Evaluation of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in the Southeast U.S.: Understanding landowner participations and ongoing stewardship behaviors

Your experience with the
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

A survey by:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

INTRODUCTION
Programs that help landowners improve wildlife habitat have become more common and available to
private landowners over the last few decades. HABITAT IMPROVEMENT includes establishing, restoring,
enhancing, or maintaining wildlife habitat.
In this survey, we'd like to ask you about a particular wildlife habitat improvement program you
participated in—the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE (PFW) PROGRAM, which
we will refer to in this survey as the Program.
Hearing your feedback about participation will help us understand how the Program is serving private
landowners like you.

PROJECT DETAILS
Your Program LANDOWNER AGREEMENT describes the habitat improvement project and the management
activities required to advance or maintain project outcomes during the agreement term.
<> in partnership with <>>>. In the
Program, you <> a <> habitat improvement project on
your parcel of land in <>. This agreement started in <> and <> in
<>.
We would like to ask you specifically about your experiences with this habitat improvement project in
this Program.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to solicit
feedback on landowner experiences in the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program to improve Program service and landowner
support. Your response is voluntary and we will not share you response publicly. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. OMB has reviewed and approved this
survey and assigned OMB Control Number 1040-0001.
Estimated Burden Statement: We estimate it will take 17 minutes to complete this survey, including time to read instructions and gather
information. You may submit comments on any aspect of this information collection to the Service Information Collection Clearance
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: JAO/PERMA-PRB, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, or via email at
[email protected].

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SECTION A: YOUR PROPERTY
Private land is used for many reasons and it means different things to people. We’d like to know a
little bit about your property and how you use it.
Some landowners own multiple parcels of land in the same area. If you own multiple parcels of land in
the same area, please consider them all together as your “property” for the following questions.
1. How many years have you owned or managed your property?
years

2. Is your primary residence on your property?
▢ No

▢ Yes

3. Who makes most of the day-to-day decisions about your property?
▢ Just me or me and my spouse
▢ Me and others (family members, business partners, land managers, lessee, etc.)
▢ Only others (family members, business partners, land managers, lessee, etc.)

4. In a typical week, how many hours do you spend on land management planning or activities on
your property?
hours

5. How many acres of your property are managed with the primary goal to provide habitat for
wildlife?
acres

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6. Please indicate how well each option describes how you use your property:
Does not
describe

Slightly
describes

Moderately
describes

Mostly
describes

Completely
describes

for timber production

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for crop production

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for livestock production

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I use my property…

to provide hunting
leases to others
for the financial
investment in land

7. Many people use their property for personal reasons as well as a business. Please indicate how well
each additional option below describes how you use your property:

I use my property…
to provide wildlife habitat
for personal hunting (self,
family, friends)
for other outdoor recreation
(non-hunting)
for the rural lifestyle
to conserve/protect rare or
declining species
very little—I’m not very
involved in my land
Other

Does not
describe

Slightly
describes

Moderately
describes

Mostly
describes

Completely
describes

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If you indicate some other use for your property, please specify:

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SECTION B: YOUR DECISION TO PARTICIPATE
Before participating in programs like this, people often consider reasons for and against participating.
In this section, we want to know more about the factors that you may or may not have considered at
the time you decided to participate in this Program.
We first want to hear about the reasons that may have POSITIVELY INFLUENCED your decision.
8. The items below reflect a number of reasons landowners may have when deciding to participate in
the Program. Please indicate to what degree each of the items below positively influenced your
decision to participate:
No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very
strong
influence

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improve the health of my land

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conserve/protect rare or declining
wildlife

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increase the profitability of my land

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uphold my family connection to the
land

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I participated because I wanted to…
improve habitat for game wildlife on my
land
improve habitat for non-game wildlife
on my land

9. The items below reflect reasons that may be related to needs you had on your land. Please indicate
to what degree each of the items below positively influenced your decision to participate in the
Program:
I participated because the project…
met an existing need I had for my land
was something I wanted to implement
on my land anyway
matched my overall land management
goals
was something I didn’t know how to
implement on my own
was something I couldn’t otherwise
afford to do on my own
was something I didn’t have the
resources (supplies or equipment) to do
on my own

No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very strong
influence

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10. The items below reflect some landowners’ experiences learning about and participating in the
PFW Program. Please indicate to what degree each of the items below positively influenced your
decision to participate:
I participated because:
I knew someone else who participated
in the Program
someone reached out to me directly
<> was running the
Program
I had a positive previous experience with
the Program
I had a positive previous experience with
another habitat improvement program

