Environmental Participation as a Gateway to Civic Engagement? The Case of the Watershed Stewards Academies

• In Event: 082 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session I
  In Refereed Roundtable: A. Table 10. Environmental Sociology

Abstract

Who participates in environmental stewardship? This paper focuses on the three Watershed Stewards Academies (WSAs) in Maryland that train citizens to conduct watershed protection and restoration projects and educate members of their communities about watershed issues. Members, stewards, and volunteers from these WSAs were surveyed for this study to learn more about who is involved in environmental stewardship. Compared with the general population of Maryland and Washington, DC, the sample of WSA members surveyed are more civically engaged, politically liberal, predominantly white, near retirement age, female, and well educated. The findings from this survey suggest that the WSAs have been successful in attracting a particular demographic, those that are typical participants in similar organizations, though there is some evidence that there is a bit of variation within the WSAs.

Authors

• William Adam Yagatich, University of Maryland-College Park

• Dana R. Fisher, University of Maryland