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A N N U A L
R E P O R T
OVER 1 BILLION SERVED
National Invasive Species
Outreach & Education
Table of Contents
Executive Summary................................................................................3
PSAs & Television..................................................................................4
Marketing Tool Box................................................................................5
Game & Fish Regulations.......................................................................6
Print Advertising.....................................................................................7
Billboards................................................................................................8
SAH! Signage..........................................................................................9
Events & Target Markets.......................................................................10
Youth Education.....................................................................................11
Special thanks to our partners:
Executive Summary
In seven short years the Threat Campaign™ partnership,
of local, state and federal partners has reached over
One Billion Impressions in outreach through education
to the recreational public. Sometimes, I think the
numbers are so huge, they are hard to grasp. Maybe in
this day and age of budget deficits and national debt
figures a billion seems ordinary? One billion! Did you
know a billion seconds ago it was 1980? One billion
minutes ago the Roman Empire was flourishing and the
Han Dynasty was reigning in the current region of
China. One billion is a bunch of impressions.
More needs to be done. Last September, at the 102nd
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual
Meeting in Hilton Head, SC, Dan Ashe, Director, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding transferring the operational lead on the
national Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker! campaign to Wildlife
Forever. The new home base for SAH! will be at
Wildlife Forever in Minnesota, and through this
collaborative partnership Wildlife Forever will expand
the message to state, federal, NGOs and corporations
while reaching out to all recreational user groups.
The Threat Campaign is a nationwide
invasive species prevention and
awareness campaign using multi-media
outreach, targeted to outdoor
recreational users, to stop the spread of
invasive species. Together we have
amassed the largest team in the nation,
joining forces with professional angler
associations, tribal organizations, lake
associations, NGOs and media
organizations to promote Stop Aquatic
Hitchhikers! (SAH!)
This past year, Wildlife Forever
partnered with the Great Lakes Sea
Grant Network to create a new pocket
field guide titled “Invaders of the Great
Lakes”. Perfect for anglers, hunters,
boaters and all outdoor recreational
users, the 148-page booklet lists 39 of
the top invasive species. It is another
new tool to stop the spread by educating
the general public on what they need to
know about the risks and what to do
when they encounter invasive species in the wild.
Conserving America’s fish and wildlife by preventing the
spread of invasive species is critical today. The silent
invaders are damaging fishing, destroying habitat,
devastating the food chain, impeding navigation, and
costing the American public $137 billion annually. Today
invasive species are even closing access. Communities
dependant on healthy lakes are starting to see the big
problem. Restricted access to our public waters,
complete with gated boat ramps, is happening.
Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships. They work. We
have built many of the tools and have successfully
reached a targeted audience of recreational users.
Through group buying, volume discounts, non-profit
specials and added value, partners save money, expand
reach and share expertise for the good of the
cause…Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! The Threat
Campaign is ready to help and we look forward to
working with you to grow the SAH! brand.
Douglas Grann
President & CEO Wildlife Forever
"The partnership between the Forest Service and Wildlife Forever has resulted in many
mutually beneficial projects and programs that have made a difference on the ground and
demonstrated measurable changes in public behavior throughout the Nation."
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Thomas J. Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
PSA & Television Programing
Wildlife Forever collaborated with Natural
Innovations and several groups to create multiple
television public service announcements (PSAs)
that reached 10 million Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker!
impressions. Eleven videos were created with
appeal to a wide audience.
Television host and outdoor celebrity Laura Schara helped
Wildlife Forever create a personal call to action PSA for the
2013 season of North American Fisherman Television. The show
airs the first quarter of 2013 on NBC Sports, Pursuit Channel,
Destination America, and WildTV (Canada).
Silent Invaders is the first and only Invasive Species
Television show. Produced in partnership with North
American Fisherman Television (NAF), the show features
state, federal, and ordinary citizens on the front lines of the
battle to stop invasive species. We identify the top threats,
show what is being done, and what YOU can do to help.
