Laying the Groundwork for Public Participation in Cougar Mountain: A Case Study of Southwestern Oregon

Oregon's cougar (Puma concolor) population is the subject of ongoing statewide controversy. Human dimensions of wildlife research suggests that wildlife conflicts are best addressed by incorporating public involvement strategies into wildlife management. This study used traditional survey research to lay the groundwork for more extensive public involvement in cougar management. Questionnaires were mailed to 800 randomly-selected households in southwestern Oregon. The adjusted response rate was 58% (N = 360). The majority of respondents believed that major decisions about cougar management should be made by experts and citizens together. Respondents who had greater prior experience with cougars, higher concern regarding cougars as a potential threat to people, pets, or livestock, or who did not trust wildlife managers to make the best possible decisions were more likely to take part in a public involvement process. The survey results are discussed in terms of their implications for designing inclusive and effective public participation.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Oregon

Year dc:date.issued

2002

Author dc:creator

• Chinitz, Amy E.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Johnson, Bart R.

• Cougar
• Wildlife research
• Policy-making
• Public participation
• Oregon cougar population

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-US

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/31699

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ascholarsbank.uoregon.edu%3A1794%2F31699