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Karen Bates, Vt. Agency of Natural Resources

It’s all in the outputs: Choosing partners for successful NPS pollution reduction in an urban watershed St. Albans, Vermont. Karen Bates, Vt. Agency of Natural Resources Jurij Homziak, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, University of Vermont Extension. Successful Community Educational Effort.

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Karen Bates, Vt. Agency of Natural Resources

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  1. It’s all in the outputs: Choosing partners for successful NPS pollution reduction in an urban watershedSt. Albans, Vermont Karen Bates, Vt. Agency of Natural Resources Jurij Homziak, Lake Champlain Sea Grant, University of Vermont Extension

  2. Successful Community Educational Effort • Community group takes lead role • Resource staff invest time and energy at critical points

  3. Project Description • St. Albans Area Watershed Association, high school students and other volunteers provided • education on lake friendly lawn care practices to homeowners in St. Albans City • specific information on soil nutrient levels to help them implement specific practices • survey to show change in behavior

  4. Project Results • Survey indicates change in behavior: decrease in fertilizer use • Community able to collect most comprehensive data set of phosphorus levels in soil from lawns in area • Legislators • Other researchers

  5. Addressing urban non-point source pollution “Develop long-term environmental stewardship and understanding of the Lake Champlain Basin by enhancing educational opportunities….” Opportunities for Action: An Evolving Plan for the Lake Champlain Basin

  6. Education programs led by government and non governmental organizations

  7. Community-led education program • Effective in reaching community • Reduces time commitment by resource staff

  8. PROCESS

  9. Initiation of project during basin planning process • Involved existing resources and interest in community • Created forum for brain storming: identify problem and potential solutions • Facilitated development of project and roles with partners

  10. Discussion Group • Composting Association of Vermont • St. Albans Area Watershed Association • Gund Institute for Ecological Economics • Master Gardener Program • Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program • Chittenden County Stormwater Education Program

  11. Project Goal Achieve a wider recognition within the community of personal responsibility and acceptance of lake friendly lawn and garden practices

  12. St. Albans Area Watershed Association • Community recognizes water quality problems • Recently formed with membership of 400 • Energetic high school teacher

  13. St. Albans Bay, Lake Champlain

  14. St. Albans City • Population of 7500 over 2 sq. miles

  15. Technical Resources • Provide education on lake friendly lawn care and other residential practices • Master Gardener Program, Gund Institute, CAV • Offer free soil tests and summarize results • Master Gardener Program, Gund Institute • Send out a survey before and after educational efforts and analyze • Lake Champlain Sea Grant Program

  16. MonetaryResources • Lake Champlain Basin Program – $4,590 • student and watershed assn coordinator • mailings, and • data input and analyses by graduate student • Water Wheel – $2,000 • soil tests and miscellaneous • Sea Grant Program - $1000 • Additional analyses by graduate student

  17. Community Resources • Volunteer hours • Student work included labeling 750 post cards, folding and addressing 1500 surveys, taking soil samples, developing questionaires, giving presentations • Understanding of the community • Revisions to original project

  18. Educational Forums • 10 community members attended

  19. Revisions to Forums • Public access TV taped and aired twice • Different approach in subsequent year: Students go to neighbors • 15 students X 3 contacts = 45 people

  20. Educational Articles • One newspaper article • two watershed association newsletters

  21. Revision to educational articles • Each student wrote a letter to the editor of local newspaper • A week and a half of letters on lake friendly lawn and garden practices

  22. More educational opportunities 739 households received a survey on bmps • Tom Bushey, resident The surveys mailed out by the students got him thinking about what he was doing. In response he stopped using fertilizer and moved his lawn clipping pile away from stream.

  23. And more educational opportunities • Soil tests • Master Gardener interns provided 90 residents with lake friendly lawn and garden practices fact sheets and free soil test results.

  24. 29 students in two sets of stream ecology classes and the effect of their enthusiasm on parents, neighbors, peers And more educational opportunities

  25. The Survey

  26. Accuracy • The survey administered in 2004 had a 23.6% response rate (173/739). 90% confidence ± 5.5% error • The survey administered in 2005 had a 15.06% response rate (115/739). 90% confidence ± 7.1% error

  27. Property characteristics of residential lots

  28. Lawn care practices • 41% use fertilizer • 69% apply inorganic fertilizer • For nitrogen: over 25% over application

  29. Willingness to change lawn care practices

  30. Measured Change in Behavior

  31. Statistical Method For Testing Differences in Surveys • One tailed t-test (Ho = no difference in pre- versus post education proportions, Ha = difference between pre and post education proportions). • Widely used, proven robust and powerful test, although technically not applicable to proportions (minor quibble, reference SISA Simple Interactive Statistical Analysis http://home.clara.net/sisa/)

  32. Increase in people not fertilizing lawns – highly significant

  33. Increase in soil testing - significant

  34. Decrease in respondents’ reliance on fertilizer company’s recommendations – highly significant

  35. Survey Results • Education works: willingness and ability to change practices • Concerns • cost • appearance of lawn • ease of application • water quality

  36. Soil Map

  37. Next Step • “Don’t Fertilize in Spring” Campaign Educate area suppliers of fertilizers • Phosphorus responsible for water quality problems in bay • Spring application is unnecessary • Results of soil tests in area indicate high P levels

  38. Lessons Learned • Community-led education partnered with technical assistance is successful • Surveys are effective ways of determining measurable outcome

  39. Critical points for assistance • Identify and obtain partners and funding • Provide technical expertise, including analysis of collected data

  40. Comments/Feedback Jeff Rouleau, teacher “The project was incredibly worthwhile and provided experiences that kids will never forget.” “Kids are very idealistic and we should use this in a good way to take action. A kid will take something enormously large and still believe they can do something about it.”

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