Letters

Attachment 8: Preview Letter to Mail Survey Recipients
Dear Resident:
I am writing to let you know about an important survey about the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding
watershed (the area where water eventually drains into the Chesapeake Bay). The Chesapeake Bay is the
largest estuary in North America and the third largest in the world.
This survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, will help policy makers from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and state governments better understand your opinions about programs that would
affect the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Your address was randomly selected to receive a survey about these programs as part of a regional
sample of households.
Sometime in the next few weeks you will receive the survey booklet by mail. Your participation is
completely voluntary and there are no penalties for not answering any questions. Your answers will be
kept confidential to the extent permitted by law.
Even if you are not familiar with the Chesapeake Bay, your help is essential to ensure that the survey
results are as complete and accurate as possible. We cannot send this survey to everyone, so your
answers will represent the opinions of other residents in your state who are similar to you and your
household.
Please keep in mind that by quickly returning your completed survey you will be helping to keep down
the costs of collecting this information.
Thank you in advance for your assistance in this project.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME], [INSERT TITLE]
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics

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Attachment 9: Cover Letter to Mail Survey Recipients
Dear Resident:
You recently received a letter informing you that your household was selected at random to receive a
survey about new programs affecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. You were selected for this
survey because, as a resident who lives the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, your
opinions are important. The survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, accompanies this letter.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments are considering new programs that
could affect water quality, aquatic wildlife and recreation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These
programs differ in their outcomes and their costs.
The purpose of this survey is to collect information policy makers will use to make decisions about these
programs. It should take 15 to 20 minutes of your time. This survey…
Asks about your experiences and opinions relating to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Describes current conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Watershed.
Presents different options for improving conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the
Watershed, and asks which of these options you would vote for.
We need your opinions. Your responses to this survey will help inform policy decisions. Please take
the time to read the information in this survey and answer the questions carefully.
All answers to the survey will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. Once we have
received your survey, we will delete your name from all lists, so that your responses can never be traced
back to you. Of course, your participation is voluntary.
Thank you for your assistance in this project. We would greatly appreciate if you could complete and
return the survey using the prepaid envelope in the next week.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME], [INSERT TITLE]
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics

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Attachment 10: Post Card Reminder to Mail Survey Recipients
FRONT
OMB Control No. xxxx-xxxx
Last week a survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, was mailed to you
concerning new programs affecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and
lakes in the Watershed. If you have already returned your completed
survey, please accept our sincere thanks.
If you have not yet completed your survey, we ask that you please do so
today. As a resident who lives the Watershed, you are
one of a select few who have been chosen to participate. Your answers will
help us understand your opinions about these new programs.
If you did not receive the survey or it was misplaced, please contact TBD at
(###) ###-#### or xxx@xxx and we will send a replacement today.
Regards,

[INSERT NAME]
Environmental Protection Agency

BACK
United States Last week a survey was mailed to you concerning
Environmental Protection Agencyand government regulatiNortheast
Washington, DC 20460 you have already returned your completed
Mail Code XXX our sincere thanks.

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Attachment 11: Cover Letter to Recipients of the Second Survey Mailing
Dear Resident:
Within the last few weeks a survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, was sent to you about new
programs affecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
If you have already returned your completed survey, please disregard this letter. Otherwise, please
complete the enclosed survey and return it using the prepaid envelope.
You are one of a select few who have been chosen to participate. You were selected for this survey
because, as a resident who lives the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, your opinions
are important to policy makers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments are considering new programs that
could affect water quality, aquatic wildlife and recreation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These
programs differ in their outcomes and their costs.
The purpose of this survey is to collect information policy makers will use to make decisions about these
programs. It should take 15 to 20 minutes of your time. This survey…
Asks about your experiences and opinions relating to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Describes current conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Watershed.
Presents different options for improving conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the
Watershed, and asks which of these options you would vote for.
We need your opinions. Your responses to this survey will help inform policy decisions. Please take
the time to read the information in this survey and answer the questions carefully.
All answers to the survey will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. Once we have
received your survey, we will delete your name from all lists, so that your responses can never be traced
back to you. Of course, your participation is voluntary.
Thank you for your assistance in this project. We would greatly appreciate if you could complete and
return the survey using the prepaid envelope in the next week.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME], [INSERT TITLE]
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics

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Attachment 12: Reminder Letter to Recipients of the Second Survey Mailing
Dear Resident:
Within the last week a survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, was mailed to you concerning
programs affecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Through a random process, your address was selected to receive the survey. If you have not yet
completed your survey, we ask that you please do so today. You are one of a select few who have been
chosen to participate. As a resident who lives the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, your
opinions are extremely important to policy makers, and are needed to ensure that the survey results are
complete and accurate.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments are considering new programs that
could affect water quality, aquatic wildlife and recreation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These
programs differ in their outcomes and their costs.
The purpose of this survey is to collect information policy makers will use to make decisions about these
programs. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes of your time. This survey…
Asks about your experiences and opinions relating to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Describes current conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the Watershed.
Presents different options for improving conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in the
Watershed, and asks which of these options you would vote for.
We need your opinions. Your responses to this survey will help inform policy decisions. Please take
the time to read the information in this survey and answer the questions carefully.
All answers to the survey will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. Once we have
received your survey, we will delete your name from all lists, so that your responses can never be traced
back to you. Of course, your participation is voluntary.
We thank you for your assistance in this project. We would greatly appreciate if you could return the
completed survey using the prepaid envelope in the near future. If you have misplaced your survey,
please contact TBD at (###) ###-### or XXX@XXX for a replacement.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME], [INSERT TITLE]
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics

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Attachment 13: Cover Letter to Recipients of the Mail Non-response Questionnaire
Dear Resident:
Within the last week a survey, The Future of the Chesapeake Bay, was mailed to you concerning new
programs affecting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas. Through a random
process, your address was selected to receive the survey. Our records indicate that you did not return the
completed survey.
While we are no longer asking that you complete the full survey, a brief questionnaire is enclosed with
this letter. It should take no more than 5 minutes of your time. Also included is a small token of our
appreciation which is yours to keep.
You were selected for this study because you are a resident who lives the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Your answers to the questionnaire will help policy makers from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and state governments better understand opinions about programs
which would affect water quality, aquatic wildlife, and recreation in the Chesapeake Bay and lakes in
the Chesapeake Watershed. By filling out this survey, you will be participating in an important study
that will help policy makers understand your opinions about these programs.
Your responses to this questionnaire are extremely important to ensure that the results are complete and
accurate. All answers to the survey are kept confidential to the extent permitted by law. Once we have
received your survey, we will delete your name from all lists, so that your responses can never be traced
back to you. Of course, your participation is voluntary and you may refuse to answer any or all
questions.
We thank you for your assistance in this project. We would greatly appreciate if you could return the
survey in the next several days.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME], [INSERT TITLE]
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental Economics

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