16 ‎(4)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 3/18/2008
• Description: OWCDP Section - Presentation on the 2008 Statewide Water Education Task Force Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

ColOl'ado \Vatel' Education Task FOI'ce

Mal'ch 6, 2008 Update

Background:

The Colorado Water Education Task Force (WETF) is funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)
in partnership with the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) and Colorado Watershed Network
(CWN). In order to better understand the current status of water education in Colorado, a survey of 293 respondents
has been completed and members of the task force and focus groups are meeting on a regular basis to fine-tune their
understanding of Colorado's water education programming.

Survey results are being used to compile a catalog of water education programs and materials currently available in
Colorado, and further analysis is in process to answer specific questions about funding, geographic coverage, and
perceived gaps in water education. Task force and focus group participants are developing common water education
objectives in order to assess current efforts and identify opportunities for improvement. In the process of
interpreting preliminary survey results, members of the planning committee and task force have agreed to extend the
Phase I deadline to June 30, 2008. By extending this deadline, patticipants will be able to craft specific
recommendations for improving Colorado's water education programs and develop a realistic scope of work for
Phase II. The results of Phase I will be presented to the CWCB Board of Directors on July 22, 2008. The
recommendations of the task force and all work products will be available in electronic fornl on the \VETF web
pages by August, 2008.

Scope ofWOI'k (Revised February 28, 2008):

Goal II. Current Status oiColorado Water Education: The task force will generate a 'State of Water Education'
report detailing the current status of water education available in Colorado. Members of the planning committee
will manage the production of this report by compiling survey results and drafting the report for review and
comment by the task force.

Goal III. Water Education Focus Groups: Three focus groups will convene to accomplish the following tasks:

A. Review survey results and tlle 'State of Water Education' report for accuracy and completeness.
B. Ground truth and develop a more in-depth understanding of the current status of water education in
Colorado.
C. Evaluate gaps, barriers and opportunities in Colorado water education relative to common water education
objectives developed by each focus group.
D. Produce meeting summaries describing the key aspects of current water education programs in Colorado,
outlining gaps, barriers and opportunities to optimize water education for their audience.

Goal IV. Final Report: The task force will meet to fine-tune their understanding of water education programs
currently offered in Colorado. They will utilize the 'State of Water Education' report and the focus group summaries
to analyze gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for improvement. The task force will work toward consensus on a
united platfOlID for Colorado water education and provide recommendations to address tlle most significant
opportunities for improvement. The planning team will compile these results and all supporting materials in a final
report for distribution to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director's Office and Governor
Bill Ritter's Cabinet.

FOI'l\IOI'e Information:

Contact Rob Buirgy, \VETF Coordinator at [e-mail] or Veva McCaig at [e-mail].

Supporting documents are available for download at http://www.caee.org/water/overviewl.

Page 1 of 2