Thursday, May 31, 2007

New Portal for Human Dimensions in Natural Resources and Conservation

A portal. When I was much younger I don't recall if portal was in our vocabulary.

Even now, the word portal to me suggests a way to enter something new or far away. An entryway to something different.

I'm hoping that the new portal for human dimensions information in natural resources and conservation is exactly that--an entry to something different.

The HD.gov portal will become available about the middle of June.

From the HD.gov Web page, the effort is described:

This resource will serve as a credible online information resource as well as a portal with featured service‐links to guide users to existing online information relevant to their specific information needs (e.g., online tools, publications, methods, calendar of events). This work will add value to existing agency sites by highlighting the widely applicable aspects of their content, while retaining links to their agency‐specific information.
Human Dimensions leaders from several federal natural resource management agencies are launching the effort, as an interagency human dimensions Web resource.

You can tour the prototype pages and check out the pages when released later in June at: http://www.hd.gov/

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Using Surveys for Public Involvement in Conservation


Frederick Mosteller, who applied statistics to help everyday people understand many subjects, said "It is easy to lie with statistics, but it is easier to lie without them."

Statistics from surveys are often used to provide accountability for conservation decisions related to fish, forest, and wildlife management. Opinions, interests, participation in activities, and satisfaction with performance are some of the human dimensions of conservation efforts. These human dimensions help the staff of the Missouri Department of Conservation make informed and accountable decisions.

Surveys provide a cost-effective way to learn about the conservation opinions of Missourians by asking a relatively small number of individuals to provide their opinions. For most questions, valid results can be obtained by asking about 800-1000 individuals to offer their opinions from the entire 5.8 million individuals that live in Missouri. When conducted correctly, a survey can provide results that are representative of the entire population. If we are willing to accept a slight decrease in the ability to separate overall responses for individual questions, a valid survey in Missouri could be conducted with 300-400 individuals.

Think of looking at the shoes that people wear. If you look at enough people, in enough places, you'll soon see most of the kinds of shoes that people wear, without having to look at everyone, in every place. Using the information you observe, you can soon predict the kinds of shoes people are wearing in other places.

An introduction to using surveys to collect public opinions is available at: http://www.whatisasurvey.info/

An article in the Missouri Conservationist that describes how surveys are used for conservation and fish, forest, and wildlife management is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2007/01/20.htm and a previous article is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2000/02/40.htm

Frederick Mosteller, who died in 2006, has biographical information at the American Statistical Association, available at: http://www.amstat.org/about/statisticians/index.cfm?fuseaction=biosinfo&BioID=10

If you want to become a statistician and pursue a career using statistics, an excellent source of information about what a statistician does and how to become one is available at: http://www.amstat.org/careers/index.cfm?fuseaction=main

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Missouri: Forestry and Wood Products

In Missouri, there are about 14 million acres that are forested; and most of the forests in Missouri are privately owned, at about 85 percent of the acres.

The wood-using and forest products industry in Missouri has an economic impact of about $4.4 billion each year and supports 32,250 jobs with earnings of $1.1 billion.

Each year, the forestry and wood-using industries in Missouri generate $54 million in state sales tax.

More than 1 million acres of forests have been added to Missouri's landscape in the last 30 years.

Forests in Missouri are increasing faster than they are being harvested.

Forests are important to Missourians who enjoy outdoor recreation such as camping, sightseeing, watching birds, canoeing, photographing nature, hunting, or fishing.

Forests in Missouri are essential for healthy streams, clean water, wildlife habitat, and environmental stability.

At the Missouri Department of Conservation forest nursery, each year, more than 5 million seedlings of more than 50 species are grown and distributed throughout the state. The seedlings are planted on both public and private land.

In the recent fiscal year, more than $270,000 of cost-share assistance was provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation to more than 40 Missouri communities for tree planting and maintenance of urban forest resources.

Missouri Department of Conservation staff work with over 800 fire departments to offer training, to provide federal excess equipment, to provide grants for the purchase of fire equipment, and to assist in wildfire prevention activities.

The amount of sales tax generated from the forest products industry and fish and wildlife recreation is well over the amount of sales tax received by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Conservation Sales Tax; in other words, conservation pays its way in Missouri.

A fact sheet on Missouri forestry and wood products is on page 15 of the 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Missouri Department of Conservation available at: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/13141.pdf
There is additional information on the accomplishments related to forestry on pages 17-35 and 47.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Human Dimensions and Decision-Making for Conservation

Human dimensions information for fish, forest, and wildlife decision making is like the information available for a pilot in the instruments of an airplane or the notes on a page for a musician.

