survey of streamside landowners in the hudson valley

Survey of Streamside Landowners in the Hudson

ValleyResults

Presentation OutlineSurvey Purpose

Methods

Response

Non-bias telephone survey

Results

Purpose

1. Understand how and why streamside landowners in the Hudson Valley manage their streams and streamside land, especially in relation to flooding

2. Investigate flood risk perception of Hudson Valley streamside landowners

3. Determine the flood and stream management education needs communication preferences of streamside landowners in the Hudson Valley

Methods

Target watersheds within the Hudson Valley, NY

Methods2,000 private property addresses with at least 1

acre of streamside land (within 100 feet of a stream)

Survey and reminders sent via 4 mailings in October & November, 2013

Phone survey non-response bias data collection conducted by SRI in December 2013

Non-respondent phone survey

Phone survey included a subset of items from the mail questionnaire to compare respondents and

non-respondents:

Feet of streamside land owned

Primary use of streamside land

Amount of flooding experience

Perceived causes of flooding

Communication preferences

Membership in a wildlife conservation organization

County of primary residence

Survey Response2000 surveys sent

Adjusted response rate: 29.1%534 completed the survey126 undeliverable36 ineligible19 refused

No significant difference in response rate between incentive & non incentives

50 non-respondents surveyed via phone

Results

Phone Survey of Non-respondents

Results1. Primary uses for streamside landSignificantly fewer respondents of the mail survey than the phone survey use their property for woodland or monetary investment.

2. Causes of flooding Respondents of the mail survey agree significantly more than respondents of the phone survey that structures near my land and hard surfaces caused the most recent flood event 3. Communication preferencesThe following are significantly more effective for communicating information to respondents of the mail survey than the phone survey:

Email newsletter Information in the mail A website A site visit

4. Significantly more respondents of the phone survey than the mail survey live in counties other than what we listed on the survey

Mail Survey Results

Q21. In which county is your primary residence? n=537

RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS

County N Percent

Ulster 122 23%Columbia 86 16%Other 58 11%Greene 56 10%Rensselaer 52 10%Dutchess 52 10%NYC 34 6%Orange 29 5%Albany 27 5%Putnam 13 2%Schoharie 8 2%

Q22. What is your race? (Check all that apply.)

85%

1% 3%

WhiteBlack/African Amer-icanNative-AmericanAsianOther


Q20. What is your age? n=490

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 54-65 65+0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

0.4% 0.4%4.0%

17.0%

34.0%

45.0%

Age

Perc

ent o

f Res

pond

ents


Q23. What is your political ideology? n=461

Political Ideology was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = very liberal and 7 = very conservative

Very

libe

ral 2 3 4 5 6

Very

con

serv

ative

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

13% 14% 13%

25%

12% 13%10%

Political Ideology

Perc

en

t of

Resp

on

den

tsRESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Q19. Are you a member of a conservation organization? n=480

24%

76%

Yes

No


Q19. Are you a member of a conservation organization? Responses with frequency > 3

Adirondack CouncilAppalachian Mountain Club

GreenpeaceOpen Space Institute

Renssselaer Plateau AllianceTrout unlimited

Wallkill Valley Land TrustArbor Day Foundation

Hudson Highland Land TrustRondout Esopus Land Conservancy

AudubonMohonk Preserve

National Wildlife FederationScenic Hudson

Columbia Land ConservancyNY Forest Owners Association

Sierra ClubThe Nature Conservancy

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Frequency of response

Org

an

izati

on


Q1. How many feet of streamside land do you own? n=527

5%

25%

69%

< 100 feet101 to 500 feet> 500 feet


Q2. How long have you owned your streamside land? n=531

0.2%

15%

85%

< 1 year1 to 10 years> 10 years


Q3. Please indicate the primary uses for your streamside land. (Check all that apply) Note: Percentages are of responses, not respondents, because respondents could choose more than one response.

