Communication & Outreach Working Group

The goal of the Communications & Outreach Working Group is to facilitate Bsal communication and outreach in North America. This group produces a variety of Bsal-related outreach communication materials that includes web presence, fact sheets, press releases and briefing papers. The intended audience of these digital and print publications is diverse and split into two groups: the scientific community and the general public. These communications include lay and scientific articles, blog posts, and building a network on social media (Facebook and Twitter). In particular, the Communications & Outreach Working Group works with the TAC and its partners and other Working Groups within the Bsal Task Force to disseminate new Bsal information and products developed by the group and others.

In order to increase the efficacy of dissemination, the Communications & Outreach Working Group continues to build an online network via social media, increasing followers and directing them to the website, which serves as a hub and repository for published developments relating to issues, detections and research regarding Bsal.

Whereas the Working Group is not tasked with conducting or publishing Bsal research, Working Group members do help to synthesize findings and communications within the Bsal Task Force for the purposes of producing summaries meant to educate and engage the public, and highlighting key messages in social media posts. The scope of outreach to date has focused on US national coverage, as there are salamanders at risk throughout the United States. Outreach may also be relevant for Canada and Mexico, but focused efforts outside the US have not yet been initiated by the Working Group.

Group Leads:  Mark Mandica & Alex Shepack