Conducting Surveys on Stream Restoration

Hi Karen,

Interviews can give you a good baseline of where folks are coming from as individual landowners. But I would recommend you consider a "common ground" process when it comes time to actually engage landowners "as a community" to partner with you in the project. When done right, common ground processes are very powerful in moving landowners from a position of self-interest to one of community and common resource interest. The key is for the process to be authentic and for landowners to be engaged as actual partners and problem-solvers as opposed to simply giving "input" or being persuaded to give their "buy-in."

For the interviews, you might consider using a KAP study (knowledge, attitudes, practices) which has been used in Minnesota by Dr. Karlyn Eckman of the University of Minnesota's Water Resources Center. I'll attach the final report which includes questions asked.

For a primer on what constitutes a common ground process, and how it legitimizes a project, checkout a recent article from the Citizens League, a civic organization based in Minnesota. www.citizensleague.org/commonground (click the link "testing the common ground process" and go to page six). Other orgs besides the Citizens League that have developed ground processes are Everyday Democracy and Public Agenda. Also, Don Lenihan of Public Policy Forum Canada, has done some great public engagement work (www.ppforum.ca) Check out his report: "Rethinking the Public Policy Process."

Good Luck!
Janna Caywood
Lead Organizer
Como Lake Neighbor Network
Saint Paul, MN
 

I have a similar interest in understanding public perception of what represents a healthy stream or river. Since many people are no longer intimately aquainted with waterbodies, criteria for being a healthy stream can be as weak as no fish kills or no abundant algae. If public policy follows these criteria, then ecosystem health is in jeopardy.


Wayne Ives
Instream Flow Specialist
NH Dept of Environmental Services
United States

You both raise some interesting points that may influence the approach that we take for a project that I am working on related to shoreline restoration (Lake Ontario so not riparian). Part of this initiative includes an evaluation of ecological goods and services, and for this we need to gain a better understanding of how and by whom the shoreline is being used. I am now wondering if we need to establish their understanding and/or appreciation for what constitutes shoreline health. Anyway, this does not really answer your question, Karen, but perhaps others can. Good luck! Kate

Kate Hayes
Canada