Prim

ary re

siden

ce

Woo

dlan

d

Agric

ultu

re

Vaca

tion

hom

e

Wat

er re

crea

tion

Live

stoc

k

Other

Mon

etar

y inve

stm

ent

Residen

tial r

enta

l0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%50%

41%

20% 19%

12%7% 6% 5% 2%

Primary uses

Perc

en

t of

Resp

on

den

tsRESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Q3. Primary uses for your streamside land: “Other” responses. n=40 Note: Not all respondents chose this response and some respondents listed more than one “other” use.

A place to "escape"Art studio

BirdingBuilding lot

LumberNursery

Outlet for lakePressure

Mowed fieldsNon-water recreation

CampingNo present use

BusinessConservation

Home for wildlifeHunting/fishing

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


Pri

mary

uses


Q17. Is all or part of your property in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-designated 100-year floodplain? n=487

16%

32%

52%

YesNoI don't know

EXPERIENCE WITH FLOODING

Q18. Do you have flood insurance? n=491

5%

80%

7%

YesNoI don't know


Q4. How often have you experienced flooding on your land? n=523

28%

46%

15%

11%

NeverOnce every few yearsYearlyMore than once per year


Q5. What kind of flood-related damage have you experienced? (Check all that apply.) Note: Percentages are of responses, not respondents, because respondents could choose more than one response.

28%

25%11%

8%

7%

7%

7%5%

Yard flooding

None

Flooding of structure other than primary residence

Flooding in the primary residence

Field/ pasutre flooded

Erosion

Access*

Other


*Access includes: driveway, road, and bridge damage

Q5. What kind of flood-related damage have you experienced: Other responses n=176 Note: Some respondents listed more than one “other” type of damage.

Beach floodingBusiness damage

Damage to spillwayLoss of residence

Saturated landPond damage

Flood plainCulvert damage

Loss of landStream blocked/ water backup

Flooded woodlandStream course change

Below ground/basementDebris/Flotsam

Crop/ agriculture damageDamage to trees or shrubs

Structure or equipment damage

-1 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15


Typ

e o

f d

am

ag

eEXPERIENCE WITH FLOODING

Q6. How much money have you spent in the last 5 years for repairs of flood damage? n=356

51%

30%

20%

None< $5000> $5000


Q7. To what extent do you agree or disagree that each of the following was a cause of the most recent flood event on your property? Agreement was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = disagree and 7 = agree

Hard surfaces

Uncertain of the cause

Upstream activities

Structures near my land

Debris in the water

Ice/snow spring runoff

Heavy rains

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1.9

2.1

2.5

2.6

3.4

4.1

6.5

Mean agreement

Cau

se o

f fl

ood

ing


Q7. Flood causes: “Other” described responses n=93 Note: Some respondents listed more than one “other” cause of flooding.

Cause of flood N

Hurricane/ Storms 19Beaver activity 15Sediment in stream 5No flood 4Stream back up 4Activity on neighboring land 3Bridges 3Roads 3Climate change 2Creek bank erosion 2Ice 2Logging 2Natural causes 2Releases 2Runoff 2Lakes not lowered during storms 2DEC Activities 1Discharge from reservoir 1Downstream 1Eroded stream bank 1Ground saturation 1High water table 1Highway Superintendent 1Lowland 1Natural ponds 1Off-road vehicles cause erosion 1Storm surge 1Unauthorized dumping 1


Q8. Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Agreement was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = disagree and 7 = agree

My property is at risk for flooding

Flooding impacts my property value

My property will be damaged if it

floods

I am in physical danger if my

property floods

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3.93.6

3.4

1.7

Risk perception

Mean

ag

reem

en

tFLOOD RISK PERCEPTION


I consider how actions on my land may affect flood-ing on my land

I consider how actions on my land may affect flood-ing on my neighbors' land

Culverts near my property increase my risk for flooding

I do activities on my land that decrease impacts of flooding on my land

A dam near my property increases my risk for flooding

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4.4

4.2

3.2

3.0

2.4

Mean agreement

Ris

k p

erc

ep

tion

FLOOD RISK PERCEPTION


Flooding is a problem on my land

Flooding will be a problem in the future on my land

I have flooding, but it's not currently a problem

on my land

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3.13.6 3.8

Risk perception

Mean

ag

reem

en

tFLOOD RISK PERCEPTION

STREAM MANAGEMENT BEHAVIORSQs 10&11

Stream Management Behavior Mean attitude* Done in past %(n) Likelihood in future**

