Influences on Public Participation in Watershed Planning: Why is it still a Struggle?

Abstract

Participation is a hallmark of the planning process but it can be a challenge to engage a broad constituency when a topic is complex and lacks a sense of urgency. This is often the case with watershed-related planning efforts. This paper conducts a post-mortem of an unsuccessful watershed planning participation effort in two counties in Ohio. The participant pool was surveyed regarding how venues, processes, and meeting topics influence their decision to participate. The survey also explored general participation habits as compared with the watershed planning participation experiences. Key factors that respondents felt influenced their participation are personal knowledge of the meeting topic, immediacy of the topic, perceived influence in the process, and meeting time convenience. Further responses highlight the importance of local relationships in a collaborative process.