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School of Environment and Natural Resources

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Graduate Exit Seminar via Zoom - Cole Soldo

Plan to join via Zoom Cole Soldo's graduate exit seminar on April 12, 2021, at 1:00 p.m. Cole will present, "An Analysis of Farmer Willingness to Implement Constructed Wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin."

Abstract:
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) remain a persistent, agriculturally-induced issue that threaten both the physical and economic health of the Western Lake Erie basin (WLEB) and its stakeholders. Edge-of-field conservation practices are frequently implemented to help reach reduction targets in phosphorous to mitigate the effects of these HABs. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a specific edge-of-field practice that could prove critical to these efforts. While we know something about why farmers engage in conservation, we know less about why wetlands are adopted than we do  other edge-of-field (i.e. buffers) and in-field practices (i.e. cover crops). However, existing literature from work outside of the U.S. gives us a framework for how to study why wetlands are or are not adopted by farmers.

Hansson et al. (2012) conducted a qualitative interview analysis of Swedish landowners, measuring their motivations to  implement a CW on their property. Our research builds on these findings by transitioning the qualitative work to a quantitative survey instrument administered to private landowners in the WLEB. Our work seeks to discover if farmers in the WLEB are driven by the same motivations found in Hansson and highlight other primary motivations.

Advisor: Dr. Dr. Robyn Wilson