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Community Characterizations
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a network of protected areas that promote estuarine research and education at 28 research reserves around the country. Reserves generate and transfer knowledge about estuaries to students, teachers, the general public and to local decision makers. To effectively educate people to make responsible choices that will not harm the resource, we need to know more about the way that human uses affect the biological, chemical, and physical attributes of the estuary. Monitoring programs must include data that tracks essential socio-economic and demographic trends as well as traditional environmental indicators to use in multi-discipline research that addresses the human element of environmental science, education and planning.
Examples of existing social science data streams that can be used are census data, such as population, population density, population change, and demographic variables (e.g. education, race, age, and gender); economic information, such as sales, income, employment, and industrial makeup; and land use data. Having information on primary language and education attainment can help shape programming for public and student activities. Census data gives information on how long people stay in their residence and how many people own their homes. Outreach and education that focus on long-term effects of personal choices (climate change in low lying areas) will resonate with those that are settled in the area much more than in a community where most people rent an apartment for two years. Census data on how many automobiles are available per household could also be an important factor in deciding if education programs will be on site or will travel to schools and libraries in the area. Reserves can also benefit from socio-economic data when recruiting volunteers. A changing age structure that indicates a greater population of retired people, an increase in the average educational background of residents, or indication that some parents are working from home or stay at home parents may help target efforts to recruit volunteers.
Socio-demographic parameters can be powerful indicators of access, receptiveness, and influence to certain messages. In an effort to identify strategies to more effectively target community-based audiences that are outside the scope of the traditional K-12 and coastal decision-maker programs, we have started an assessment of how social science data, tools and methods can contribute to the mission of the NERRS. The following four research reserves are involved in this study: Waquoit Bay NERR (MA), Old Woman Creek NERR (OH), North Carolina NERR (NC) and San Francisco Bay NERR (CA). These research reserves were chosen based on the need for diversity in terms of urbanization, size and geographic region.
See results of community characterizations done at Research Reserves:
Last Updated on: Tuesday, October 26, 2010
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