Nuisance Mats of Didymosphenia geminata in the Intermountain Northwest:
Communication Campaign
25 3 2015
Rationale
Appearing in rivers like an alien invader, Didymosphenia geminata has garnered universal
disgust, frustration and the worst nickname of all algal species, “rock snot”. This stalked diatom
is notorious for its unsightly, grayish-brown mats that form along the bottom of oligotrophic
rivers and streams. These mats range from small tufts along the apical surface of substrate to
mats that cover the entire stream or river bottom to depths exceeding 20 centimeters. Due to the
physical structure of the stalks, D. geminata mats have a significant impact on the aesthetic and
biological characteristics of river systems.
Aquatic invasive species are a massive expense for local and regional economies every year.
Aquatic invasive species impact aesthetic, recreational and hydrological aspects of river systems;
in the United States, prevention and damage mitigation cost an estimated $137 billion per year
(MTFWP 2012). Currently, thousands of aquatic invasive species have taken over water bodies
throughout the United States with invasive weeds invading over 700,00 hectares per year (Lovell
& Stone 2005). D. geminata appears in the same pattern as other aquatic invasive species.
However, since periphyton communities are often overlooked by federal and state agencies,
diatom community composition is rarely recorded. This leaves researchers with few
opportunities to make pre/post-nuisance mat periphyton comparisons. As a result, nuisance mats
have been categorized as invasive along with myriad invasive species impacting river and lake
systems throughout the United States.
While D. geminata is an unsightly nuisance that many wish would just wash away, this diatom
may be an indicator of a much larger environmental issue. Understanding the driving mechanism
that is behind the dramatic shift from microscopic native diatom to ugly macroscopic nuisance is
essential for managers who seek to identify viable management strategies and understand
ecosystem health. Research into this issue is stymied by lack of funding and the misidentification
of D. geminata as an invasive species. Garnering support from groups impacted by D. geminata
nuisance mats may help produce more research opportunities and change the dialogue about this
environmental issue.
Water quality data is frequently collected by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ),
the Forest Service (USFS) and Fish and Wildlife Agencies (USFWS), but if the data is not
significantly out of range, trends are not usually analyzed. Public involvement is crucial to push
this issue into the forefront of scientific research.
The short term goals of this communication campaign are to 1) increase awareness of D.
geminata nuisance mats and associated driving mechanisms among identified public groups and
2) to recruit more people to take algae scrapings and report remote nuisance mat sightings. By
informing recreationists about what D. geminata nuisance mats mean to ecosystems, the
conversation of global nitrogen and phosphorus usage and trends can be advanced
The long term goals are to garner enough support to increase agency research into long term
ecosystem water quality trends. To support a hypothesis of global nutrient deposition issues,
long-term data sets need to be developed and maintained. However, this can only be
accomplished through agency and citizen support.
Audience
The target audience for this media plan is recreationists that frequent oligotrophic (“trout”) rivers
throughout Montana and Idaho. Recreationists may include anglers, boaters, bird watchers and/or
any members of the public between the ages of 18 and 70 who spend time along river systems.
This group is targeted based on their expected investment in the natural resource and in their
ability to collaborate and rally towards a common goal. First, members of this group will be
likely to have firsthand experience with the nuisance mats and to have seen the evolution from
unobserved diatom to smothering blob. Secondly, they have a significant investment in these
systems are therefore important stakeholders of this natural resource.
Montanans and Idahoans are notable for their outdoor pursuits. Montana state parks hosted 2.06
million visitors in 2009 and 4.36 fishing access site visitors (MTFWP 2012). These visits are
estimated to have contributed $116 million to adjacent local communities (MTFWP 2012). For
many recreationists, water quality is directly tied to values associated with water; in Montana,
anglers were estimated to be willing to pay $2.07 million to protect recreational fishing
opportunities (Krieger 2001). In the PNW, commercial and recreational fishing is more than a $1
billion industry annually (Krieger 2001) in which anglers average about 16 days of fishing, of
which half are overnight trips (Root and O’Reilly 2012). In 2008, anglers spent an estimated
$240 million in Montana for fishing trips (MTFWP 2012).This indicates that declines in fishing
opportunities due to nuisance mat presence could negatively affect future recreation and tourism
income in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) (MDLI 2012).