Remove debris from stream 5.3 30% (161) 3.9Plant/maintain streambank vegetation 5.2 20% (107) 3.0Participate in a watershed organization 4.1 4% (21) 2.6Remove sediment from stream 3.4 7% (36) 1.7Remove vegetation from streambank 3.3 18% (96) 2.3Straighten streambank 3.1 6% (34) 1.5Mow to edge of stream 3.0 13% (67) 2.3Collect runoff 3.0 3% (17) 1.4Extract water from stream 2.9 7% (36) 1.8Dam stream 1.9 3% (15) 1.2*Attitude was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = negative and 7 = positive

**Likelihood was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not at all likely and 7 = very likely

ATTITUDEQ10. The following are activities some people do with their streamside land. Please indicate how positive or negative you feel about each of the activities, whether you have done them or not. Attitude was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = negative and 7 = positive

Dam stream

Extract water from stream

Mow to edge of stream

Collect runoff

Straighten streambank

Remove vegetation from streambank

Remove sediment from stream

Participate in a watershed organization

Plant/maintain vegetation along streambank

Remove debris from stream

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1.9

2.9

3.0

3.0

3.1

3.3

3.4

4.1

5.2

5.3

Mean attitude

Acti

vit

ySTREAM MANAGEMENT

None 1 2 30%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

78%

18%

3% 1%

Number of beneficial behaviors* performed

Perc

en

t of

resp

on

den

ts

*Beneficial behaviors: Plant/maintain vegetation along streambank; Collect runoff; Participate in a watershed organization

STREAM MANAGEMENTQ10. The following are activities some people do with their streamside land. Please indicate if you have done (or have had someone do) the following on your streamside land or in the water in the past two years.

SUMMATED SCALE: BENEFICIAL PAST BEHAVIORS MEAN = 0.27

None 1 2 3 4 5 6 70%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%59%

18%12%

7%2% 2% 1% 0%

Number of detrimental behaviors* performed

Perc

en

t of

re-

sp

on

den

ts

*Detrimental behaviors: Remove debris from stream; remove vegetation from streambank; mow to edge of stream; extract water from stream; straighten streambank; dam stream; remove sediment from stream

STREAM MANAGEMENTQ10. The following are activities some people do with their streamside land. Please indicate if you have done (or have had someone do) the following on your streamside land or in the water in the past two years.

SUMMATED SCALE: DETRIMENTAL PAST BEHAVIORS MEAN = 0.83

FUTURE BEHAVIORAL INTENTQ11. The following are activities some people do with their streamside land. Please indicate how likely you are to do (or have someone do) each of the following on your land or in the water within the next year. Likelihood was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not at all likely and 7 = very likely

Dam stream

Collect runoff

Straighten streambank

Remove sediment from stream

Extract water from stream

Remove vegetation from streambank

Mow to edge of stream

Participate in a watershed organization

Plant/maintain vegetation along streambank

Remove debris from stream

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1.2

1.4

1.5

1.7

1.8

2.3

2.3

2.6

3.0

3.9

Mean likelihood

Mg

mt

Act

ivit

y

STREAM MANAGEMENT

SUMMATED SCALE – FUTURE BEHAVIORS

Likelihood was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not at all likely and 7 = very likely

Beneficial behaviors* Detrimental behaviors**1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2.3 2.1

Future behavioral intent

Mean

Lik

elih

ood

*Beneficial behaviors: Plant/maintain vegetation along streambank; Collect runoff; Participate in a watershed organization **Detrimental behaviors: Remove debris from stream; remove vegetation from streambank; mow to edge of stream; remove water from stream; straighten streambank; dam stream; remove sediment from stream

STREAM MANAGEMENT


GROUP MEAN = 4.3

People in my household believe that stream management to reduce flooding is important

People I know believe that using stream management to reduce flooding is important

The stream management activities my neighbors conduct on their land influences what I do on mine

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4.8

4.6

3.5

Mean Agreement

Norm

ati

ve S

tate

men

tSOCIETAL NORMS


GROUP MEAN = 4.0

Doing flood management activities on my property is completely up to me.

