Integrating formal and informal approaches to environmental stewardship in ULTRA-Ex Portland-Vancouver

Background/Question/Methods

The ULTRA-EX, Portland-Vancouver project inquires about coupled ecological-human feedback loops. This study investigated differences in civic engagement in environmental monitoring between the two cities.  A surprisingly large number of people participate as volunteers in stewardship having both social goals and commitments to ecosystem health and recovery. Our combined study links the drivers of stormwater stewardship with the perceived social impact of volunteer restoration efforts in parks. In the first study, we wanted to understand how agency-sponsored environmental stewardship programs promote positive environmental stewardship attitudes. The ecological and social consequences of environmental stewardship activities are not well understood. We conducted a survey during the late winter and spring of 2011 in Portland and Vancouver. A total of 18 events were sampled. The second study presents evidence from a survey assessing resident opinions, preferences, and attitudes about stewarding Green Infrastructure within the City of Portland. Portland has the largest number of decentralized stormwater facilities in the U.S. and faces several maintenance challenges. We conducted a two part study over the course of three years to assess the acceptance of green infrastructure in residential neighborhoods. We asked, to what extent do understanding, perception, and behavioral characteristics of residents affect support green infrastructure?

Results/Conclusions

In the first study, a significant number of participants perceived their volunteer work directly contributed to improving their local park environment. Frequent participants also indicated that their experiences were often restorative, helping them develop an increased sense of caring for nature. These findings point to the value of providing additional ecological monitoring experiences illustrating science-based efficacy of restoration to volunteers. In the second study, we found that four respondent “beliefs” helped to explain a willingness to participate in the stewardship of neighborhood (public) stormwater facilities:  (1) environmental projects improve the quality of one’s neighborhood; (2) green infrastructure improve the neighborhood; (3) environmental projects on one’s private property will not have a positive impact on watershed health; and (4) working on environmental projects will have a positive impact on watershed health. The results help to frame an approach to environmental stewardship that is based in ongoing engagement, knowledge systems, and neighborhood stewardship networks.  Both studies underscore the correlation between voluntary participation in stewardship and the perception of the efficacy of that work in improving local urban environmental quality. Volunteer stewardship events should maximize learning about environmental impacts of the work. Active stewardship could promote greater urban resilience, individually and collectively.