Translating wildlife research into effective community outreach and education

Background/Question/Methods

Urbanization and its cascading effects threaten many species today. For researchers working in suburban, exurban and urban areas, sharing what we learn and changing public perception or behavior is integral to attaining conservation goals. How do we craft an effective message and best deliver it to the communities where we work in order to engender their cooperation and support? My doctoral research focused on the behavioral ecology of an abundant generalist predator, the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), impacting rare and threatened coastal waterbirds on the Atlantic Coast. I used radio-telemetry to study the habits and movements of skunks captured on piping plover (Charadrius melodus) and least tern (Sterna antillarum) nesting beaches in order to identify the landscape scale of this predation problem. After identifying anthropogenic supplemental food and shelter used by skunks in this coastal landscape, I began a community outreach and education program. My outreach goals were to educate coastal homeowners and tourists about the impacts of generalist predators on rare and threatened species as well as to engage these people in efforts to reduce or remove anthropogenic supplemental resources. In this talk I will outline my approach to achieving these goals, which involved; (1) assessing public views of the conservation issue (2) identifying obstacles to behavior change (3) translating research results into public outreach (4) identifying audiences or venues for speaking engagements and (5) developing and distributing brochures to deliver my message over the long term.

Results/Conclusions

Food resources targeted for reduction included garbage, food scraps left by beachgoers, compost piles, pet food left outside, and bird seed below feeders. Anthropogenic shelter targeted for removal or exclusion included overturned boats left on or near the beach as well as decks and foundations of homes.  Conversations with people encountered on the beach or at their homes were most useful in assessing public views and knowledge of generalist predators. Public speaking engagements, newspaper articles, and brochures placed in strategic locations were effective in sharing information, creating awareness, and changing some behaviors, which included homeowners securing garbage and ceasing to leave pet food outdoors. I invested approximately 160 hours in outreach and education efforts over the past three years. These efforts were time consuming, but they were an important step towards integrated predator management, particularly in areas where lethal control of predators would not meet with public approval or where lethal control would be cost prohibitive.