Evaluating Watershed Outreach Interventions in the Lower Kaskaskia River Watershed

Abstract

Effective programs (that meet programmatic goals) and efficient programs (which require reasonable effort) have a significant role in encouraging pro-environmental behavior and decreasing non-point source pollution. A missing component of many outreach programs and interventions is evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. This evaluation assessed outreach interventions associated with the Watershed Health Integrated Research project in the Lower Kaskaskia River Watershed in southwestern Illinois, USA. Outreach interventions included a community research team, a website, citizen and leader-focused workshops, and summary reports. Through developing the Model for Integrated Watershed Management Assessment, this evaluation examined the degree to which interventions fulfilled project objectives and the amount of effort required. Objectives-oriented evaluative criteria included taking a participatory approach, tailoring and appraising programs, and informing and empowering communities. Effort-oriented criteria included personnel numbers, hours, and costs. Data sources included correspondence with the project team, pre/post tests, and evaluative surveys. Results suggest that the citizen workshop was the most effective intervention in that it fulfilled all the project objectives, yet it was the least efficient because it required a high level of effort. None of the interventions were clearly more efficient. The community research team, summary reports, and the leader workshop fulfilled some objectives and required moderate effort, while the website fulfilled few goals and required a moderate effort. These findings can help practitioners with limited time and financial resources strategically choose outreach efforts based on efficiency and effort required. Additionally this evaluation further develops the limited field of watershed outreach evaluation.