UMRS SURVEY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC:  PREFERENCES FOR
FUTURE MANAGEMENT ACTIONS

Bruce D. Carlson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 190 Fifth Street East, St.
Paul, Minnesota, 55101.

The human dimension is an important, yet often over-looked aspect of river
ecosystem analyses.  However, one of the important missions of the EMP Long
Term Resource Monitoring Program is to provide decision makers with
information to maintain the Upper Mississippi River System as a viable large
river ecosystem, given its multiple-use character.  Within the context of this
mission, a survey of the general public was designed and conducted to assay river
resource values and expectations.

The survey was conducted by telephone between September 7 and October 24,
1996.  Members of 500 randomly selected households in each of the 5 UMRS
states completed the survey (total: 2,500), with 60 percent of calls in river
counties and 40 percent in non-river counties.  

Initial results (for all respondents combined) show that citizens value the river for
complex reasons, and have diverse opinions about how the river system should
be managed in the future.  Water quality and pollution are overwhelmingly the
biggest concerns held by citizens.  Potential management actions related to these
issues received the strongest support.  Efforts to improve and increase habitat and
the aesthetic quality of the river ranked next highest, followed by flood
protection measures.  The lowest overall support was indicated for efforts to
reduce barge traffic, increase the size of the locks, remove the locks and dams,
and create more hunting opportunities.

Overall, respondents indicated that UMRS environmental problems are
important, but not society's most important.  When it is impossible to find a
reasonable compromise, 75 percent of respondents believe environmental
protection is usually more important than economic development.  (National data
show that most people feel both can be achieved together, however).  The survey
also examined perceptions regarding the amount of regulation on the river for
recreation, commerce, and the environment.  The vast majority of those surveyed
said the amount of regulation in these areas is appropriate or has not gone far
enough.

Future analytical efforts will examine the data for differences that may exist
between residents of different states, between river county and non-river county
residents, and between respondents familiar with different stretches of the river
system.  The data will also be analyzed to see what relationship respondents'
values, knowledge, beliefs, and familiarity with the river have to their
preferences for future management actions.

Keywords:  Mississippi River, Illinois River, public survey, management,
preferences

Bruce D. Carlson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 190 Fifth Street East, St.
Paul, Minnesota, 55101.  Telephone:  (612) 290-5252;  Fax (612) 290-5800; E-mail: bruce.d.carlson@usace.army.mil

This presentation is intended as a platform presentation.