2026 Conservation Needs Assessment Results
Every five years, the WCCD conducts a conservation needs assessment to identify natural resource/environmental concerns in Washtenaw County, how residents use WCCD, and how we can best assist residents.
Thank you to all of the residents that gave us your input, we are using your responses to prioritize our work on what you all want to see from our programming.
Overall results and Reports:
- 796 responses were submitted
- View the 2026 Conservation Needs Assessment Results Full Report
Below is an abbreviated summary of the results.
Residents’ Natural Resource/Environmental Concerns
The top 3 concerns are:
- Surface/Groundwater Quality
- Land Use
- Wildlife
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!