Water Outreach Education – Facilitating Access to Resources and Best Practices
A website resource for natural resource professionals

Water Outreach Education – Facilitating Access to Resources and Best Practices (BEPs) is a collaborative effort to: identify Best Education Practices (BEPs); promote the use of BEPs for water-management education; and to improve access to education resources and strategies -- developed in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and public and private Clean and Safe Water organizations. Elaine Andrews, Principal Investigator.

Our goal is to increase public understanding and involvement in community decision-making about water issues through improved education practices and improved access to education resources. Using interactive tools to explore research-based advice, natural resource professionals and environmental educators can develop skills and identify resources to help realize their natural resource management goals. 

​The “wateroutreach” website includes extensive content, PDFs, and references. A project advisory team of natural resource management, outreach, and education professionals from across the country reviewed and advised all project content. 

• Water Outreach Education: Facilitating Access to Resources and Best Education Practices, http://fyi.uwex.edu/wateroutreach/ 

References of interest:
Andrews, E. 2009. Changing public behavior with help from target audience research. Proceedings for the Southern Region Technology Transfer and Extension in Natural Resources conference (pp 17-27), August 2006, Hot Springs, AK [PDF]. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS–116.  Retrieved June 2017 at, https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch-beta/pubs/33056 

Stevens, M. & E. Andrews. 2006. Outreach that makes a difference! Target audiences for water education – A research meta-analysis [PDF]. Retrieved June 2017 from 
https://fyi.uwex.edu/wateroutreach/files/2015/12/Target-Audience-meta-analysis-March08_all_Sept12_2015.pdf . An audience research summary is available at fyi.uwex.edu/wateroutreach/files/2016/03/Target-Audience_study-specific-findings.pdf 

Andrews, E. & K. Reilly. 2005. Water Outreach Education Tools for NPS Programming: The Best in Education Practices, Target Audience Research, Programs, and Materials. Proceedings of the 4th National Conference, Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Pollution Education Programs (pp 61-68) [PDF]. Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022; 847/835-6837. 

Stevens, M., K. Reilly, & E. Andrews. 2002. Water Outreach Education Facilitating Access to Resources and Best Practices: Study of Provider Needs [PDF]. University of Wisconsin, Environmental Resources Center, https://fyi.uwex.edu/wateroutreach/files/2016/03/SPNFinalReport.pdf .