Landowner satisfaction with the Wetlands Reserve Program in Wisconsin

We evaluated ecological monitoring data and landowner perceptions to the federally funded Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in a three-county region in Wisconsin. We surveyed landowner satisfaction, involvement, participation, and use of the WRP restoration sites. We found that landowners are satisfied...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2005-08, Vol.36 (2), p.248-257
Main Authors: Forshay, Ken, Morzaria-Luna, Hem Nalini, Hale, Brack, Predick, Katie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community Participation
Conservation of Natural Resources - economics
Ecological monitoring
Economic incentives
Environmental management
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental restoration
Fresh Water
Humans
Invasive species
Landowners
Motivation
Perceptions
Personal Satisfaction
Plant communities
Plants
Public Opinion
Recreation
Taxation
Wetlands
Wisconsin
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We evaluated ecological monitoring data and landowner perceptions to the federally funded Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in a three-county region in Wisconsin. We surveyed landowner satisfaction, involvement, participation, and use of the WRP restoration sites. We found that landowners are satisfied with the overall program (mean, 3.6 +/- 0.2 [SE], on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being completely satisfied). WRP restorations significantly increased the area of wetland within the sites surveyed, the increase was primarily of fresh meadow (736.32 ha after restoration). Satisfaction is related to landowner participation during restoration and to the economic incentives provided by the WRP, Landowner satisfaction and the number of plant communities after restoration are unrelated to each other or to restoration and easement costs per hectare. Survey participants recommended some changes to the WRP, including a reduction in the tax rate of land enrolled in the WRP, approval for permanent deer stands, and increased communication with WRP officials during the restoration. Monitoring information collected for WRP restoration sites does not allow assessment of whether WRP sites are functionally equivalent to natural sites. We suggest that the WRP require a more rigorous monitoring program, including guidelines for invasive species control. Managers should also encourage collaborations with external researchers and consider restorations within an experimental framework.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s00267-004-0093-y