Survey for local communities and organizations. (Working Draft)
Current ecosystems
What are the current conditions or states of the ecosystems and human
communities within the larger area?
Personal data
- Length of stay
- Number of persons in household, relationships.
- Primary occupation, (source of income)
- Number of persons in household employed.
Place of residence
- Acreage owned, acreage used (leased and from whom leased)
- Livestock number and type of animal/farming, kinds of crops (in acres)
- Type of cultivation/water used
- How is water for operation obtained (water hauled by truck, stream
provides, springs, irrigation well?
Are the current ecosystems completely exotic?
Have the range plants changed from one kind or species to another during
your lifetime? If so, what were the plants that are gone? What kind of
plants have taken over?
List pesticides/herbicides used, and the target of their use.
Has there been any treatment of sagebrush on your land? If so, what
kind
Rate success of treatment for sagebrush eradication, (very successful,
moderately successful, failed, same amount of sagebrush, or more than before).
Do the current ecosystems represent a major departure from "natural"
conditions?
What are the directions and rates of change within the human communities?
HISTORICAL DATA
What are the human-caused disturbance regimes and what are their characteristics
or indicators?
Has human intervention significantly altered the natural disturbance
history of the ecosystems?
How did this land look when your grandparents lived here?
From ten years ago; number of animals, kind, number of acres used?
Any changes in water use or development?
In your opinion, is the land more, less or about the same in terms
of productivity? Explain why your answer was what it was:
Any climate changes in your opinion over the past ten years?
If the land was held by your tribe/clan, family, or a State or Federal
agency, what have been the long term changes in the land and the river?
Why do you believe these changes have taken place?
RESPONSIBILITY AND OWNERSHIP
In your opinion, what needs to be done to maintain or improve the water
in the river and the land you use?
Who should be responsible for taking care of these resources?
Is there a way you can help?
How would you like to help care for the water and land?
Are you already doing all you think you can to care for your environment?
Transportation
How many miles do you travel each week?
Do you share rides with others ; in family, close neighbors, others?
How often do you drive to town for supplies or services such as repairs,
health care, activities in your area; (can travel in all weather, travel
in summer only, travel interrupted by snow or rains) are they regularly
graded or paved?
Who cares for the roads? Self or family, county or tribe, federal agency?
Number of persons 60 yrs or older in household?
Aged family members who live alone or with other family members?
Relationship (uncle, aunt, mother father, grandparents, copadres, comadres?)
If living alone, are they independent or do they require daily help
with care and chores?
Do the elderly in your family require regular medical care (medication,
therapy, other?), Nursing home care, or little no medical attention?
Type of health problems.
Are there family members who are not living at home because they need
special care?
Is there transportation available for the elderly? Rate need or level
of service.
Who pays for services to the elderly?
Who is responsible for the elderly and their care?
Water and water treatment
How is water delivered in your community? Where is it obtained? (private
well, cistern, community reservoir or wells?
Is your drinking water dependent upon the Rio Puerco? (underground
flows, reservoirs?
Are there problems with water quality in your community?
How is water storage and delivery funded? Taxes, Subsidized by federal
or state government? Other?
Distance to nearest health clinic, doctor, hospital.
Number of visits during the last year.
Reason for visit; well patient, minor injury or illness (cold, flu,
cuts etc.), Major illness (required return visit or hospitalization) maternity
care.
Has any member of your family moved in order to obtain medical treatment?
If so, what is the condition involved? Could that condition be treated
in your community at the present time?
How is health care funded?
Level of education in family (each individual living in home).
Number of children currently attending school, grade levels.
Distance to school.
Method of transportation (public, walk, share rides or are driven).
Who pays for the schools in your area? (are there subsidies for your
children in the local schools paid by the Federal government?)
How important is it for your children to get an education? How much
education do they need, and what do they need to be educated for?
Has any member of your family left the community in order to get more
education or to get a better education?
Level of satisfaction with local schools.
Name of employer, self employed.
Length of employment with this enterprise.
Are you satisfied with your present work?
Are you able to meet your expenses entirely based upon your salary?
Would you leave your community in order to gain different or better
employment?
Have you or a member of your family left this area in order to find
employment elsewhere? If so, when?
Did you or a member of your family work elsewhere and return to your
community later? If so, why?
Are there more, fewer, or about the same number of businesses in your
community?
Are there more, fewer, or the same number of people in your community
that there were ten years ago?
How is your local economy thriving? Is it growing, shrinking or about
the same as it was ten years ago?
DESIRED/FUTURE ECOSYSTEMS
What are the goals for the ecosystems of interest (What are the desired
ecosystems?
