Building Effective Potomac Partnerships: A New Way of Working Together in the Potomac River Basin Friends of the Potomac July 31, 2001

Building Effective Potomac Partnerships:

A New Way of Working Together in the Potomac River Basin

Friends of the Potomac

July 31, 2001

Purposes:

• Friends of the Potomac proposes to analyze the merits of creating an innovative training workshop for National Park Service Land Managers and others based on the lessons learned from our experience with Leadership Potomac and other state-of-the-art leadership development programs.
• This initial analysis will explore best practices in both the public and private sectors, with an emphasis on the nature of partnerships.  
• We would present our initial findings to a Blue Ribbon Panel for review and revisions, and—through a partnership effort—shape recommendations for an innovative training program for Land Mangers and others. The individual members of this panel would be selected based on the expertise, wisdom, diversity and actual experience working in partnership with other organizations to accomplish Federal stewardship objectives.  The panel would consist of from five to seven leaders in the public and private sector.  Background for panel deliberations would be prepared by Friends of the Potomac staff who would also provide support during panel meetings.
• Out of this initial work would come the decision to design curriculum and implement a program based on the research and input from the panel of experts.

Products:

A written report highlighting our findings.  This report would include:

• What is available now in the way of training toward effective partnerships:  what works and what doesn’t work so well.
• A survey of best practices of partnership training in the public sector.
• A survey of best practices of partnership training in the private sector.
• A specific summary of the inclusions and recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel members.
• Recommendations for the elements of a new training program for Land Managers.

Time Schedule:

October 1, 2001 to March 1, 2002.

• Initial research begins October 1.
• Three meetings of the Blue Ribbon Panel to occur before February 1, 2002.
• Final document prepared by March 1, 2002, in time for Friends of the Potomac’s Fiscal year 2003 budget planning process.

Budget:  

• Phase I - $18,000 to research and define this program.
• Phase II – Design and implementation of this program would necessitate subsequent funding.

# 2

Potomac Watershed Directory and Events Website

Friends of the Potomac

July 31, 2001

Purposes:

• Survey Potomac watershed agencies, non-governmental organizations, and businesses to assess their role in the Potomac watershed community.

• Create a dynamic and continual source for information about all Potomac watershed groups’ mission, main work focus, events and contacts.  
• To identify and highlight the American Heritage Rivers Initiative themes within the Potomac watershed 
• Protection and restoration of water quality and living resources 
• Foster sustainable economic development
• Promote natural, recreational, and heritage assets
• Provide Potomac watershed information that is cross-referenced and thematically accessible to a broad range of people living and working in the Potomac watershed as well as visitors to the watershed.
• Advertise the Friends of the Potomac website as the source for Potomac watershed information.

Advantages:

• The website would provide an opportunity for each group to clarify their niche in the Potomac watershed community. There are hundreds of governmental organizations and entities, non-governmental organizations, business, and points of interest in the Potomac watershed.
• Creating a central location for Potomac watershed groups to facilitate partnerships by providing a complete source of information on each Potomac watershed group.  

Products:

• The two main components of the website would be 1.) an online informational database of agencies, non-governmental organizations, and businesses whose mission ties to the American Heritage Initiative themes as stated above and 2.) the design framework of a dynamic calendar of Potomac watershed events. Both the Potomac Watershed Directory and Calendar of Events website would maintain a broad range of watershed wide organizations and events.
• To facilitate visitors’ informational searches of groups within the Potomac watershed, a website-wide search would be designed whereby visitors can enter a word, theme (eg.; “National Parks”; “hiking”; “water quality”), name, or place and results from the directory would be displayed.  
• Conceptual design for an interactive geographical map of the Potomac watershed with hotlinks overlaid on it for quick searches of all Potomac groups by region, state, county, or city would be evaluated.
• The calendar of events would be a site where all Potomac watershed groups can advertise their events.  The calendar would be formatted as an actual monthly calendar.  Each event title in the box for each day would be linked to another page with a more detailed description of the event such as location, time, directions, and contact information.
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• The main page of the directory would offer choices of organizational groups working within the watershed that would lead the visitor to a more thorough listing of links for groups that fall under that category.  As an example, from a main directory page visitors could choose from the following links to gain further information:

1. National Park Service in the Potomac Watershed
1. Washington, D.C. Monuments and Facilities
2. The C & O Canal
3. Civil War Sites
4. Other Heritage Sites
5. Wilderness Parks
6. Etc.