Messages
Engaging the stakeholders of these pristine water bodies is critical to the continued protection
and improvement of rivers throughout Montana and Idaho. Campaign messages will be broken
into three separate yet dependent pieces. These messages are as follows:

Didymosphenia geminata is a native species to the Pacific Northwest

Global shifts in area nitrogen and phosphorus cycles are changing algal diversity and
community structure.

Changing recreationist and engaged community member’s perspective will aid agencies
in mitigating ecosystem shifts and provide support for future research and protection of
Montana and Idaho waterways.
These messages contend with the current paradigm that categorizes Didymosphenia geminata as
an invasive species. Nuisance mats have the same pattern as other invasive species such as the
New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) and Quagga mussles (Dreissena bugensis)
that have begun to appear throughout the PNW. By shifting the conversation away from the
invasive species discussion, a larger discussion of global environmental shifts can be developed
and new management strategies can be initiated. However, approaching this issue is difficult as
changing the dialogue about D. geminata cannot be allowed to simultaneously degrade the
overall aquatic invasive species message, “Check, Clean and Dry”, which is critical to the future
of water bodies in the United States and which has taken significant time, energy and money to
make it a common topic among recreationists. Therefore, the communication campaign will
direct the messages specifically towards D. geminata and strive to make them clear and concise.
To do this, multiple media types will be used.
Media
Montana and Idaho recreationists encompass a wide demographic range with regard to age,
education, politics, and location. The public education and awareness campaigns will be
designed to reach the maximum number of people within this public group.
The communication campaign is broken in four approaches. Visual media such as newspaper and
online advertisements will be used, since images of D. geminata nuisance mats are likely to have
the greatest impact.
Print: Though newspapers have seen a downturn in readership in the past decade, newspapers
are still a common news source for many people. This media source is low cost and provides
visual examples for mat identification. Initially, the outdoor section writers of selected
newspapers will be contacted to gauge the interest in running a press story on D. geminata
nuisance mats. In conjunction, a newspaper advertisement (Appendix 1, Figure 1) will be run
showing a typical D. geminata mat, a website link for those interested in more information and a
plea for help in cataloguing nuisance mats across Montana. Newspapers that will be contacted
are: Flathead Beacon, Spokesman Review, Idaho Statesman, Missoulan, Lewiston Morning
Tribune, Western Daily News, Billings Gazette, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Great Falls Tribune,
and High Country News. This approach will also be used for outdoor based magazines such as:
Outdoor, Backpacker, Fly Fisherman, American Angler, Northwest Fly Fishing, Fly Tyer,
Montana Fly Fishing, and Trout Magazine. Advertisements will also be placed in Montana state
fishing and hunting regulation booklets. These booklets are not only provided to fishermen and
hunters by FWP employees on a regular basis but are also freely disseminated at locations where
licenses are sold.
Online: To provide clear and detailed information, a website will be set up that addresses the
native status of D. geminata, the need for algae scrapings, how volunteers can become involved
(Appendix 1, Figure 2) and the science behind the research. This website will act as the
foundation for several other elements of the communication campaign including the phone app
and social media. The website will be designed to act as an integrated database that allows
volunteers to see real-time data of D. geminata cell and mat locations that they have helped
collect. The format will be based off of the “Secchi-Dipin” program that has gathered thousands
of secchi depths across the country simply through volunteer enthusiasm and interaction. The
phone app and website will be designed to allow members to take photos of nuisance mats and
upload data and GPS coordinates into a database that will populate a map of the United States.
Social media will be integrated into the online approach with a Facebook page and a specified
twitter handle to update people on D. geminata research and activities. This website will be
provided to state and federal agencies as a resource to place on their websites as well.
Pamphlets: Though many people purchase hunting, fishing or recreation licenses online, overthe-counter purchases are still extremely common. All shops that sell licenses are registered with
the state and also provide counter space for educational information such as hunting and fishing
regulation booklets. To reach recreationists that may be on their way to spend time outdoors,
pamphlets with attached sample vials will be placed at locations where licenses are sold and at
other locations that provide information for recreation (USFS/BLM offices). These pamphlets
will hopefully encourage recreationists to send in algae scrapings and become more aware of
water bodies in their area. Pamphlets will also be handed out to recreationists by volunteers or
supportive FWP or USFS employees.