Human dimensions information involves the social and economic aspects of fish, forest, and wildlife management. Human dimensions is market information, customer satisfaction information, participation levels, and public involvement efforts. In Missouri, it is about the people of Missouri and their interests and participation related to the fish, forests, wildlife, and conservation efforts in the state.

Simply, human dimensions is about people, and their needs, wants, and demands. In marketing terms, needs are their requirements, wants are their requests, and demands are the items that meet their requests that they are willing to pay for or take action to obtain. Human dimensions is any information about those needs, wants, and demands.

Are there obstacles to using human dimensions information in making decisions? You bet.

Time is the most frequent obstacle since it can be difficult to conduct scientifically sound information gathering in time to help a manager make a decision. In addition, anyone can be overwhelmed with information. Data can become a black hole, leading us away from making decisions rather than taking action. And just because we have information does not guarantee a desirable or expected outcome. Conservation decisions often involve balancing the needs, wants, and demands of many groups and interests. Sometimes, information seems to make decisions more difficult as we become aware of competing requests and demands.

Even the best, most timely, and comprehensive information is only information however; decisions are required to take action.

The instruments for a pilot, the notes on a page for a musician, a recipe for a cook, or human dimensions information for a resource manager are only information; a truly exemplary performance requires decisions and actions.

Human dimensions data do not tell us what decisions to make, but do provide accountability for our decisions and many clues to informed management.

A great reference about the human dimensions of wildlife management is a book entitled Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management in North America and is edited by D.J. Decker, T.L. Brown, and W.F. Siemer. It was published in 2001. The book is available from The Wildlife Society at: http://www.wildlife.org/publications/index.cfm?tname=pubslist

Friday, May 25, 2007

The First Fifty Years of Conservation in Missouri

If we read the signs correctly, we might learn something about what is up ahead.

Human dimensions, the social and economic aspects of fish, forest, and wildlife conservation, is very useful in trying to understand the past and present. The insights about the past and present can then be used like informational highway signs to make informed decisions about the future.

Past events can guide our thinking about change and provide much insight into the future.

Winston Churchill said “The further backward you look, the further forward you can see” and Harry S. Truman said “The only news you haven’t heard is the history you haven’t read.”

I often turn to a book called The First Fifty Years by James F. Keefe to learn about the past events of the Missouri Department of Conservation and to gain insight into what conservation workers were thinking and the decisions they made in the years before I was even born. I like to think that understanding more about the past can help me, and other Department of Conservation staff, interpret and determine how the information we have available today can help us make more accountable and reliable decisions that will certainly affect the future.

I was fortunate to meet and visit many times with Jim Keefe before he died in 1999.

An article in an All Outdoors news release from 1999, available at http://www.mdc.mo.gov/news/out/1999/091799.htm#2 had the following about Jim:

"Starting as an information writer for the Conservation Department in 1951, Keefe served as managing editor of Missouri Conservationist Magazine from 1955 until 1985. During that time the magazine's monthly circulation increased from 20,000 to nearly 400,000. He penned hundreds of articles and monthly editorials in which he articulated the Conservation Department's philosophy and explained its policies to millions of readers. Conservation Commissioner Ron Stites once called Keefe "Missouri's conservation conscience."

In 1958 the Conservation Commission promoted Keefe to head its Information Section. He continued in that capacity for 27 years, building a public information program that won national and international acclaim for its magazine, books and nature films.

In 1985, the Conservation Commission assigned Keefe to write a history of the Conservation Department's first five decades. The First 50 Years, begins with voter approval of a constitutional amendment in 1936 giving the Conservation Department autonomy in administering science-based conservation programs. It continues through full implementation of the state's conservation program with a dedicated conservation sales tax approved by voters through another constitutional amendment in 1976.

Keefe himself was instrumental in convincing voters of the need for stable funding for conservation programs. At the same time, he also was active in national conservation information efforts. He served as president of Association for Conservation Information and the Missouri Outdoor Communicators and was active in the Outdoor Writers Association of America, earning that group's highest conservation honor, The Jade of Chiefs Award, in 1980.

The Conservation Commission named him a Master Conservationist in 1998, and the Conservation Federation of Missouri honored Keefe with its Conservation Communicator of the Year Award in 1970."

The entire text of The First Fifty Years is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/about/50_yrs/

Read a bit, look backward, and use the information to think about the future. I do.

The current issue of the Missouri Conservationist magazine, and archives of past issues, is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/

The magazine is free to adult Missourians that request it, and more information about how to subscribe is available at: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/conmag/conmag.aspx

Thursday, May 24, 2007

How I See the Vision of The Next Generation of Conservation in Missouri

Martin Luther King said "I have a dream..." and had a vision of change.

Lance Armstrong could see himself as a winner of a bicycle race. And not just one time; he could see winning again and again.