I am able to get information and I need to help manage flooding on my land

I am aware of the rules, laws, and regulations pertaining to how I may use my streamside land.

I am aware of where to get information I need to help manage flooding on my land

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4.9

3.9

3.9

3.5

Mean Agreement

Beha

viora

l Con

trol S

tate

men

t

BEHAVIORAL CONTROL

Q13. To what extent does each of the following reasons limit the activities you do on your streamside land to control or prevent flooding? Limitation was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not limiting at all and 7 = very limiting

I don’t have enough land

I don’t have enough interest

I don’t know why I should

Lack support from fam/friends

It wouldn't make a difference

I don’t feel there is a need to

I don’t know how

The government prevents me

I don’t have enough time

I don’t have technical support

I don’t have enough money

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1.9

2.5

2.6

2.6

2.9

3.1

3.4

3.7

3.9

4.0

4.5

Mean limitation

Barr

ier

BARRIERS

FACTOR ANALYSISLimitation was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not limiting at all and 7 = very limiting

Lack of resources* Lack of interest**1

2

3

4

5

6

7

3.6

2.6

Barrier

Mean

lim

itati

on

*Scale includes: I don't have enough money; I don't have technical support; I don't have enough time; I don't know how; the government prevents me; I don't have enough support from fam/friends; Cronbach’s Alpha = .783**Scale includes: I don't know why I should; I don't think it makes a difference; I don't have enough interest; I don't feel there is a need; I don't have enough land; Cronbach’s Alpha = .783

BARRIERS

Q13. Responses in “Other” category

Limitation Frequency of mentionGovernment 14No need 8Access 5Age/ Health 4Cost 3Culvert 1Damaged property 1DEP is Responsible 1Done everything I need to 1Don't know 1Don't know if I should 1Don't know what is allowed 1Don't know what to do 1ENCON 1Erosion undermining trees 1Flooding is beyond my control 1Howard Commander and LV racetrack 1I've had it. Done. Spent thousands. Made it worse. 1Letting our land flood helps keep Wappinger Creek from flooding worse. 1No desire to control nature 1No help from neighbors 1No local support 1No potential 1Poison ivy 1Risk versus cost trade-off once every 50 years--is it worth it? 1Stream feeds reservoir 1Too much work 1Water is v far from res. 1

BARRIERS

Q14. How effective would each of the following be in communicating information to you regarding stream management and flooding? Effectiveness was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not at all effective and 7 = very effective

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

5.24.6 4.5

4.2

3.1

Communication type

Mean

eff

ecti

ven

ess

COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES

Q15. How likely would you be to participate in a program such as Trees for Tribs in the future? Likelihood was measured on a 7-point Likert-type scale where 1 = not at all likely and 7 = very likely

Not at all

likely

2 3 4 5 6 Very likely

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

28%

8%4%

12% 12%10%

25%

Likelihood of participation

Perc

en

t of

resp

on

den

tsEDUCATION PREFERENCES

Q16. What kind of educational programs might you be interested in about flood management on your land? (Check all that apply.) Note: Percentages are of responses, not respondents, because respondents could choose more than one response.

31%

29%29%

32%Not interested in educational events

In-person workshop

Hands-on technical training in the field

Online learning

EDUCATION PREFERENCES

Q16. What kind of educational programs might you be interested in about flood management on your land? n = 25 Other responses

Educate local land trust

Education won't help

Educational events

Films

Info affecting community

Landscaping

Money

Neighbors by creek

Specific to my stream profile

Stewardship

Mailings

Phone call

Technical assistance

Site visit

Literature

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7


Ed

ucati

on

In

tere

st

EDUCATION PREFERENCES

survey of streamside landowners in the hudson valley

Environment