No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very strong
influence

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11. The items below reflect a number of personal reasons landowners may have when deciding to
participate in the Program. Please indicate to what degree each of the items below positively
influenced your decision to participate:
I participated because:
I like the feeling I get when helping
wildlife
Establishing, restoring, or enhancing
habitat is a fundamental part of who I
am
participation in the Program seemed
like a reasonable thing to do
I thought it was an appropriate thing for
someone like me to do
helping wildlife is a fundamental part of
who I am
it’s the kind of thing someone like me
should do
I would feel guilty if I didn’t do what I
could to improve wildlife habitat
I wanted recognition from others for
participating in habitat improvement
programs

No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very
strong
influence

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While you ultimately decided to participate in the Program, we want to hear about the reasons or
concerns that may have had a NEGATIVE INFLUENCE on your decision.
12. The items below reflect a number of practical considerations landowners may have when deciding
to participate in the PFW Program. Please indicate the degree to which the following items made you
reluctant to participate:
When deciding to participate,
I thought:
implementing the habitat improvement
project would be too burdensome
my personal financial contribution
would be too costly
the agreement term length was too
long
the paperwork and administrative
process would be a hassle
the reimbursement process would be
difficult and/or lengthy
the project and management activities
would decrease overall profitability of
my land

No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very
strong
influence

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13. The items below reflect a number of personal considerations landowners may have when deciding
to participate in the Program. Please indicate the degree to which the following items made you
reluctant to participate:
No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very
strong
influence

that I was uncomfortable receiving
financial assistance to manage my land

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I was uncomfortable allowing access to
my land

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<> didn’t seem
trustworthy

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When deciding to participate,
I considered:

the possibility that the habitat
improvement project wouldn’t be
helpful
that the habitat improvement project
wasn’t aligned with my land
management goals

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14. The items below reflect a number of personal considerations landowners may have when deciding
to participate in the Program. Please indicate the degree to which the following items made you
reluctant to participate:
When deciding to participate,
I thought:
I would lose the control to manage my
land the way I feel is best
I wouldn’t be protected from future
regulations on my land
working with the federal government
would have hidden strings attached

No
influence

Small
influence

Moderate
influence

Strong
influence

Very
strong
influence

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15. We understand you may not know exactly what other landowners in your area are doing, but
please answer the following questions to the best of your ability:
About how many landowners in your
area…
participate in the Program or any
similar wildlife habitat improvement
programs
manage their properties with a goal to
conserve habitat for rare or declining
wildlife

None

Few

Some

Most

Almost all

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16. People important to me think I should manage my land to improve wildlife habitat.
▢ Strongly
disagree

▢ Moderately ▢ Slightly
disagree
disagree

▢ Neutral

▢ Slightly
agree

▢ Moderately ▢ Strongly
agree
agree

17. Regardless of what other people do, my personal values oblige me to always manage my land to
improve wildlife habitat.
▢ Strongly
disagree

▢ Moderately ▢ Slightly
disagree
disagree

▢ Neutral

▢ Slightly
agree

▢ Moderately ▢ Strongly
agree
agree

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SECTION C: YOUR OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAM
We are surveying Program landowners who are at various stages in their agreements—both during
and beyond the life of the agreement term. Please respond to the following questions based on YOUR
CURRENT STAGE in your agreement and habitat improvement project work plan.
18. Please provide your general feedback about your experience with this Program thus far:

The
<>
has met my expectations
I am proud of my
association with the
Program
I am satisfied with my
experience with the
Program
I have more knowledge
of how to manage my
land the way I would like
The Program allows me
to still manage my
property the way I want
to
My involvement in the
Program has increased
my interest in helping
rare or declining wildlife

Strongly
disagree

Moderately
disagree

Slightly
disagree

Neutral

Slightly
agree

Moderately
agree

Strongly
agree

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19. Please respond to these items about how you would consider participating in this Program if you
made the decision again:
Knowing what I know
now…
I would make the same
decision to participate in
the Program to do this
project
I would participate in the
Program for another
habitat improvement
project

Strongly
disagree

Moderately
disagree

Slightly
disagree

Neutral

Slightly
agree

Moderately
agree

Strongly
agree

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20. How would you describe the relationship with your <>
primary contact>>?
▢ Very
unsatisfactory

▢ Moderately
unsatisfactory

▢ Slightly
unsatisfactory

▢ Neutral

▢ Slightly
satisfactory

▢ Moderately
satisfactory

▢ Very
satisfactory

21. How much do you rely on your <> primary contact>> for
help?
▢ Never

▢ Rarely

▢ Sometimes

▢ Frequently

▢ Always

22. Did working with the Program to benefit wildlife make you more or less likely to want to continue
conservation work on your property?
▢ Extremely
less likely

▢ Moderately
less likely

▢ Slightly
less likely

▢ Neither

▢ Slightly
more likely

▢ Moderately
more likely

▢ Extremely
more likely

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23. To the best of your knowledge, please select the option that best describes where you are in your
Program agreement. “Project” refers to your <> habitat improvement project.
SELECT ONLY ONE RESPONSE AND MOVE ON TO THE DIRECTED SECTION.
▢ Project has not started
▢ Project has started, but is not yet completed

