Washington Invasive Species Council adopts 'Protect Our Waters' campaign to curb aquatic invasives

The Washington Invasive Species Council on July 16 unanimously adopted Protect Our Waters, a statewide outreach campaign led by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife aimed at reducing the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Amber Brooks, WDFW’s aquatic invasive species communication specialist, said the campaign packages a single, research-backed message—‘‘Protect Our Waters’’—and practical steps for the public: clean, drain, dry; stop at mandatory watercraft inspection stations; and request decontamination when needed. She said the campaign is funded in part by a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation grant that supports a partner toolkit and translated materials, adding the effort is intended for statewide and regional use.

‘‘We want to foster stewardship across audiences—anglers, boaters, paddleboarders and others—and give partners assets they can use locally,’’ Brooks said during the meeting. Justin Bush of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife told the council the campaign complements existing inspection and decontamination work and that partners across agencies and localities have already expressed interest.

Member Blaine Reeves moved to adopt the campaign; Member Ray Willard seconded. The motion passed by a voice vote. The council did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript; members present agreed the ayes carried the motion.

Jan Fore, the council’s executive coordinator, described immediate next steps: WDFW will provide draft campaign language and assets; RCO staff will create and publish a Washington Invasive Species Council landing page that links to the WDFW toolkit; and council social accounts will amplify the materials. Fore said RCO staff would mine the toolkit for shareable social posts and that staff capacity would determine how many additional campaign activities the council could take on.

Brooks said the campaign’s materials include Spanish translations and other items designed to reach underserved audiences; she asked the council to consider adopting the campaign formally so partners can use the Protect Our Waters graphic and messaging in local outreach.

The council also discussed scope: members indicated they would like the campaign to remain focused on aquatic invasive plants and animals while allowing local partners to adapt the message to related water-quality concerns. Fore said the web page and social-media sharing could be completed within weeks once WDFW transmits the final copy and toolkit.

Next step: WDFW will send draft text and toolkit links to RCO for web publication and coordination; council staff will report back with a timeline for publishing and initial social posts.