Watershed management in north Florida: public knowledge, attitudes and information needs

Water management policies in Florida emphasize the need for public involvement in managing watersheds, yet little is known about the environmental literacy of key stakeholders-nearby residents and recreational user groups. A mail survey was conducted to assess public environmental knowledge, attitudes, and information needs about watershed management based on a stratified random sample of 700 households in the 1683-km(2) Orange Creek Basin in Florida. Most respondents had limited knowledge of the local environment and limited awareness of the local watershed as a landscape feature. Consumptive resource-users (e.g., anglers and hunters) had more knowledge of surface water features than non-consumptive users or non-users. Respondents generally held positive attitudes toward overall ecosystem management objectives. Attitudes toward specific management activities, such as aquatic plant control to improve boating access, differed among groups. Most respondents wanted to learn more about local ecology and preferred to obtain information about the local environment from television, newspapers, and direct mail. Consumptive users preferred to receive information from fish camps and sporting clubs, while non-consumptive users preferred to receive information from nature parks. On-site interpretive programming is needed throughout the basin, along with mass media outreach, to increase public knowledge of and support for sustainable watershed management.