State agencies involved with estuarine and environmental protection would increase their efforts to provide education to the public about their mission and the resources they manage. Enhance outreach and education to small landowners and small logging operators to increase the use of forestry best management practices. Enhance outreach to commercial fishermen to promote more widespread understanding of fisheries management programs and goals. Also, provide more opportunity for joint meetings of commercial and recreational fishermen where concerns can be aired and common ground can be established. News releases are also distributed to area media prior to hearings and meetings.
Any interested citizen can request to be put on the lists.
Distributing press releases after meetings to report any votes or actions taken at the meeting, and other pertinent information as necessary. Evaluation Methods Evaluating the extent to which these actions may increase public participation would be difficult, as there is no simple way to determine why people become active in the public policy process. The public is more apt to be involved when it feels agencies are working with them in good faith and as equal partners. All educational efforts would be reviewed regularly to ensure that accurate information is being distributed and that target audiences are being reached effectively. The benefits of this Management Action would be to increase the availability of information available to citizens and provide policy makers with better sources of feedback from the public.