Steve Fossett wanted to go around the world in a balloon. And he did after several attempts.

A young man I know wants to go to Mars and is planning to study as a Doctor to get there. I won't be surprised when he arrives.

I imagined myself standing again on top of the Tooth of Time at Philmont Scout Ranch as I recovered from being treated for prostate cancer.

These people, and myself, put ideas and dreams into a vision, a picture of success, and then took action to get there.

The Next Generation of Conservation is a vision of success for a team. The team of the people of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation. Take a look at the Results we want to achieve in the document (http://mdc.mo.gov/about/next_gen/) for the picture of success in Missouri for fish, forests, and wildlife.

When I look at the Results we want to achieve items, that's where I see the vision, in the focus on results; the actions are simply some examples of the vision of success and some of the ways the vision will be achieved. The desired results can include many more pictures of success than are listed in the actions. I think it's important to focus on the desired results to see the picture of success.

In the opening letter, on page 1, is this sentence from the Director of the Missouri Department of Conservation:

"The coordinated efforts of all who care about Missouri's natural resources will be vital to ensuring our quality of life and healthy fish, forests, and wildlife for the future."


Anyone who lives in or visits Missouri is part of the conservation team and everyone can help and will benefit from the results.

I've worked with many teams in Missouri and in the United States. The people of Missouri and my colleagues in the Department of Conservation are some of the finest folks anywhere. We make a great team to tackle conservation issues. The people of Missouri have demonstrated their concern for conservation and their willingness to take action for decades.

In a 2003 survey where 6,352 Missourians responded, after being selected at random from all across Missouri, 93 percent indicated they were interested in Missouri's fish, forests, and wildlife; 56 percent said they were "Very interested."

In the same survey, 86 percent indicated they were familiar with the Missouri Department of Conservation. However, only 21 percent indicated they were "Very familiar" and a few, at 13 percent, said they were "Not at all familiar." Only a very few, 1 percent, said they "Don't know" when asked if they were familiar with the Department.

It is clear to me that Missourians are interested in fish, forests, and wildlife in Missouri and yet there are still many opportunities to make all Missourians more aware of conservation efforts and how they do benefit from conservation success.

The Next Generation of Conservation from the Missouri Department of Conservation addresses my observations about the interests and awareness of Missourians in many of the Results we want to achieve, for example:

more Missourians participating in fish-, forest-, and wildlife-related recreation;
hunting, fishing, and trapping valued as important recreational activities and population management tools;
and increased benefits of outdoor recreation to Missouri's economy, in the Preserving Missouri's Outdoor Recreation Heritage goal category;

increased availability and use of conservation-related information;
Missourians understand present and future threats to fish, forest, and wildlife resources and participate in the protection of these resources;
and Missourians appreciate the natural world and the numerous benefits that derive from healthy fish, forest, and wildlife resources, in the Teaching Missourians About Fish, Forest, and Wildlife Resources goal category;

private landowners and farmers actively managing their land for natural resource and financial sustainability, in the Helping Private Landowners Advance Conservation category;

diverse and balanced recreation opportunities on public land that are consistent with resource management goals, in the Serving Nature and You on Conservation Areas category;

and Missouri citizens providing frequent input into Conservation Department decisions and programs;
and fair and ethical business methods that enable Missourians to see how public funds are spent on conservation priorities, in the Accounting for Department Operations category.

There are four other goals listed, with equally compelling desired results, and the immediate actions planned are also listed.

As a team, I'm sure achieving a shared picture of success is possible for conservation in Missouri, just like I made it to the top of the Tooth with a group, and the vision of success was achieved for Martin Luther King, Lance Armstrong, and Steve Fossett. I'm still waiting for the arrival on Mars of the young man I know.

You can read more about the nine goal categories, the Results we want to achieve, and the What we will do actions in The Next Generation of Conservation available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2006/09/ and at: http://mdc.mo.gov/about/next_gen/

In case you are interested, the Tooth of Time is described at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_of_Time and a satellite image is available at: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=cimarron,+nm&ie=UTF8&ll=36.445866,-104.999771&spn=0.071529,0.21698&t=h&om=1/

A topographical view of the Tooth Ridge is available at: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-105.007&lat=36.4483

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Economic Activity Generated by Missouri Anglers


Fishing catches more than just a fistful of dollars in the Missouri economy.

Using data from the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, all fishing in Missouri by anglers 16 years and older generates $772,090,940 in retail sales each year.

The expenditures have an economic impact of $1,561,999,764 (that’s over $1.5 billion) support 13,870 jobs with $340,274,506 in earnings, and generate $38,755,026 in state sales taxes.

