PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARD ENVIRONMENTAL REHABILITATION OF THE LOWER GREEN BAY WATERSHED

Under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada, remedial action plans (RAPs) must be prepared for 42 areas of concern along the shores of the Great Lakes. A plan for the environmental rehabilitation of the Upper Fox River and Lower Green Bay of Lake Michigan was one of the first such plans prepared. The Green Bay Remedial Action Plan is often cited as one of the more complete and appropriate among RAPs submitted to date. This article examines public perceptions and attitudes toward the Green Bay RAP using survey methods. The survey found the public poorly informed about the RAP but widely supportive of the action items in the plan. Further, the survey found the public unwilling to create a new agency to implement the RAP. Implementation by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was favored instead. Finally, the survey found few and usually small, but some potentially important, differences in attitudes and perceptions between recreational users and nonusers of the area of concern.