Working to Improve HABs Risk Communication Throughout the SNEP Region

SNEP HABs Workshop: On March 31, EPA-SNEP hosted an all-day virtual workshop with over 40 HABs experts throughout the SNEP region to discuss how to better improve HABs Risk Communication throughout the region. Additionally, this workshop was designed to identify key commonly asked questions and to begin to gather answers and additional resources to address those questions. This FAQ will eventually be hosted on the SNEP website.

The Problem: Harmful Algal Blooms are becoming a more frequent problem throughout the SNEP region and can pose a threat to community health and well-being. While many communities throughout the SNEP region have been working to address HABs for decades, other communities are encountering the issue for the first time as the climate and local waters become increasingly warmer.

In the SNEP region, the responsibility of HABs management and public outreach is shared across numerous state and municipal agencies who are responsible for posting and communicating public advisories. At present, public understanding of risk and compliance with public advisories for both marine and freshwater HABs can vary, which can result in diminished public health outcomes, especially as these blooms are predicted to become more frequent across a wider swath of the region. There is an opportunity to improve communications efforts between local, state, and federal government entities, in addition to opportunities to improve communication with the public through the creation of a public communications resource that local and state entities could reference.

Agenda:

9:00-9:05 | Introductions and Overview

9:05 – 9:20 | Importance of Science Communication
Kaytee Canfield, EPA Office of Research and Development, Narragansett

9:20 - 9:40 | Risk Communication Strategies, ITRC Tool
Christine Osborne, Utah Department of Environmental Quality

9:40 – 10:00 | Existing HABs Communication Strategies in Southeast New England
Kevin Johnson, Association to Preserve Cape Cod

10:10 – 11:40 | Breakout Group 1: Creation of an FAQ:
The goal of this breakout group is to develop a list of commonly fielded questions whose answers aren't generally apparent/ easily found by the public.

11:40 – 12:00 | Report out

12:00 – 12:30 | Lunch

12:30 – 2:00 | Breakout Group 2: Developing answers
The goal of this breakout group is to begin answering the highest priority questions identified in the first breakout group; and to identify ways to answer questions that don't yet have clear answers.

2:00 – 2:20 | Report Out

2:20 – 2:25 | Break

2:25 – 2:40 | Virtual "white board" activity:

What other actions/steps can SNEP take to better support the communications of HABs?
What other areas of HABs communication need to be better developed?

2:40 – 3:00 | Wrap up and closing

Workshop Products:

HABs FAQ Final Tool
Virtual Whiteboard Responses (pdf) (69.16 KB)
These responses were developed during the workshop and incorporated into the final tool.

Workshop Videos:

Baseline Risk Communication Strategies for HABs

Kaytee Canfield of the Office of Research and Development Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presents on baseline risk communication strategies for harmful algal blooms (HABs). This presentation was part of an all-day workshop hosted by EPA's Southeast New England Program.

ITRC Risk Communication Toolkit: A Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom Focus

Christine Osborne of the Utah Divison of Water Quality presents on public risk communications tools for harmful algal blooms (HABs) available via the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC) Risk Communication Toolkit . This presentation was part of an all-day workshop hosted by EPA's Southeast New England Program. More information on the toolkit can be found at https://hcb-2.itrcweb.org

Communication of Harmful Cyanobloom Risks Awareness from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Kevin Johnson, an ecologist at the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), presents on APCC's approach towards communicating the risks of harmful cyanoblooms. This presentation was part of an all-day workshop hosted by EPA's Southeast New England Program.