Press Release

These are some of the results of a major study of environmental attitudes and awareness commissioned by Ducks Unlimited, the world's leader in wetland conservation. Highlights of the study are available online at www.ducks.org. The study was conducted by Responsive Management, a research firm that specializes in public attitudes toward natural resources and the outdoors. The study's results indicate strong interest in wildlife and the outdoors, with 76% of Americans reporting a medium to high interest in wildlife. More than half of the individuals polled said they had participated in wildlife watching in the past year, and 51% said they had visited a state or national park. About one-third of respondents said they went hiking, camping, biking, boating or fishing.

Many Americans consider it important to conserve natural resources like wetlands. For example, 64% of respondents said it was very important to protect and conserve wetlands, while 27% said it was somewhat important. And 46% said they believed there were too few wetlands in North America. On the other hand, 63% of the respondents could not name a single non-governmental organization that helps conserve wildlife and natural resources.

Americans are especially concerned about endangered species, and say that this concern would increase their motivation to protect natural resources if they saw a connection between the vanishing resource and threats to wildlife. For example, 80% of those polled said they would be more likely to support waterfowl and wetlands conservation efforts if they knew that some endangered species are dependent on wetlands.

Similarly, interest in wetland protection grew when respondents saw a connection between wetlands and their ability to reduce water pollution, with 81% saying they would be more likely to support waterfowl and wetland conservation efforts if they knew wetlands help reduce pollution by purifying water. About one third of Americans said they did not know enough to gauge the health of natural resources like wetlands and grasslands.

Log on to www.ducks.org for survey highlights. Or contact Tildy La Farge at 901-758-3859 or [email protected].

With more than one million supporters, Ducks Unlimited (www.ducks.org) is the world's leading wetland and waterfowl conservation group. Wetlands are nature's most productive ecosystems, but the United States has lost more than half of its original wetlands, and continues to lose more than 100,000 wetland acres every year.

During the past fifteen years, Responsive Management has conducted more than 500 studies on public attitudes toward natural resource, environmental, and outdoor recreational issues in the U.S. and worldwide.