Similar levels of detail would be linked under the following sample categories:

1. Other Federal Agencies within the Potomac Watershed
2. State and Local Governments in the Potomac Watershed
3. Non-Governmental Organizations in the Potomac Watershed
4. Businesses in the Potomac Watershed
5. Tributaries

Audience:

This website would help to guide visitors to the Potomac watershed, local citizens, watershed leaders, professionals working within the watershed through the maze of Potomac watershed players.

Timeline:

• October 2001 – Assess the existing websites for other Potomac watershed groups.  Research advertising and marketing strategies for website. 
• November 2001 – Evaluate technical capabilities, research design and layout, develop database to house information.  Develop a model agreement for reciprocal site linkage with groups in directory.
• December 2001 - Obtain information for the directory from our partners throughout the watershed via mailing and networking.  
• January 2002 - Collect information posted on the calendar from a survey that would be mailed out to all of the groups in the directory asking them to share with us any events that they would like to have posted on the website
• February 2002 – Convene Blue Ribbon Panel comprised of diverse, wise, and experienced experts in website design and operation. to review work done and information collected. With help from the Blue Ribbon Panel, finalize research with a work plan for executing the website.

Budget:

• Phase I - $40,000 to define and design this website concept.
• Phase II - $150,000 to develop, implement, and maintain.  Rough estimate.
• Phase III - $80,000 for ongoing annual maintenance of this system.  Rough estimate. 

# 3

Potomac Youth Summits

Friends of the Potomac

July 31, 2001

Program

Friends of the Potomac proposes to develop a basin wide youth initiative called Potomac Youth Summits – a series of regional summits that would bring together teams of students from counties and towns within a region to identify problems and develop solutions to take back to their communities.  

Phase I

In order to develop a Program that does not overlap existing youth efforts, a basin-wide inventory and assessment of related programs (e.g. Bridging the Watershed, Anacostia River Education Initiative, National Wildlife Federation’s Conservation Summits) will be conducted prior to design and implementation of Potomac Youth Summits.   

Purpose:

• Conduct a Needs Survey to collect data on the “state of Potomac youth”.  What are the problems and needs of youth?  Identification of youth needs within an environmental, cultural, social, and economic context? 
• Conduct a basin-wide assessment to identify existing youth initiatives in the upper, middle, and lower basin with a focus on environmental and leadership programs.  
• Inventory models of youth programs that teach leadership and stewardship – in Potomac and nationally.  The assessment would answer following:
• What organizations are delivering youth programs?  Survey the National Park Units, State Parks, environmental NGOs, County school system, 4H and other camps, outdoor recreation industry, and private enterprise.
• What constituent groups involved? Gather data on the youth and others who are involved such as parents, teachers, civic leaders, elected officials, local natural resource experts.
• What are variations in Youth Programs?  Evaluate learning criteria and whether programs deliver environmental education, leadership development, outdoor recreation and adventure, and classroom learning.
• How are programs managed and marketed?  Determine how program development and implementation happens: marketing, corporate partnerships, funding, staffing, liability issues, and recruitment of youth.

Products:

1. Comprehensive Report:  “Assessment of Youth Initiatives in the Potomac River Basin and Recommendations”

• Directory of current youth programs and contact information
• Statistics on types and variations of youth programs
• Geographic distribution of existing youth programs
• Information on marketing and youth recruitment
• Corporate and private support potential 

1. Convene a Blue Ribbon Panel to review data and make recommendations regarding format and development of Potomac Youth Summits.

Timeline for Phase I:

October – December 2001

• Data collection of existing youth programs:  website search, phone calls, request copies of brochures and materials, 5 sites visits across basin to evaluate programs in implementation
• Conduct Needs Survey to 100 select individuals in the basin (1 page survey of both adults and youth)
• Evaluate and compile data into draft report

January 2002

• Convene Blue Ribbon Panel of experts (7-8 individuals) from youth organizations such as: Flip Haygood, Student Conservation Association; Mr. Robert Stanton, former NPS Director (has expressed interest to work on youth initiatives); Libby Campbell, Director of Bridging the Watershed; Cherie Krug, Frostburg State University, Director of Center for Service Leadership and Americorps,  and other candidates to be identified
• Receive recommendations from Panel and revise report

January – March 2002

• Publish final version of document “ Assessment of Youth Initiatives in the Potomac River Basin and Recommendations”

Budget: $25,000 for Phase I