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A Mixed Methods Approach To Assess Human Well-being Indicators Associated With Remediation And Habitat Restoration In A Great Lakes Area Of Concern
Citation:
Josephs, J. AND T. Angradi. A Mixed Methods Approach To Assess Human Well-being Indicators Associated With Remediation And Habitat Restoration In A Great Lakes Area Of Concern. EPA Great Lakes Toxicology & Ecology Division Seminar, Duluth, MN, February 08, 2023. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.22105274
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation to the Great Lakes Toxicology & Ecology Division Seminar February 2023. This presentation will present findings from a mixed methods study about how environmental conditions of an AOC project site influence human well-being. Intended audience is GLTED scientists, local organization and academic professionals, and state agency personnel who have an interest in learning how these methods contribute towards a broader understanding of socio-environmental relationships and human well-being.
Description:
Understanding how site conditions influence physical and social elements of human well-being through use and perception of an area is integral for natural resource managers implementing environmental initiatives such as remediation and habitat restoration. However, the contextual and dynamic nature of the physical and social elements of human well-being can be difficult to quantify or assess empirically. Much of the research about how environmental cleanup impacts human well-being has focused on economic benefit and the perspective of formal stakeholders such as government or academic professionals, technical experts, or environmental non-profits. Initial efforts to define indicators and develop metrics to measure community benefit of such environmental initiatives have focused on local scales but fall short of site-specific and direct site user evidence. This paper describes a novel mixed methods approach that utilized aesthetics monitoring, trail counters, trail cameras, and intercept surveys to quantify and assess how a clean-up site in Superior, Wisconsin, USA contributes to human well-being through integrating site conditions, use, and user perceptions. In this study, recreational site use and site user perception were used as indicators of human well-being. We demonstrate the application of this mixed methods approach, presenting baseline findings that suggest this approach offers a robust characterization of how site conditions influence well-being. We identify the benefits of the approach along with its limitations and considerations for applications.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: A Mixed Methods Approach To Assess Human Well-being Indicators Associated With Remediation And Habitat Restoration In A Great Lakes Area Of Concern
JOSEPHS_PRESENTATION_PICKLEPOND_GLTEDSEMINAR.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 1104.537 KB, about PDF)