2021 Resource Assessment

By Summer Roberts, Community Forester

Every five years, the WCCD conducts a resource assessment to identify natural resource/environmental concerns in Washtenaw County, how residents use WCCD, and how we can best assist residents. The RESULTS ARE IN and have been helping WCCD staff determine what programs to expand, create, and plan for in the future. A big thank you to all those who participated in the survey! Your ideas, passions, concerns, and active engagement are what make Washtenaw such a wonderful place to live. Our goal at WCCD is to help residents manage our natural resources so we all, humans and wildlife alike, can enjoy and benefit from the ecosystem services our environment provides years into the future.
Curious what your fellow residents had to say? Let’s dig in!

948 responses were submitted (some questions allowed multiple responses so answers may add up to more than 100%)

Full Survey Results Reports

Favorite Current Programs

The Tree and Shrub Sales (also called Distributions) were the favorite service by far! Almost 71% of respondents who knew about WCCD reported having used this service.
If you like trees and shrubs, make sure you check out the Native Plant Expo and Marketplace. It was the runner-up with 44% of respondents who knew about WCCD reported having participated in this event!
Find out more information about all the programs below on our website!

Residents’ Natural Resource/Environmental Concerns

Land Use, Forests and Woodlots, and Surface/Groundwater Quality and Average Temperature are the top 3 concerns for Washtenaw County residents!

See how the categories stacked up below.

Specific Concerns for Top 3 Picks

Land Use

Residents who selected this category are concerned about the pace of development growth and zoning regulations (68%) and support natural areas preservation (67%). Farmland preservation (59%) was third.

Forests and Woodlots

Residents who selected this category are concerned about the disease, pollution, or invasive species impacts (65%) and fragmentation (i.e. loss of connectivity & wildlife support) (59%). Lack of management on private lands (e.g. prescribed burns, invasive species control) (43%) was third.

Surface/Groundwater Quality and Average Temperature

Residents who selected this category are concerned about the groundwater (i.e. septic systems leaking, pollution) (70%) and surface water (i.e. warmer average temperatures, algal blooms, runoff/non-point source pollution) (62%). Stormwater management (e.g. sewer overflows, stream erosion, flash flow events) (49%) was third.

Residents’ Preferences for WCCD Program Categories

Partner to Protect Land, Increase Community Resources, and Develop Educational Opportunities are the top 3 concerns for Washtenaw County residents! See how the categories stacked up below.

Partner to Protect Land

Residents who selected this category would like WCCD to provide one-on-one technical assistance to help with land protection and conservation options (68%) and more one-on-one technical assistance with conservation practices and cost-share programs (55%). Helping develop a program to connect landowners with new farmers who want to buy land (54%) was third and developing a farmland leasing program to increase access to new farmers (51%) was a not too distant fourth.

Increase Community Resources

Residents who selected this category would like WCCD to expand the tree/shrub and native plant distributions (e.g. increased frequency, plant selection, or capacity) (71%) and offer additional resources (e.g. soil testing, cover crop seed) (51%). Creating an interactive database of conservation resources on the WCCD website and improving the tool and equipment rental program (e.g. no-till drill, tree planter) (48%) were tied for third.

Develop Educational Opportunities

Residents who selected this category would like WCCD to increase seminars and workshops for general public/hobbyist gardeners/conservationists (69%) and in-depth and topic-specific training programs for adults and/or professionals (e.g. prairie restoration, CO2 sequestration, invasive species management) (60%). K-12 educational opportunities and/or teacher training (57%) was third.

Demographics

A special thanks to respondents who elected to provide demographic information. We know these questions can be kind of uncomfortable and our intention is not to invade anyone’s privacy. By comparing your responses with County Federal Census data, it helps us evaluate whether we have done a reasonable job of capturing the unique perspectives of residents and identify trends with respect to age group, gender, and race/ethnicity. We are improving, but we still have a way to go to better capture the diversity in Washtenaw County and ensure all voices are heard.

About half of respondents live in rural/farm (53%) settings, while the other half live in the suburbs (23%) or urban (city/village) (24%) settings. Most respondents identified as homeowners/property owners (82%). The remainder are farmers (15%), rental residents (3.2%), or live with the property owner (0.2%).
Respondents skewed older with almost 64% identifying as 55 or older. Although we are deeply grateful for the active participation and support of this segment of the population, we’d love to hear some younger voices too! Please help us spread the word about WCCD to younger generations by letting your kids, grandkids, and young neighbors know about our services.
City of Ann Arbor residents were the most vocal (18.7%), followed by Scio Township (6.3%), and Webster Township (5.7%). Barton Hills, Manchester Village, and City of Milan – we want to hear more from you! Any Washtenaw resident with an environmental/natural resource concern is welcome to call our office or email us and we’ll help or get you connected to someone who can!

Did your concern or program category not make the top 3?

Since we can’t do everything, our staff of 6 does have to prioritize, but rest assured that we heard you too and we’ll do our best to design programs and services that meet multiple needs and requests. Also, some respondents included specific information about issues they’re currently experiencing. We have a lot of comments to sift through, so please contact us if your request is an urgent one.

Volunteer!

You’ve given us a lot to think about, but while we mull over how to make your requests reality, let us know if you can help! Please sign up to learn about volunteer opportunities or donate to WCCD directly. Working towards an environmentally sustainable and equitable future is a collective effort and we’re thankful to be a part of this engaged and active community!