The NYC-DEP hired CRSR to create the branding and strategic marketing plan for a new initiative they were launching in 2009. The program was aimed at property owners who lived adjacent to streams feeding the NYC reservoirs located in the Catskill Mountain region. The program’s focus was to build awareness and participation in the program, and to educate target residents on best practices for streamside management to help promote the health of the streams and reduce erosion of the stream banks lining the waterways.

After conducting a detailed needs assessment, including interviewing partner organizations and individual landowners, the marketing strategy and implementation plan was created to follow a two-phased rollout for the program. Due to capacity concerns, Phase I of the plan was limited to a 3-county area and focused on a subset of landowners more likely to have need and interest in applying for funding and implementing projects. The second phase outlined further tactics that could be implemented as the program acquired additional resources in both staff and finances.