Determining Information 



and Participation 



Techniques 



The answers to these questions will help in planning a public 

 participation program after issues and political ramifications have 

 been assessed. The interviewees will form the nucleus of a mailing 

 list. The kickoff meeting, described in Chapter II of the primer, is a 

 particularly effective vehicle to answer these questions. Another 

 option is to assign, through a grant or cooperative agreement, an 

 organization to answer them. 



Evaluation of information tools and participation mechanisms is the 

 second step in designing the public participation work plan. For 

 example, it makes no sense to produce another newsletter if 

 several good ones are circulating. Research the existing public 

 documents of agencies such as Sea Grant, Coastal Zone Manage- 

 ment, Corps of Engineers, state water quality and resource agen- 

 cies, Soil Conservation Service, Cooperative Extension Service 

 and, of course, EPA. Find out about their distribution channels and 

 mailing lists. In addition, examine the publications private groups 

 are distributing. 



When planning the public information part of the estuary program, 

 take advantage of these and other existing communications chan- 

 nels; design the program to complement, supplement, and expand 

 current efforts. New programs frequently are criticized because 

 they are duplicative; with a little research, an estuary program will 

 not make this mistake. Financial considerations are even more 

 compelling reasons to determine what is already being done. There 

 simply will not be enough money to do everything on the agenda. 

 Smart choices require understanding the total picture. 



To determine the most effective ways to involve the estuary's 

 citizenry, its trust and confidence in EPA and other agencies must 

 be assessed. Trust must be built. 



Find out how the active citizens and interest groups in the area 

 make themselves heard in the policy arena. Some groups attend 

 public hearings; others prefer informal meetings. Some citizens 

 prefer direct access to the EPA Regional Administrator, the gover- 

 nor, and other decision makers. So far, most estuary programs 

 have developed informal participation programs. Find out whether 

 constituents are comfortable with this approach or would prefer 

 more structured, formal arrangements. Consider the size of the 

 area and the number of governments, citizens, and interest 

 groups that should be involved. 



B4 



