| "This type of delivery tool could be used by any of the reserves that have people traveling through the area." | |
| Julia Peterson, University of New Hampshire Sea Grant Extension |
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Millions of motorists drive by many of our country's National Estuarine Research Reserves every year and may wonder about the natural landscape and research being conducted, but not know where to turn for information. Those traveling by the Great Bay Reserve in New Hampshire need only tune in their car's radio to find out more about what they are seeing.
The University of New Hampshire Sea Grant Extension is one of the latest Sea Grant programs to harness low-powered radio as a way to educate the public about our nation's natural areas. Since the spring of 1999, those driving by the Great Bay Reserve have been tuning in to Great Bay Area Radio, 1610 AM, to hear about the ecology of the bay, research being conducted on the reserve, and associated educational programs.
"This type of delivery tool could be used by any of the reserves that have people traveling through the area," says University of New Hampshire Sea Grant Extension Specialist Julia Peterson. "For us, it's been a positive tool."
The program was begun, Peterson explains, as an outreach activity associated with the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET), which is a partnership between the University of New Hampshire and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. CICEET provided a grant that enabled the Sea Grant program to purchase the electronic equipment that repeats a five-minute broadcast within about a five-mile radius.
"We had to do a lot of homework," Peterson says. "Setting up a low-powered radio involves finding a location where you can actually put the electronic equipment and have it mounted to a utility pole. You have to assess the area geographically to ensure the radio will transmit well. Hills, tall buildings, or very tall trees would obscure a broadcast, so you have to find a suitable area. You also have to apply for an FCC [Federal Communications Commission Highway Advisory Radio] license and work with the equipment vendor, and make sure power and telephone lines can come to the equipment."
Sea Grant partnered with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT) to place signs along the highway inviting passersby to tune in. Peterson notes the DOT also provided the land where the broadcasting equipment was installed. "In exchange, DOT has access to the radio any time they want to use it to broadcast information about a roadway emergency."
Broadcast messages change about once a month, Peterson says. She or a volunteer write the scripts. Staff from Sea Grant, the state coastal program, Great Bay Reserve, and other organizations are often asked to serve as "guest DJs."
To record the broadcast, Peterson says all that is necessary is to "pick up the phone, dial a telephone number, enter a code, and speak into the phone. The technology is extremely easy to use."
To evaluate the broadcast's effectiveness, Peterson uses an on-line evaluation, which can be seen at www.seagrant.unh.edu. She notes both survey and anecdotal responses to the broadcast have been positive.
"We have a tremendous amount of exciting research going on here that most people likely have no idea is happening," Peterson says. "I think this program really highlights what a special resource this is, and that it really functions as a living laboratory."
For more information about Great Bay Area Radio, contact Julia Peterson at (603) 749-1565 or e-mail julia.peterson@unh.edu.
