North American Waterfowl Management Plan

Without this valuation information, NAWMP population, habitat, and people objectives may not reflect stakeholder and societal values; and management and policy decisions may lead to actions that could be either irrelevant or counter to stakeholder and societal expectations. 

The total research effort includes four components: focus groups in each flyway to identify preferences in recreational experiences; surveys of hunters and other waterfowl conservationists (i.e., members of organizations supporting migratory bird conservation including viewers) using discrete choice modeling; a survey of waterfowl management professionals; and a survey of the general public that includes individuals not necessarily vested in waterfowl management issues. 

The focus groups and general public survey will be conducted by the Fort Collins Science Center. The surveys of hunters and other waterfowl conservationists and of waterfowl management professionals will be conducted from the USGS CRU at University of Minnesota. Research conducted from Colorado and Minnesota will be collaborative. Specifically, results from the Colorado team are necessary to design the methods being implemented from Minnesota. Final publications generated in the third year will be a collaborative effort between the Colorado and Minnesota teams.