The 2013 Silent Invaders season will be incorporated into the
popular NAF program. Airing for 26 weeks, with a total
household audience of 186.4 million homes, each show
features three-minute Silent Invaders segments on stopping
invasives. Viewers will not only get the latest fishing tips, but
also information on how to Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!
Wildlife Forever and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation
Partnership teamed up with Steven Rinella, host of the show
MeatEater on the Sportsman Channel, to highlight Wildlife
Forever’s invasive species Threat Campaign and how hunters
and anglers can become part of the solution. “TRCP’s
Conservation Field Notes” features Rinella on location talking
about key conservation issues.
83.5 Million Wildlife Watchers know invasive
species can be dangerous hitchhikers, and those who love
the woods, waters and outdoors, can unintentionally help
spread the invaders.
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Marketing Tool Box
Threat Campaign partners have created countless outreach and education tools. With creative
graphics and consistent SAH! messaging, these products help partners reach out to recreational
users. Diverse marketing tools, prompts, and reminders reinforce the Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! call
to action of Clean, Drain, Dry. Established tools eliminate the need for duplication and most can be
customized to fit target markets with little cost.
• Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker! brochures
Protect Your Waters
Protect Kodiak, Alaska Waters & Land
• Digital SAH! ads on the internet reach thousands
and can be placed on any website
• Banners and posters can be used at boat ramps,
gas stations and resorts
• Radio Public Service Announcements
• Educational DVDs are available for sportsmen
groups, clubs and events
• Television Public Service Announcements available
on-line and in DVD format
• Invaders of the Great Lakes pocket field guide
41.6 Million Anglers are learning to Clean,
Drain and Dry their boats, trailers and equipment.
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Game & Fishing Regulations
Once again the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
worked with Wildlife Forever to develop aquatic invasive
species prevention advertisements for nine
western state game & fish regulation booklets plus
publications focusing on outdoor activities such as
hunting, fishing and boating.
State game and fish regulation booklets are a “must have”
for all hunters and anglers. As the official source for listing
season dates and bag limits, nearly every sportsmen picks
up and reads the guide throughout the year. Multiple uses
of the regulation books are common; you often see them in
boats, trucks, and even tackle boxes.
Ads were specifically created to appeal to the different
audiences of waterfowl, wild turkey, big game and trout
anglers. Through group buying, negotiated discounts, and
volume savings, the partnership saved over $50,000 and
reached 4.2 million sportsmen and women.
15.5 Million Hunters are cleaning trucks,
ATVs and hunting dogs after each time afield.
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Print Advertising
Print advertising is one of the best ways to select your market and target audience and is one of the most
cost effective ways to quickly reach thousands of people. Through ads in publications like Outdoor
News, Back Packer Magazine, and Gardening How-To, the Threat Campaign delivered a strong invasive
species prevention message to the outdoor and gardening community. Creative and eye-catching designs
provided a quick, simple message that reinforced Stop Aquatic Hitchhiker! brand power.
Through volume media purchases and
negotiated discounted rates, print ads reached
5.3 million targeted recreational users saving
partners over $40,392.
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded outreach to sportsmen through Wildlife Forever’s
Threat Campaign, a nationally recognized program for its effectiveness in reaching the outdoor
community. The campaign targets anglers, boaters, hunters and recreational users to stop the spread
of invasive species using proven and unique multi-media outreach tools.”
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Steve Rinella
MeatEater, TRCP
Billboards
Since most of us have to travel to our favorite lakes
and woods, it stands to reason billboard advertising
has been used for outdoor marketing since the start of
tourism. Signs have been erected in all Great Lake
states plus around the country this past year. Highway
billboards remain one of the most cost effective
methods for reaching millions of lake-bound travelers.
When placed at strategic travel routes and water
access points, like boat ramp exits during targeted
timeframes of heaviest use, a simple consistent
prevention message can be quickly communicated and
retained by boaters, anglers and hunters. The message
must be simple. A few words are best.
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! Clean, Drain, Dry.
