Students enrolled in the Tippie College of Business course Marketing and Sustainability worked in teams to develop three different marketing and communications campaigns for the Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority.

The Maquoketa River Watershed is one of 11 tributaries to the Mississippi River. It spans nine counties and 80 townships. The Maquoketa River Watershed Management Authority (MR WMA) cooperatively engages in watershed management and planning to protect local drinking water, reduce flooding, support healthy soil practices, promote recreation, and improve overall water quality. The MR WMA was officially recognized in 2017. Members of the MR WMA include soil and water conservation districts, counties, cities, and benefited lake districts. 

In the Spring of 2021, the MR WMA and the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities developed a Maquoketa River Watershed Management Plan to act as a guide for planning and development.  The plan outlines clear goals, objectives, strategies, and actions.  

Each project team will develop a marketing and communications campaign that will build broad awareness and involvement among stakeholders and position the MR WMA as a trusted resource. The awareness campaign will invite community members to engage with MR WMA.  Implementing the organization's mission requires reaching a vast number of people residing in the watershed and inspiring them to adopt lifestyle and land management changes. To help achieve this, the three project teams created sustainability-oriented marketing plans to assist the MRWMA. The plans identify target markets, set marketing goals, and recommend strategies and tactics for achieving those marketing goals.