Radio: Idaho Public Radio (Boise), Spokane Public Radio and Montana Public Radio (Missoula)
will be sent advertisements to run created by the researchers of the project. These advertisements
will be short and concise and similar to the print media (Appendix 1, Figure 1) and will direct
listeners to the website to learn about volunteer opportunities and gather more information.
Budget and Production
The budget will be based around short term and long term plans. The print and radio campaigns
will be conducted for 1-2 years and then assessed, while the online presence will be budgeted for
4 years and then re-assessed for continued funding.
Budget
Approach
Cost
Total Cost
Newspapers
$50 per week – biweekly
$2400 for 1 year
Magazines
$100 per month/article
$800 for 2 years
$350 per year
$700 for 2 years
$80 per year
$320 for 4 years
$100 per year
$400 for 4 years
Print
Regulation Handbooks
Online
Database Hosting
Website Maintenance
Phone App Hosting
$50 per year (4 years)
$200 for 4 years
$1 per kit * 4000
$4000
0.80¢ * 4000
$3200
MT NPR – 30 sec spot - $50
$2400 for 1 year
Pamphlets
Pamphlet + Vial Kit Cost
Return mail-in Cost
Radio
per week for 1 month
Banner on MT NPR $30 week
$1440 for 1 year
TOTAL COST
$14260 for 4 years
Figure 1. Budget for communication campaign for Didymosphenia geminata nuisance mats in
the intermountain Northwest.
Timeline
The communication strategy will be built upon an online foundation that can provide detailed
and peer reviewed information about D. geminata nuisance mats. To establish legitimacy and
reduce misinformation, the online presence (www.rocksnotresearch.com) will be referenced in
all other media avenues. As the media type with the lowest cost and shortest production time
(Figure 2), online media will be the first approach to communicating with recreationists. This
will be quickly followed by print media, including pamphlets) and then radio (Figure 3)
Communication Campaign Timeline
Funding
Outreach
Approval
Time
Production Time
Expected
Total Time
Public
Response
Online
2 months
1 month
2 months
4 months
9 months
Print
6 months
3 months
2 months
1 months
12 months
Pamphlets
6 months
1 month
2 months
4 months
12 months
Radio
6 months
3 months
2 months
2 months
13 months
Figure 2. Estimated time of steps to completion of communication campaign for Didymosphenia
geminata nuisance mats in the intermountain Northwest.
Online
• Website
• App
• Facebook
• Twitter
Print
• Pamplet Kits
• Newspapers,
Magazines
Radio and
Follow Up
Surveys
• Radio
• Follow up
with
pamphlet
kits
Monitor
Efficacy
• Evaluate and
Assess
Figure 3. Graphic timeline of Didymosphenia geminata mats in the intermountain Northwest
communication campaign
Assessment
Efficacy of the communication campaign will be evaluated by assessing the numbers of
recreationists who participate in the database, phone app and algae scraping programs. Riverside
surveys will also be conducted before and after the communication campaign to determine
overall understanding of the issue (Appendix 1, Figure 3). Recreationists will be surveyed along
nuisance mat-effected rivers to determine whether their perspective or knowledge of the issue
has changed in response to the communication campaign. The communication campaign will
also be assessed through app and database usage and the integration of these tools into state and
federal fish and wildlife agency services. As the long term goals are to engage federal and state
agencies in D. geminata research and awareness, agency participation or support for any of the
programs (database, app or algae scrapings) will be considered significant to the success of the
communication campaign. A final evaluation will be completed with a form similar to the
sample provided below (Figure 4).
Total Points
Website
App Usage (nuisance mat detections – 1-5 scale, 100 per
point)
Max 5
Database Usage (nuisance mat detections – 1-5 scale, 100 per
Max 5
point)
Print Media and Pamphlets
# of Vials Returned out of 4000. Scale 1 -10
Max 10
Radio
Response ranked on 1-5 scale (per 100 per point)
Max 5
Communication Campaign
Integration of program by agencies out of 50
# of agencies to
incorporate
database
Surveys Conducted Pre and Post Comm. Plan
Based on an
overall 100 point
scale per survey
Total Points
Max. 175 points
Figure 4. Assessment form for communication campaign of Didymosphenia geminata nuisance
mats.