Black bass fishing has the largest economic influence at over $560 million ($560,823,740) in overall economic impact, followed by crappie fishing with $242,102,174, then trout fishing with $240,096,201, and fishing for catfish with $156,831,989.

Nonresident anglers contribute $130,435,326 to the overall fishing expenditures, and their expenditures generate $254,296,023 in overall economic impact. The expenditures of nonresident anglers support 2,438 jobs and $7,318,285 in state sales taxes.

On the average, each angler in Missouri spends $635.49 each year. Resident anglers spend more each year per person, at $680.82, than do nonresidents, who spend $478.71 per person.

Missouri resident trout anglers spend the most per person each year, on the average, at $662.92, followed by black bass anglers with $537.89. Panfish anglers spend the least amount per person each year, at $144.51.

When I was a boy, $144.51 would have purchased quite a pile of cane poles, bobbers, and worms. Instead, I often used my grandfather’s cane pole, or sometimes just a long stick, with a cotton twine line and a steel hook. The bobber might have been relatively new. I pulled a bunch of bluegill from a farm pond with that type of rig.

When my own boys were young, we managed to spend more for the same kind of fun, using child-sized Zebco rods and reels, plastic PowerBait, and cool-colored bobbers. With two boys, they kept me pretty busy keeping hooks baited, lines untangled, and rods pointed towards the water. Our trips to the store certainly helped the Missouri economy, one bobber at a time.

Obviously, current generations of Missouri anglers are also making trips to the store for poles, line, bobbers, and bait, with a positive effect on the Missouri economy.

More information about the economic impacts of fishing, hunting, and wildlife-related recreation, in addition to participation and demographics information, is in a report entitled "The 2001 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching in Missouri" available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Economic Activity Generated by Missouri Wildlife Watchers


Wildlife viewing is an important economic activity in Missouri.

Using data from the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, all wildlife watching activities in Missouri by those 16 years of age and older, generates $448,755,690 in retail sales each year.

These expenditures have an economic impact of $937,795,501, support 7,850 jobs with $200,070,083 in earnings, and generate $22,095,502 in state sales taxes.

It is interesting to note that the retail sales, economic impact, and state sales taxes generated by wildlife viewing activities are slightly higher than for the activity of hunting in Missouri.

Nonresident wildlife viewers contribute $117,792,624 to the overall wildlife viewing expenditures, and generate $229,607,674 in economic impact. The expenditures of nonresident wildlife viewers support 2,030 jobs and $6,575,202 in state sales taxes.

On the average, each Missouri resident wildlife viewer spends about $80.91 annually on wildlife watching near the home, and $401.46 each year for wildlife watching away from home. Nonresident wildlife viewers spend slightly more per year in Missouri, on wildlife watching away from their homes, than Missouri residents, at $537.81.

More information about the economic impacts of wildlife-related recreation, hunting, and fishing, in addition to participation and demographics information, is in a report entitled "The 2001 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching in Missouri" available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Monday, May 21, 2007

Economic Activity Generated by Missouri Hunters



Hunting is really "cooking" in the Missouri economy.

Using data from the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, all hunting in Missouri by hunters 16 years and older generates $437,194,608 in retail sales each year.

The expenditures have an economic impact of $853,390,343, support 8,007 jobs with $191,169,148 in earnings, and generate $18,074,340 in state sales taxes.

Deer hunting has the largest economic influence at over $445 million ($445,403,674) in overall economic impact, followed by turkey hunting with $248,146,380, then small game hunting with $89,966,991, and migratory bird hunting with $66,044,839.

Nonresident hunters contribute $72,982,053 to the overall hunting expenditures, and their expenditures generate $148,267,468 in overall economic impact. The expenditures of nonresident hunters support 1,360 jobs and $3,471,380 in state sales taxes.

On the average, each hunter in Missouri spends $894.77 each year. Resident hunters spend slightly more each year per person, at $900.33, than for nonresidents, who spend $868.01 per person.

More information about the economic impacts of hunting, fishing, and wildlife-related recreation, in addition to participation and demographics information, is in a report entitled "The 2001 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching in Missouri" available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Missouri: Wildlife Recreation


There are about 1.8 million individuals in Missouri each year, age 16 years and older, that view, feed, photograph, and observe wildlife. An additional 320,000 Missouri residents of ages 6 to 15 are involved in wildlife watching.

Each year, over 738,000 individuals participate in wildlife watching in Missouri away from their home. Of the total nonresidential wildlife watchers, 519,000 are state residents and 219,000 are nonresidents.

The wildlife viewing that occurs away from home involves over 4 million trips each year and wildlife watchers spend, on average, about 17 days participating in some kind of wildlife viewing. For individual activities, on average: 19 days are spent observing wildlife; 7 days photographing wildlife; and 26 days feeding wildlife. Overall, over 12.4 million days are spent viewing wildlife away from home.

