A
SURVEY OF CHESAPEAKE
BAY WATERSHED RESIDENTS
MAY SAVE THE BAY
BLACKSBURG,
Dec. 20, 2002 - With
the population of
the Chesapeake Bay
watershed projected
to increase by more
than one million people
during the next 15
years, efforts to
educate each citizen
about their impact
on the bay is becoming
more critical. To
address this issue,
the Conservation Management
Institute of Virginia
Tech conducted a survey
of the current residents
of the bay watershed
as part of an effort
to help achieve the
restoration goals
of the Chesapeake
Bay Program. Julie
McClafferty, human
dimensions division
coordinator for the
Conservation Management
Institute, led the
survey with support
from Virginia Tech’s
Center for Research
Survey. "The protection
and restoration of
the natural resources
of the Chesapeake
Bay watershed is perhaps
one of the greatest
and most complex large-scale
conservation efforts
of all time," says
McClafferty.
The
large geographic area
of the bay is home
to a wide range of
natural resources
and a large, growing
population of diverse
people with varied
interests and backgrounds.
"Because the residents
of the watershed are
intricately involved
in the processes and
events that occur
within the watershed,
working with these
people to achieve
the goals of the Chesapeake
Bay Program is inevitable
and essential," explained
McClafferty.
Two
years ago, the governors
of the bay states
and the Environmental
Protection Agency
signed Chesapeake
2000, a $19 billion
cooperative plan to
reduce nitrogen, phosphorus,
and sediment pollution
and to improve water
quality by 2010. The
plan calls for steep
reductions in nutrient
pollution from wastewater
treatment facilities
and urban and agricultural
lands to help insure
the future of the
bay.
Since
1984, populations
in the parts of Virginia,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania
in the bay watershed
have reached about
16 million--an increase
of 33 percent. While
the bay has seen a
major growth in development,
revenues have remained
stagnant. With budget
deficits plaguing
the bay region, monies
for the clean-up are
harder to come by.
To
enhance progress on
the bay cleanup, the
Conservation Management
Institute conducted
a telephone survey
in March and April
of 2002 of 1,988 residents
of the bay watershed,
including those residing
in parts of New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Delaware, West Virginia,
Virginia, and Washington,
D.C. The objectives
of the survey were
to assess residents'
level of knowledge
about, perceptions
of, attitudes towards,
and behaviors in relation
to pollution and environmental
quality of the Chesapeake
Bay region.
A secondary goal of
the survey was to
track changes in public
perception regarding
water quality issues
since the Chesapeake
Bay Program's last
public perception
survey conducted in
1993-1994. This information
was collected, analyzed,
and integrated into
conservation planning
efforts.
McClafferty's
findings were clear:
residents are concerned
with pollution in
the waterways and
believe restoration
of and protection
for the water resources
are important ventures.
"However," McClafferty
said, "the concern
is not matched with
an individual level
of stewardship activity.
In order to reach
the restoration goals
of the Chesapeake
Bay Program, public
agencies must take
specific actions in
raising the level
of resident involvement."
To encourage active
participation among
residents, McClafferty
suggests that agencies
help citizens personalize
and internalize the
pollution problem
and its solution.
Agencies need to inform
the public of how
their personal activities
contribute to the
pollution, what they
can do, and how their
actions can make a
difference in improving
water quality.
"People
generally believe
that one person can
make a difference,
yet they do not understand
that they can
be that one person,"
McClafferty commented.
For
more details visit
the web sites: http://www.cmiweb.org/publications
/CBPSurvey_ExecSumm.pdf
http://www.cmiweb.org/publications
/CBPSurvey_Report.pdf
