Project Description | Presentation - August 5, 2004 (PowerPoint file) | Presentation at the Annual Conference of the International Association of Great Lakes Research, May 2005 | Final report | Matrix | Bibliography

About the Project

Local decision makers (elected officials, planners, engineers and economic development practitioners) at the county, municipal and township level are responsible for improving physical, social and fiscal conditions in their communities. These decision makers affect coastal and watershed resources through land use, infrastructure, and economic development decisions. and are key in achieving many objectives of the various organizations working on coastal and watershed issues in the Lake Erie basin. This project explores the hypothesis that local decision-makers will be receptive to information regarding the economic and fiscal benefits and costs-avoided of watershed and coastal stewardship practices. This information can thus be a lens through which local decision-makers can be informed more fully about ecosystem stewardship more generally. The project The project used telephone interviews of current training course providers in the Ohio Lake Erie basin to characterize the current training course offerings from which local decision makers could learn about economic and fiscal benefits. We then conducted a focus group of technical assistance organizations that work with decision makers to ascertain the relevance of these programs and the approach overall to education of decision makers. The project is a first step in determining the knowledge base and expertise in the Lake Erie basin regarding the topic focus, identifying needs for applied research on the topic, and identifying opportunities for partnerships in outreach and assistance to local decision makers.