Harry Keess, program manager of the Beaver River Watershed Alliance discusses their plan to actively engage new members. He compares their previous engagement strategy with their current one to highlight the improvements they have made. He also explains the challenges involved in engaging a community that is rural and has a significant number of temporary citizens; either due to fly in/fly out work schedules, or temporary military postings.
Previous information sharing and community-led stewardship activities were flawed because of inefficient advertising and the types of events organized. They developed a new three year plan that includes engaging the local youth, celebratory events, and expanding their media presence. They are currently expanding their reach to new audiences - specifically families & youth, and community groups, and are enjoying an increase in community interest for outdoor-focused events.
This presentation was a part of Alberta’s WPAC Summit in October of 2014, entitled Water Summit in the Valley: Innovation and Leadership in Sustainable Water Management.