… PLEASE SKIP TO SECTION E

▢ Project was completed within the past year,
and the agreement term has not ended
▢ Project was completed over 1 year ago, and
the agreement term has not ended

… PLEASE MOVE ON TO SECTION D

▢ Project was completed, and the agreement
term has ended

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SECTION D: MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT YOUR PROJECT OUTCOMES
24. Please respond to these items about how you consider the results of your wildlife habitat
improvement project in this Program:
This project…
helped me
achieve my goals
for the parcel
delivered
intended
outcomes

Too
Strongly early
agree to tell

Strongly
disagree

Moderately
disagree

Slightly
disagree

Neutral

Slightly
agree

Moderately
agree

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increased my
income

After completion of the wildlife habitat improvement project, there are typically some management
activities that need to continue to support the project outcomes. The questions below ask you to tell
us more about the management activities outlined in your Program agreement.
25. Overall, continuing the management activities outlined in the Program agreement to support
project outcomes is:
Extremely Moderately Slightly Neither Slightly Moderately Extremely
Easy

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Difficult

Quick

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Time
consuming

Worthless

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Worthwhile

Expensive

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Inexpensive

Manageable

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Burdensome

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Below are some conditions that might influence whether or not you maintain habitat improvement
project outcomes.
26. Please indicate how the following items might increase the likelihood of you continuing
management activities:
I am more likely to continue the
management activities if…
the activities complement my operation or
land management goals
the financial burden of implementing the
activities is low
I was in control of the project
implementation and maintenance
I established a good relationship with
contacts within the Program

No change

Slightly more
likely

Moderately
more likely

Much more
likely

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I simply enjoy keeping up with the activities

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the project outcomes on my property are
worth the cost and time

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Below are some challenges that might influence whether or not you maintain habitat improvement
project outcomes.
27. Please indicate how the following items might decrease the likelihood of you continuing
management activities:
I am less likely to continue the management
activities if…

No change

Slightly less
likely

Moderately
less likely

Much less
likely

the project didn’t produce the intended outcomes

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the activities get in the way of my operation

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the activities are too time consuming

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the activities are too expensive

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I don’t have sufficient knowledge of how to
continue over the long term
removing the activities reduces government
influence on my property

monitoring, scheduling, and carrying out the
activities is too complicated
I know of a better way to achieve or maintain
project outcomes than what the Program
agreement specified

28. To what degree have you been able to continue management activities to maintain or advance the
habitat improvement project outcomes up until now?
▢ Not at all

▢ Some

▢ Mostly

▢ Completely

▢ Not applicable

29. What in particular do you find challenging about continuing management activities to maintain or advance
the habitat improvement project outcomes?

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Maintaining wildlife habitat improvement outcomes after the Program agreement term ends requires
continued maintenance and management. Wherever you currently are in your agreement, we want to
know your thoughts about CONTINUED HABITAT MANAGEMENT AFTER THE AGREEMENT TERM ENDS.
30. Are you receiving the technical assistance you require to maintain or advance the habitat
improvement once the Program agreement term ends?
▢ Strongly
disagree

▢ Moderately ▢ Slightly
disagree
disagree

▢ Neutral

▢ Slightly
agree

▢ Moderately ▢ Strongly
agree
disagree

31. About how long past the end of the Program agreement do you plan on continuing to maintain or
advance the habitat improvement project outcomes?
▢ Up to 2 years

▢ 2-5 years

▢ 6-10 years

▢ 10-20 years

▢ More than 20
years

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SECTION E: DEMOGRAPHICS
Your willingness to share some background information will help us appreciate landowner’s
considerations of managing land for wildlife habitat. Your responses are completely CONFIDENTIAL and
will NOT be connected to your name or address, and we will NEVER release your personal information to
anyone.
Some landowners own multiple parcels of land in the same area. If you own multiple parcels of land in
the same area, please consider them all together as your “property” for the following questions.
32. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each item related to the financial
management of your property:
My property…
is an important source
of income

Strongly Moderately
disagree
disagree

Slightly
disagree

Neutral

Slightly
agree

Moderately Strongly
agree
agree

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is a business

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needs to at least
financially break even

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33. How many acres of property do you own, lease from others, and lease to others?
acres owned
acres leased (rented)
acres leased out (rented out)

34. In a typical year, approximately what percentage of your annual household income comes from
activities related to your property?
%
35. Please select your gender:
▢ Male
▢ Female
▢ Other
▢ Prefer not to say

36. What year were you born?
___ ___ ___ ___

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If there is anything else you would like to share with us, please do so here:

We greatly appreciate your time and thoughtful contributions to this survey.
Please return your completed questionnaire in the postage-paid envelope as soon as possible.
THANK YOU!

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