Around their home, over 1.5 million Missourians participate in wildlife watching. Overall, over 106 million days are spent observing and photographing wildlife by Missourians near their homes.

The economic impact of wildlife viewing in Missouri includes $449 million in total expenditures that result in a total economic impact of over $937 million. The expenditures support 7,850 jobs and generate $200 million in earnings. The expenditures generate over $22 million in state sales taxes and a combined total of over $30 million in state sales and income taxes.

In Missouri, adults involved in wildlife viewing would fill Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City more than 23 times.

The amount of sales tax generated from fish and wildlife recreation and the forest products industry in Missouri is well over the amount of sales tax received by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Conservation Sales Tax; in other words, conservation pays its way in Missouri.

More information is available from the 2001 National Survey report for Missouri which is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/01fhw/fhw01-mo.pdf and the economics report for Missouri which is available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

A fact sheet on Missouri hunting and fishing is on page 14 of the 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Missouri Department of Conservation and is available at: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/13141.pdf

Friday, May 18, 2007

Missouri: Hunting and Fishing


In Missouri, there are about 489,000 hunters each year, that are of age 16 years and older. There are an additional 92,000 hunters that are of age 6 to 15 years.

Of the total hunters 16 years and older, 405,000 are state residents and 84,000 are nonresidents. Deer hunting is the most popular in terms of hunter numbers and days spent hunting. There are over twice as many deer hunters as turkey hunters and deer hunters spend over twice as many total days hunting as turkey hunters.

Each year, hunters spend an average of about 15 days hunting. Migratory bird hunters spend the most days on average, at about 13 days. Rabbit hunters spend the fewest days hunting, at about 9 days.

Overall, hunters spend over 6.6 million days hunting each year.

In Missouri, there are about 1.2 million anglers each year, of age 16 years or older. There are an additional 321,000 that participate that are of age 6 to 15 years old. Of the total freshwater anglers in Missouri, age 16 years and older, 942,000 are state residents and 272,000 are nonresidents. Most fishing activity, in numbers of anglers and days spent fishing, is for black bass.

Each year, anglers spend an average of about 11 days fishing. Catfish anglers spend the most days, at about 11 days, and trout anglers the fewest, at about 6 days.

Overall, anglers fish a total of over 13.2 million days each year.

Hunters and anglers in Missouri spend over $1.2 billion each year in retail sales, support 21,877 jobs, and generate $57 million in state sales tax. The total sales and income taxes generated is $77 million. The total economic impact each year from the retail sales is over $2.4 billion. That is $2.4 billion of economic impact.

Put into other terms, more Missourians hunt or fish than the number who attend St. Louis Rams or Kansas City Chiefs games.

One of every four Missouri residents hunts or fishes.

Annual spending by hunters and anglers is more than the cash receipts for cattle production in Missouri.

The amount of sales tax generated from fish and wildlife recreation and the forest products industry is well over the amount of sales tax received by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Conservation Sales Tax; in other words, conservation pays its way in Missouri.

More information is available from the 2001 National Survey report for Missouri which is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/01fhw/fhw01-mo.pdf and the economics report for Missouri is available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

A fact sheet on Missouri hunting and fishing is on page 13 of the 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Missouri Department of Conservation available at: http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/13141.pdf

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: Information for Conservation in Missouri

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation is a nationwide survey that has been conducted about every five years since 1955. It is the only source of comprehensive information on participation and expenditures related to fishing, hunting, and wildlife recreation that is comparable on a state-by-state basis. It provides information on the number of participants in fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching (observing, photographing, and feeding wildlife) and the amount of time and money spent on those activities.

I use information from this survey every working day to answer questions about how many individuals fish, hunt, or watch wildlife in Missouri and what they spend on those activities. The information on expenditures is used to calculate economic impacts. Further analysis of the data provides estimates of participation and economic impact for many individual species or categories of fish and wildlife.

The survey is the single best source for fishing, hunting, and wildlife-related recreation participation and expenditure information for the state of Missouri and the information is critically important for decision-makers and staff in the Missouri Department of Conservation.

The survey is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the request of the individual state agencies responsible for fish and wildlife management. The most recent survey was conducted in 2006 and the new data is expected to be available later this summer.

The survey is carefully designed and conducted using the most appropriate statistical methods. A representative sample of people nationwide is randomly selected to participate in the survey. In 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau collected information for the survey in two phases. The first phase was the screening sample which began in April 2001. During the screening phase, the Census Bureau interviewed a sample of 77,000 households nationwide to determine who in the household had fished, hunted, or wildlife watched in 2000, and who had engaged or planned to engage in those activities in 2001. In most cases, one adult household member provided information for all household members. The screen primarily covered 2000 activities while the next, more in-depth phase, covered 2001 activities.

