WETF Final ReportJuly2008

• Project Type: General OWC
• Project Name: Water Education Task Force
• Title: Water Education Task Force Final Report
• Date: 10/1/2008
• County: Statewide
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Final Report

water education is being implemented in schools and which programs are most effective, the
results provide significant insight into what programs are being provided in the state of Colorado
for the purposes of water education. There are numerous programs covering a wide variety of
topics and utilizing different educational delivery types. Common themes in the focus groups
pointed to the need for increased collaboration, and the survey results suggest some areas that
are not currently being reached or utilized. These include rural areas in the state, the use of
webcasts, and service learning, and education about water rights, water treatment, and water
recreation. While the survey indicated that these may be relatively weaker in the state, there are
opportunities to decide whether and how to focus on expanding and improving Colorado's water
education.
Focus Group Outcomes
Introduction
Focus groups were held to gather additional information directly from water education providers
about the status of water education, share experiences from different kinds of advisors, and
start conversations about the vision of water education in Colorado.
Focus group participation was limited to water education providers, and did not to include
representatives of the intended audience/recipients. Diverse representation was a key aspect
for the focus groups including geographic representation (all corners of the state), population
density distribution (urban, rural, suburban), topic areas (conservation, water quality, etc.) and
intended audience age range (programs designed for youth through adult audiences).
Focus groups were convened with 3 primary focus areas -the DNR agencies, organizations
conducting youth education, and organizations conducting adult education. The final rosters of
active participants included 11 Agency representatives, 13 Adult- and 21 Youth-focused water
education providers.
The three focus groups reviewed preliminary survey responses, described the threats and
opportunities related to water education, and established a common objective fortheirwater
education programs in Colorado. For a complete representation of focus group results, please
referto the companion report: "Water Education Survey and Focus Group Report: 2008
Results."
This section contains the opportunities and threats to water education and the common
framework that were developed by the Task Force using the work completed by the Focus
Groups.
Opportunities and Threats to Effective Water Education
Focus group participants developed individual/organization water education program
assessments of internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats.
The common themes from the focus groups were summarized by Task Force planning
committee members, and then reviewed by a combined group of task force and focus group
members. These overarching opportunities and threats were identified as:
Water Education Opportunities
1. Many programs are providing water education
o Infrastructure exists.
WETF 2008 Final Report pg. 9