This past year, partners were able to reach 183 million
impressions using highway billboards. Working with
state, federal and scientific partners to identify a
consistent message, we have created a viable outreach
campaign that simply becomes a function of education
through marketing and advertising techniques.
2012 Inva
der Crusa
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Monika D
aniels
With designs tailored to fit local market
needs, we have dozens of billboard designs
ready for partner use. All carry the SAH!
branded message.
"Having worked collaboratively with WF, they have a track record of producing results. Additionally,
the WF network with the States, conservation NGOs and industry interests complements that of the
Fish and Wildlife Service and makes the organization the perfect choice to serve as the operational
lead of SAH! and to help expand the campaign in the future."
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Joe Starinchak
National SAH! Coordinator USFWS
SAH! Signage
Signage is one of the best methods of education.
Partners have placed portable and permanent signs at
retail mass merchants, gas stations, marinas in lake
and river communities as well as public boat
landings. Corporate partners are getting involved.
Holiday Station Stores placed signage in over 30
retail stores with the potential for hundreds more in
2013. Sporting goods stores are active locations for
sportsmen and women. Placement of signage at key
checkout locations works. Cabela’s, Mills Fleet
Farm, and Scheels Sporting Goods stores are active
in community outreach.
Airports provide a great opportunity to reach out to millions of
travelers and tourists about the dangers of invasive species. With security
high and travelers told to be on the look-out for suspicious activity, Stop
Aquatic Hitchhikers messages were tailored to draw attention and key in
on the threats of invasive species.
Established vendor relationships allowed 2012 Threat Campaign partners
to reach 10 million travelers, saving tens of thousands of dollars.
29.2 Million Hikers are learning to stay
on the trails, use low impact gear and to clean
equipment after each trip.
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Events & Target Markets
Face-to-face contact with the outdoor public, especially boaters, anglers, hunters and youth, is effective
outreach. This past year the Threat Campaign partnership participated in countless public events in the
Great Lakes region and across the nation. Together partners are educating outdoor enthusiasts about
invasive species and how to stop the invasion.
Partners with the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium,
Iowa DNR, Mississippi River Basin Panel, U.S. Forest Service and
Wildlife Forever, are working to incorporate a traveling aquatic invasive
species (AIS) display as part of the RiverWorks Discovery exhibit. This
2,000 square foot exhibit is designed to reconnect people with the water
that flows through their lives. Traveling throughout the country, the AIS
display will educate museum goers and provide SAH! messaging.
Partners also work at events
enlisting the help and support of
the professional angling
community through the National
Professional Anglers Association,
Master Walleye Circuit, and
the Forest L. Wood
tournament series.
“The Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers Threat Campaign is the best conservation marketing
partnership working to prevent invasive species. Through proactive outreach and education
partners make it work and we get it done.”
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Pat Conzemius
Conservation DirectorWildlife Forever
Youth Education
Wildlife Forever and the State-Fish Art®
(SFA) program bridges the connection
between youth and invasive species
through the arts and a unique invasive
species lesson plan. Educators, children
and parents are being made aware of
invasives through the new category,
“Silent Invaders”. Youth in grades K-12
are encouraged to compete for the
Invader Crusader Award! SFA uses art to
catch their imagination while teaching
about fish, fishing and the war against
aquatic invasive species. The winner of
this annual Award becomes the year’s
“Invader Crusader”!
Educators can utilize the Fish On! Lesson Plan and the Making Waves invasive
species curriculum. To enter, children create an original art illustration and a
written essay that includes both a state-fish and an invasive species. The written
page must describe the fish species and the impact of the invasive species. To
bring entries “close to home” kids can choose a local invasive issue to
spotlight. Through the Silent Invader category, future “Invader Crusaders” are
being educated. Their awareness of the “invasion” at an early age primes them
to become stewards that understand proactive prevention is the most effective
method of stopping the spread of invasive species.
315 Million Americans can enjoy the
great outdoors. Anyone can take an active roll
in preventing invasive species.
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