The second phase of data collection consisted of three detailed interview waves. The first wave began in April 2001, the second in September 2001, and the last in January 2002. Interviews were conducted with samples of likely anglers, hunters, and wildlife watchers who were identified in the initial screening phase. The Census Bureau conducted these interviews primarily by telephone, with in-person interviews in the first and third interview waves for those respondents who could not be reached by telephone. Respondents in the detailed interviews were limited to persons at least 16 years old. Each respondent provided information pertaining only to his or her activities and expenditures. Sample sizes were designed to provide statistically reliable results at the State level. Altogether, interviews were completed for 25,070 respondents from the sportspersons sample and 15,303 from the wildlife watchers sample. The response rate for the screen phase was 75%. For the sportspersons sample it was 88% and for the wildlife-watching sample, 90%.

A wide variety of reports are prepared using data from the survey. More information about the 2001 National Survey and a listing of available reports is available at: http://federalaid.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html

A listing, with links to pdf files available, of the national reports and the reports for the individual states for both the 2001 and 1996 surveys is available at: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/fishing.html

The actual data from the survey is available, along with a data dictionary, at: http://www.bls.census.gov/ferretftp.htm#fish_hunt and data can be extracted online to create custom datasets using a utility from the Census Bureau at: http://dataferrett.census.gov/

Additional economic analysis that uses data from the National Survey is conducted by Southwick Associates, a private economics company, and is available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Human Dimensions: Your Opinion Counts with the Missouri Department of Conservation


The Missouri Department of Conservation hired its first full-time social researcher in 1978. The Department had already hired full-time statisticians and biologists to help guide a wide range of research, including social and economic research. In 1984 the first full-time economist was hired. Many biologists also conducted social research projects as part of their ongoing efforts, particularly related to fishing and hunting harvest and participation. I joined the staff in 1991 to conduct social research. And since that time several additional staff have been employed, to conduct statewide opinion surveys, to conduct and coordinate harvest and participation surveys, to coordinate forest economics information and research, to conduct waterfowl social research, to conduct focus groups, to respond to citizens as an Ombudsman, to conduct public meeting forums, and to provide staff with assistance on a wide range of public involvement methods.

Social and economic research was certainly not new, prior to 1978, for the Missouri Department of Conservation. In 1942, the Conservation Commission asked Department staff, including Conservation Agents, to find out about public perceptions of Department progress. In 1945, Rudolf Bennitt reported on some social aspects of quail hunting using data collected from 1938 to 1944. In the early 1970s, a study was conducted for the Citizens Conservation Committee, a private citizens committee, to determine the preference of Missourians for either a soft drink tax or a sales tax to fund conservation activities. Missourians did not indicate a preference for the type of tax in that survey. It was in 1975 that the Conservation Commission endorsed the efforts of that committee of private citizens to seek a ballot initiative to place a sales tax for conservation efforts before the citizens of Missouri. The vote in 1976 to create a Conservation Sales Tax helped provide funding for the Missouri Department of Conservation that has enabled staff to make more accountable conservation decisions. Decisions and Department staff are more accountable today because of the increased number of full-time staff dedicated to listening to and learning about the opinions of Missourians and the increased number of surveys and public involvement efforts that make it easier for Missourians to provide their opinions and participation preferences for fish, forest, and wildlife management. It is these "human dimensions" efforts that continue to be an important part of accountable decision-making.

Human Dimensions is a term that developed in the 1970s as resource professionals and educators combined aspects of sociology, economics, organizational management, and psychology into resource management. Although the term may be relatively new, the idea is not. Aldo Leopold stated in 1930 that wildlife conservation would make the greatest advances if it drew support from a broad-based constituency. As human dimensions has developed since the 1970s, it is about understanding the “people” aspects of resource management and understanding the many citizen interests in fish, forests, and wildlife and their expectations and satisfaction with management efforts.

Human dimensions can be equated with social and economic information. A business would call it “market information;” that is, information about their customers and the expectations and responses to their products and services. Human dimensions certainly includes aspects of customer satisfaction and also public input and involvement in decision-making processes.

How is human dimensions information used? Human dimensions can be like an informational highway sign that confirms something you may have already observed. It provides accountability for your intuition or what you may already know to be true. It can provide new insights or new information about activities and expectations. Human dimensions information is useful as performance measures or in determining satisfaction levels. The information can be very useful in developing or modifying programs and services to improve the quality of service or to improve the efficiency of the business processes to provide programs and services.

