A survey of hydrilla management educational materials for optimal stakeholder preference, learning, and knowledge transfer in Florida

Delivering scientific content to user groups with diverse backgrounds can be challenging. In the case of invasive species management, it is essential to educate and involve the community to prevent reintroductions and spread, but also so that they understand management efforts. The goal of this study was to determine the most effective way to communicate with our stakeholders so that they would be more engaged as ambassadors to their communities. We targeted a wide audience through four channels to deliver educational materials on the topic of hydrilla integrated pest management and followed with a Qualtrics-based survey. Our stakeholders found educational materials, including the comprehensive book, summarized booklet, and website, more useful than promotional materials. Based on survey results, the book was the most likely to change the way people felt about hydrilla management. However, information from the tri-fold brochure was more likely to be shared and was shared with the most people when compared with other distributed educational materials. Therefore, depending on the goal of the educational program, using targeted materials for individual goals might be most effective.