Completed Projects (Selected)

Identifying At-Risk Populations for Consuming Contaminated Fish.
Fish consumption advisories have been issued for many of the waterways within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but advisories often are not followed by the public for various reasons. CMI has been awarded a grant to collect information for several key waterways and regions of concern regarding population demographics and related patterns in fishing behavior, fish consumption, advisory awareness and potential risk. We will do this by conducting a literature review, performing on-site interviews at identified assessment areas and facilitating a series of focus groups for members of at-risk populations and local officials and leaders. Sponsor: EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. View the project page here!

Fish and Mollusk Propagation in Upper Tennessee Watershed: Needs Assessment.
We surveyed fish and mollusk conservation and propatation professionals, held 2 focus groups meetings, and gathered information from existing propagation facilities in the region in order to assess the need for a new propagation facility in the Upper Tennessee River Basin dedicated to work with rare and endangered species. Sponsor: USGS and FWS Southwest Virginia Field Office.

Land Conservancies as Stewards of Biodiversity: Socioeconomic Feasibility and Conservation Potential. We examined the ecoligical potential and socioeconomic feasibility of adding private landowners to the bank of biodiversity stewards through conservation easement programs. Included a GIS analyis of existing conservation easements in Virginia and two public meetings in areas with high levels of critical resources. View the Full Report or Executive Summary here!

Fish and Wildlife Reference Service: Performance Evaluation and Needs Assessment. The FWRS has been indexing, storing, and retrieving reports prepared with Federal Aid monies since 1966. To ensure cost effectiveness, the sponsor asked CMI to perform a professional evaluation of the FWRS and provide recommendations for its future operations. Completed September 2003. View Full Report or Synopsis here!

Integrating Socioeconomics into Gap Analysis. We developed a prototype Decision Support System (DSS) that places traditional Gap Analysis into the socioeconomic and demographic context needed for its effective implementation in conservation management decisions. Completed September, 2003. View the Full Report Here!

Opportunities and Barriers for Gap Analysis Utilization by Decision Makers. Gap analysis provides valuable sources of biological information to natural resource managers, however, very few conservation agencies are taking full advantage of this program. We explored this issue through a series of mail questionnaires to potential GAP data users and follow-up focus group meetings. Completed November, 2003. View the Full Report here!

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Public Attitude and Behavior Survey. We performed a telephone survey of Chesapeake Bay watershed residents for The Chesapeake Bay Program. This survey addressed resident perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors relevant to water quality issues in order to develop and effectively disseminate messages to specific target audiences. Completed, September 2002. View the Executive Summary or Full Report here!

Socioeconomic Feasibility of Elk Restoration in Virginia. The socioeconomic feasibility of elk restoration in Virginia was explored at both statewide (using survey techniques) and regional scales (through regional focus groups). Completed Februrary, 2000.