It is the intense effort that the Missouri Department of Conservation applies to listening to Missourians, to learning about the human dimensions of conservation, that allows the opinions of Missourians to be heard and then used in conservation decisions. It is this intense effort that makes the opinions of Missourians count in conservation decisions.

More information about how the conservation opinions of Missourians count is in a recent article in the Missouri Conservationist magazine, entitled "Your Opinion Counts" which is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2007/01/20.htm

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Conservation for the Next Generations

When I was in graduate school in the late 1980s, while working in a Forestry and Natural Resources computer lab at Purdue University somewhere near midnight, a fellow student asked me a philosophical question. It's often easy to be philosophical around midnight, especially if you are tired and beginning to look for something else to do rather than whatever you have been working on or studying about for the last 16 hours. He asked something like, "What do you think will be your most significant impact on the future?"

My sons at that time were 4 years old and 2 years old. My response was immediate; my children. The other student seemed not to understand, since he had been thinking about what impacts would result from our efforts in the field of resource management and he did not have children to consider.

I did not know then, and may never know completely, what differences my children will make for others and in the future. However, they impact the lives of others every day in some way. And the actions that they take, the example they set, how they vote or don't vote, and how they influence the views of others about natural resources, regardless of their career choices, to either contribute to the sustainability of fish, forest, and wildlife resources or to diminish those resources, may have greater impacts for their children and future generations than whatever I accomplish in the field of resource management.

I do think my efforts can make a difference for conservation in some way for the future. But I have no doubts that it is our combined efforts, and the efforts of our children and future generations of Missourians, that will determine the success or failure of conservation in Missouri, in the United States, and in the world. It's been up to me to provide opportunities for my children to understand the natural world and their place in it. It's been their choice to experience those opportunities and then consider what the outdoor world and the next generation of conservation means to them. To have positive impacts, they can certainly follow the examples provided by Missourians of the past that supported conservation, were aware of the natural world, and took actions to ensure that resources were managed both for the present and the future.

Perhaps the information I provide in these postings can help increase awareness about fish, forest, and wildlife resources in Missouri and the conservation efforts of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Then, fish, forests, wildlife, and the quality of life for all Missourians might continue to be improved for many of the next generations.

More information about conservation and opportunities to experience the outdoors of Missouri is available at: http://www.missouriconservation.org
Conservation education information is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/teacher/ and information about education opportunities and events, from beginning archery and dutch oven cooking, to shooting and hunter education, to tree education and more, is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/applications/events/teacher.htm

Monday, May 14, 2007

Five Facts About the Missouri Department of Conservation


1. Missourians are Satisfied with the Job of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Over 60 percent of Missourians believe the Missouri Department of Conservation is doing an excellent or good job of providing services to themselves, their family, their community, and the State of Missouri: 64 percent believe that the Department is doing a good job of providing services to themselves; 63 percent to their family; 61 percent to their community; and 67 percent to the State of Missouri.

2. Missourians are Interested in Missouri’s Fish, Forests, and Wildlife, and Want to Protect Missouri’s Conservation Heritage.

Most Missourians (93 percent) report that they are interested in Missouri’s fish, forests, and wildlife. Most Missourians (91 percent) agree that “It is important for outdoor places to be protected even if you don’t plan to visit the area.” Most Missourians (84 percent) agree that natural areas should be designated “to protect Missouri’s best examples of forests, prairies, marshes, and glades.”

3. Missourians Approve of Acquiring Land for Conservation.

Almost three-quarters (73 percent) of all Missourians agree that “Land should be acquired for fish, forest, and wildlife conservation.” When asked about the less than 2 percent of Missouri’s acres that are owned or managed by the Department, only 2 percent said that amount is “Too much.”

4. Less than One Percent of the State of Missouri Budget is Spent on Conservation.
The total budget for the Missouri Department of Conservation is less than one percent of the total State of Missouri budget.

Health and Social Services - 37.8%
Education - 28.1%
Government Services - 20.1%
Transportation - 10.4%
Natural and Economic Resources - 2.8%
Conservation - 0.8%

5. Conservation Pays Its Way in Missouri.

"Conservation Pays Its Way in Missouri" since the sales tax revenue generated each year from the retail sales related to fish and wildlife recreation and the forest products industry is well over the amount that is received by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the one-eighth of one percent Conservation Sales Tax. Each year, fishing, hunting, wildlife recreation, and forestry activities have an economic impact of over $7 billion in Missouri.

More information about the Missouri Department of Conservation is available in the 2005-2006 Annual Report available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/about/annual/
Included in the annual report is a 2-page summary on pages 4 and 5.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

The Missouri Department of Conservation Listens to Missourians


At the Missouri Department of Conservation, we believe that all Missouri citizens are important and we value their trust and their point of view. All Missouri citizens deserve respect. Our job is to listen, understand and personally deliver programs and services that will benefit each Missourian.