Conclusion
This communication campaign will target an audience that is the most important stakeholder of
rivers throughout Montana and Idaho. Recreationists spend the greatest amount of time along
river systems and care most intensely about the health and productivity of these ecosystems. This
group encompasses many demographics and so several media types will be used to maximize the
spread of key messages. By focusing the communication campaign on three specific messages,
Didymosphenia geminata can become recognized as a native species to the Pacific Northwest
that has spiraled out of control due to a global nutrient issue. Addressing the short term and
longer term objectives of this campaign will secure D. geminata as an indicator of a larger global
issue and managers will be able to utilize this diatom to evaluate the health of river ecosystems
throughout the Pacific Northwest.
References
Krieger, D.J. (2001). Economic value of forest ecosystem services: a review. The Wilderness
Society. Washington, D.C.
Lovell, S.J. & S.F. Stone. (2005). The economic impacts of aquatic invasive species: a review of
the literature. National Center for Environmental Economics. Working Paper #05-02.
Montana Department of Labor and Industry (MDLI), Workforce Services Division. Economic
and demographic information for Lincoln County. Research and Analysis Bureau. Web.
March 3 2015.
Root, S. & C. M. O’Reilly. (2012). Didymo control: increasing the effectiveness of
decontamination strategies and reducing spread. Fisheries, 37, 440-448.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MTFWP). (2012). Aquatic invasive species. Web. March 10
2015.
Appendix 1
Figure 1. Advertisement for print media for Didymosphenia geminata communication campaign
Algal Scraping Protocol
Thank you for helping provide algae community samples to improve our understanding of Didymo distribution
throughout the Northwest.
1. Sampling location is from one spot on the river/creek. Algal samples can be taken from various
depths/rocks as needed at the sampling location
2. The goal is to gather the most diverse collection of algae within the sampling location (various colors,
lengths, types)
3. Edges of the river /lake should be focused on. Algae can be scraped or grabbed off of substrate.
4. With the algae in the vial, (at least ¼ -½ full).On the vial: record name of river, date and location sampled.
5. On the data sheet, record River Name, Your Name, GPS locations if possible, Didymo mat presence (yes
or no), Shade level (low, med, high), Size of water body (small, med, large). Write down any other
comments/details (overall mat characteristics, other algae presence, etc).
6. Add the Lugols (small vial) to the sample (larger vial). If possible, seal the larger vial with electrical tape.
Folders can be mailed back to
Katie Coyle
Frank Wilhelm
7157 HWY 37
University of Idaho
Libby, MT 59923
OR
Fish and Wildlife Science
875 Perimeter Drive Mail Stop 1136
Moscow, Idaho 83844
Any questions please feel free to call or email me. 208-315-1348 coyl9970@vandals.uidaho.edu
Date
River Name
Sampler Name
Location
Figure 2. Algae Scraping Protocol for Didymosphenia geminata research
GPS
Didymo
Mats
Shade
level
(Y/N)
(low,
med,
high)
Size of
water
body
(S,M,L)
Comments
Date____________
Name____________
Are you from this area?
(YES/NO)
SCORE
1: Rarely
How often do you visit this water
body?
2: Multiple times a year
3: Once a month
1-5
4: Once a week
5: Every day
Have you heard of “Ðidymo/Rock
Snot” before?
Are you aware of the algae/nuisance
mats that occur in this river?
When did you first notice these mats?
Do they degrade your experience?
(YES/NO)
(YES/NO)
Yes = 1
No = 0
Yes = 1
No = 0
TIME
(YES/NO)
If yes, scale 1-10
Have your heard of the Didymo
(YES/NO)
Yes = 1
Research occurring in this state?
If yes, then how
No = 0
Do you consider this species
(YES/NO)
Yes = 0
invasive?
If yes, why?
No = 1
Re-ask question #8
If yes, describe research – re-ask
Yes = 1
question
No = 0
Refer to www.rocksnotresearch.com
TOTAL SCORE
Max 20
Figure 3. Preliminary questionnaire for recreationists along Didymosphenia geminata affected rivers to gauge efficacy of
communication campaign