Anticipated socio-environmental impacts of the proposed Little Darby National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio

Data were collected during the summer of 2000 from 146 residents living in a rural area located in central Ohio that had been identified as a possible site for a national wildlife refuge. The purpose of the study was to assess anticipated socio-economic and environmental impacts of the proposed refuge on local people and natural ecosystems. A 'vested interests' theoretical model was developed to guide the investigation. The theoretical model posits that attitudes of local people toward externally induced projects are a function of costs and benefits individuals expect to receive as a result of the development action. The theory posits that individuals who expect to receive greater benefits from the refuge will exhibit more favorable attitudes toward the proposed project. Anticipated impacts of the proposed refuge were assessed with a Likert-type attitude scale that was shown to be highly reliable. Variables measuring specific costs and benefits associated with the proposed project were used as predictive variables. Descriptive statistics demonstrated that respondents believed the proposed wildlife refuge would generate more costs than benefits for local residents. Multiple linear regression findings demonstrated that six variables were significant in explaining 65.1% of the variance in the attitudes toward the proposed project. The significant variables were as follows: perceived costs and benefits associated with the proposed project, perceived water quality within the Little Darby Creek at the time of the data collection, age of primary income earner, expected future water quality within the Little Darby Creek, expected impact of farmland transition on the household, and attitude toward private property rights. Study findings consistently support research hypotheses.