To accomplish our mission we must listen to Missourians. We do this in a variety of ways.

The Conservation Commission meets regularly and anyone may contact the Conservation Commission with comments or request to appear at a Commission meeting.

The Director of the Conservation Department may be personally contacted at Department headquarters in Jefferson City, by telephone or electronic mail.

The Department Ombudsman works with citizens to resolve conflicts and answers a wide variety of questions by mail, telephone, and electronic mail.

The Department conducts a wide variety of statistically accountable mail surveys, telephone surveys, and focus groups to determine the opinions and attitudes of Missourians about conservation and the Department of Conservation. The Department has conducted attitude, opinion, satisfaction, and participation surveys for over 30 years.

The Department has eight regional service centers with staff available to assist Missourians with their conservation requests and needs.

The Department’s monthly magazine, free to Missourians that request it, includes a letter to the editor section and an “Ask the Ombudsman” column.

The Department maintains extensive Internet Web pages that include information about conservation, how to contact the Department, and an online comment form.

The Department conducts frequent public forums to obtain interactive feedback from all Missourians at locations throughout the state.

Department regulations are formed and discussed in a public setting that invites citizen participation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation Web pages are available at: http://www.missouriconservation.org/
“About the Department” information is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/about/
and how to contact the Department is at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/contact/
Information about the Department’s monthly magazine and how Missouri residents can subscribe free is available at: http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Conservation Pays Its Way in Missouri


In 2001, 2.5 million residents and non-residents of Missouri, age 16 years and older, participated in some form of fish and wildlife-related recreation in Missouri. These anglers, hunters, and wildlife viewers spent over $1.6 billion in retail sales ($1.3 billion by residents and 321 million by non-residents), which generated over 731 million in salaries and wages and supported 29,727 jobs. The total economic effect from fish and wildlife-related recreation was over 3.3 billion. The retail spending generated 79 million in state sales tax revenues, 29 million in state income tax revenues, and 117 million in federal income taxes.

The forestry and wood products industry in Missouri is an over 4.4 million dollar activity and supports 32,250 jobs. The forestry and wood-using industries in Missouri generate 54 million each year in state sales taxes.

The combined economic impact of fish and wildlife-related recreation and the forest industry in Missouri is $7.8 billion.

Conservation pays its way in Missouri.

Or in other words, for every dollar spent each year through the annual budget of the Missouri Department of Conservation, there are 52 dollars generated each year of economic impact in Missouri. Every dollar spent equals 52 dollars in economic impact.

Conservation pays its way in Missouri.

The combined sales tax revenues generated in Missouri by fish and wildlife recreation spending and the forest and wood-using industries is well over the amount received each year by the Missouri Department of Conservation from the Conservation Sales Tax.

Conservation pays its way in Missouri.

And these numbers do not include the many ways that the outdoor environment and Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources enhance our quality of life every day.


Conservation pays its way in Missouri.


More information about economic impacts is available in the Missouri Department of Conservation's 2005-2006 annual report available at http://www.mdc.mo.gov/13141 and in the national surveys conducted for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service available at: http://federalaid.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html and at: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/fishing.html
The economic impact report for Missouri, and other states, is available at: http://www.southwickassociates.com/freereports/default.aspx

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Recipe for Success

What is the recipe for success for the future of conservation in Missouri? All the ingredients exist, right now, and have been in place a long time in Missouri. Every day, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is helping Missourians do great things for conservation in Missouri.

Aldo Leopold, a widely respected thinker and writer about conservation science, wrote in the 1940s that "Conservation, at bottom, rests on the conviction that there are things in this world more important than dollar signs and ciphers. Many of these other things attach to the land, and to the life that is on it and in it. People who know these other things have been growing scarcer, but less so in Missouri than elsewhere. That is why conservation is possible here. If conservation can become a living reality, it can do so in Missouri. This is because Missourians, in my opinion, are not completely industrialized in mind and spirit, and I hope never will be."

The seeds of action for the immediate future in Missouri are described in The Next Generation of Conservation available from the Missouri Department of Conservation at: http://mdc.mo.gov/about/next_gen/

What else is needed? For Missourians to be active participants at some level, whether simply being aware of how the natural world is the foundation of our quality of life, or participating in outdoor recreation of any kind, or by taking a more active role in conservation work.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote in 1910 that "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

I can imagine that Roosevelt might have wanted to have the rousing sounds of the "Mission Impossible" music playing in the background as he encouraged us to spend ourselves in the worthy cause for conservation.