Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
$150,000

Oregon is facing unprecedented drought conditions. As of April 26, 2022, a State of Drought Emergency has been declared in one-third of Oregon counties. Extreme drought conditions are likely to have a significant economic impact on agriculture, recreation, and natural resources sectors, as well on drinking water, fish and wildlife, and other natural resources. The Oregon Legislature and the Governor’s office recognized the severity of the situation by creating and passing a statewide drought funding package to help address the consequences of continued drought.

ODFW aims to continue their ongoing climate change outreach efforts to increase public awareness regarding three key drought messages: 1) the impacts of drought and wildfire on fish, wildlife, and habitats, 2) the unintended impacts of recreation on fish, wildlife, and habitats during drought; and 3) alternative recreation opportunities during the drought. ODFW is requesting OCRF funding to leverage their existing earned outreach efforts with a paid outreach and advertising campaign. The goal of the outreach campaign is to expand awareness of the importance of this issue beyond the traditional base of ODFW customers reached through the existing earned outreach effort. The paid advertising campaign will help create awareness by members of the “general” public and outdoor recreationists (such as hikers, bikers, hunters, and anglers) with tips for responsible recreation. These audiences also are also likely to be affected by and concerned about drought conditions but are not generally reached through other outreach efforts by the Agency. This paid outreach campaign will help lay the foundation for subsequent efforts to change specific behaviors, as part of ongoing climate change communication efforts. ODFW intends to spend the outreach dollars on various forms of advertising as it will allow for statewide coverage, can be accomplished very quickly, and provides the necessary flexibility that enables ODFW to amend the messaging approach as the drought evolves throughout the seasons. ODFW is requesting $150,000 from OCRF to support this initiative.

Given the severity of the drought, this paid outreach must begin as soon as possible to have maximum impact at the peak of recreational participation (Spring and Summer) which coincides with increasing temperatures and when the severity of the drought is most pronounced.

The above project summary is being submitted with the knowledge that more information will be gleaned from the presentation of this material to the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund’s for Special Project Review by the sub-committee on April 29, 2022.