What products are desired from the ecosystems and communities?
List all the possible products?
What are the agreed upon products?
What are the services desired from the ecosystems and communities?
List all possible services.
What are the agreed upon services desired from the ecosystems)?
What values are desired from the ecosystem(s) and communities?
List the full array of values desired from the ecosystem(s) and communities?
What are the agreed upon values?
What ecosystem characteristics (ecological endpoints) are desired now
and for the future?
List all desired characteristics.
What are the agreed upon characteristics?
What values are desired from the ecosystem(s) and communities?
Rate the following ideas or things . Use 1 if it is very important,
2 if it is of average importance, use 3 if it is not important to you at
all.
- clear sky
- fresh air
- clean water
- solitude
- pasture
- hunting
- fishing
- family near by
- schools
- health clinics
- good roads
This lengthy list of questions develops data about perceptions of satisfaction
with living and values regarding the environment, all of which determines
in turn the likelihood of continued population shifts and of willingness
to cooperate with a planning effort.
The following questions will be answered by land managers, scientific
data, and others:
Describe the following features of the important current ecosystems
and communities.
- Boundaries for each ecosystem and community
- Boundaries for management goals
- System structure
- Structural dynamics
- Relationship to other systems
- Disturbances
- Residuals from former systems
Historical ecosystems
What are the trends (system histories) in system driving variables
and system structures (states)?
What are the natural disturbance regimes in the ecosystems and what
are their characteristics or indicators?
What are the human-caused disturbance regime and what are their characteristics
or indicators?
Has human intervention significantly altered the natural disturbance
history of the ecosystems?
Are the human-caused disturbances analogs of natural disturbances?
Describe the following features of the important historical ecosystems
and communities.
- Boundaries of former ecosystems and communities
- Changes in structure (natural or land-use)
- Spatial extent of management goals
- Disturbances
- Relationship to other systems
- Residuals from former ecosystems and communities
Desired ecosystems
- What are the goals for the ecosystems of interest (What are the desired
ecosystems)?
- What products are desired from the ecosystems and communities?
- List all the possible products?
- What are the agreed upon products?
- What are the services desired from the ecosystems and communities?
- List all possible services.
- What are the agreed upon services desired from the ecosystems)?
- What values are desired from the ecosystem(s) and communities?
- List the full array of values desired from the ecosystem(s) and communities?
- What are the agreed upon values?
- What ecosystem characteristics (ecological endpoints) are desired now
and for the future?
- List all desired characteristics.
- What are the agreed upon characteristics?
- Describe the following features of the important desired ecosystems
and communities.
- Geogrphic boundaries
- Political boundaries
- Structural feasibility
- Size needed for sustainability
- Acceptable variability in structure
- Disturbance regimes
- Spatial requirements for management goals
- Interactions with other systems
Work Plan
1. Reconnaissance
Familiarize self with existing community structures and boundaries,
identify sources of information and for people who are interested in the
issues of land and watershed management in the Rio Puerco.
Collect data from external sources such as political maps, census data,
economic data bases, and other informants (literature, personal contact,
etc.).
Time: Two Months: One in New Mexico, one in literature and data base
research.
2. Engagement
Contact identified leadership, begin to explore the feasibility of conducting
a survey in the area, facilitate and collaborate with community around
obtaining community information, begin development of problem statement.
Assesment of community interest and involvement in water and land issues.
Time: Concurrent with step one in New Mexico, plus one week per month
for three to four months.
3. Planning
Begin planning for survey, work on phraseology of questions, and best
method of giving the survey using local committee and leadership (includes
fed and state land managers). Help committee to publicize its activities
and the survey.
Time: Concurrent with end of step two, leading into winter months; two
weeks per month until survey questionairre is completed.
4. Implementation
Adminisiter the survey to each local community, analyze results using
statistical methods suitable for a descriptive study.
Time: One week for each community (each stakeholder group is a community)
One month for statistical analysis.
Share results with each committee, set new meetings for actual problem
definitions and modeling activities, (these will probably cover more than
one meeting) and begin consensus building. The process for these meetings
will be decided upon by the committee.
Time: One week per community.
Convene a watershed wide modeling group composed of representative from
each locality to begin problem definition, modeling, and planning for the
watershed.
Land managers develop final plan, which is shared with large group.
Time: To be determined, preferably before the Field Conferance. The
exact length of time and how that time will be used will be determined
with the help of the group.
Land managers develop final plan, which is shared with large group.
5. Evaluation
Evaluate process and information developed through this method. Set
process for continued involvement of committees in the watershed planning
process.
6. Disengagement
Withdraw from activities.