GreatLakesForever.org was launched in the early summer of 2004 as part of the Biodiversity Project's Great Lakes Forever public education initiative. The site was designed so interested citizens could learn why the Lakes are vulnerable and what they could to help.

When designing the site, Biodiversity Project staff attempted to organize information from the framework of the intended audience. That is, we sought to design a site that would be accessible to people who had little environmental experience. We decided to organize content around simple phrases and questions first-time visitors might easily understand, such as: "Meet the Lakes," "The Lakes in Your Life," and "Are the Lakes in Trouble?"

The Web site URL was included on all print ads, all radio ads, posters, our Annex postcard mailers, and our drink coasters. It was also designed to help connect users to local and regional Great Lakes information networks and events. The site also serves as a lay person's information source, consolidating (and linking to) information from a variety of resources on the four main issue themes of our campaign: Great Lakes water quality and quantity, habitat biodiversity and invasive species. Citizen participation is the goal of the Web site, providing broad and specific information on Great Lake basin resources in Wisconsin and advice for living better with the lakes. The site is a tool enabling citizens to respond to our four key messages.

The Web Site in Brief

• Goals: A "user-friendly" source of information that could serve as a "gateway" to increased understanding of Great Lakes issues, threats to their health, and ways individuals could get involved. A site that could serve as a storehouse of program messages and content. Secondary goal: a location for 24-hour media interaction through our online media kit.
• Audiences: The Great Lakes Forever Web site was designed to serve as an information resource and to support all of our other communications products. Site content and design was targeted toward our two audiences: Great Lake Lifestylers and Engaged Frequent Voters.
• Distribution: The site is posted on the World Wide Web, available throughout the world. In addition to many regional links, the site has been linked by Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection Agency - well outside of our target audience.
• Outcome: The Great Lakes Forever Web site received visits by more than 8,000 citizens for more than 24,000 page views during the primary campaign months - June to September, 2004. The media pages, which carried press releases and royalty-free images, were repeatedly utilized for Great Lakes media coverage.

Planning to Produce Your Own Web Site?

We'd love to help! Contact Jeffrey Potter at jpotter@biodiverse.org or 608-250-9876.