and then send it on to the District’s Public Relations spokesperson. That individual will take it from there and write his or her own release—it doesn’t matter who puts the info. out, as long as it gets picked up by the press
9. Also, school newspapers could pick up on the idea—it’s an easy story for them
10. As per the HCW web page itself, are we utilizing the potential for meta tag and tagging opportunities per Search Engine Optimization?
11. I’ll be happy to post the copy of the brochure on my own blog, but I think it would a good idea to invite supporters/advocates (students, parents, etc.) to comment on a HCW blog. (We can delay publication of blog comments until they’ve been reviewed for appropriateness—basically, that’s babysitting, but I think it’s a good idea.)
12. If we have a blog, we need a Facebook, Twitter and Flicker (photos) accounts—all are free and easy to manage
13. Since many faith groups have policies pertaining to stewardship of the earth, we can initiate support and advocacy from individual church organizations within parishes, churches, mosques and temples. This is aspect is a bit time consuming, but I’ve done some of it from the Catholic Church perspective within the Diocese of Joliet (specifically speaking, I’ve helped coordinate efforts to discuss basic recycling and to halt mountaintop removal)
14. I’d be happy to send PR to the professional media (online and traditional, while making sure to link the info. to Digg and other RSS feed opportunities.)

I believe the above components would stir public responses at village board meetings, the ones that are scheduled to coincide with HCWPG-related presentations. Please consider these suggestions, and don’t hesitate to call to discuss them further.