The Case for Ecoregion Rather than Regional Extension Water Education

Abstract

In 2000 the National Water Quality program (USDA‐CSREES) was refocused to provide water resources education to citizens on a regional basis. The Pacific Northwest—consisting of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington—comprises one of these regions. Even though the Pacific Northwest appears to be a relatively homogeneous region, there are large internal differences in climate, demographics (urban vs. rural), natural resources, and agriculture within the region. The purpose of this study is to evaluate splitting the region into three sub‐ecoregions and then targeting unique programming to clientele to better meet citizen educational needs. Zip code data was used to separate responses from a comprehensive regional needs assessment survey on water resources into three eco‐regions. The data were then analyzed using SAS and chi‐square analysis to compare water resource issue differences within the Pacific Northwest. Residents of the wetter Ecoregion (I) were more concerned with endangered species and less concerned with water quantity issues than residents of the drier Ecoregion II. Residents of Ecoregion II were more likely to need educational programming on irrigated agriculture and yard water use. Based on the data, dividing the region into three ecoregions for extension programming makes sense and could result in efficiencies of existing human resources.