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EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION ON THE URBAN-WILDLAND INTERFACE: TESTING THE EFFICACY OF INFORMATIONAL BROCHURES

Abstract Education of residents living on the urban-wildland interface can promote conservation of surrounding natural areas. An educational brochure, Living Close to Nature, was designed specifically for and issued to 5,000 residents living on the borders of the Nature Reserve of Orange County, California. A questionnaire was then issued to residents to test the effectiveness of the brochure and to produce baseline data on the attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions of these residents. We tested whether responses differed between: 1) respondents issued a brochure versus those who were not, and 2) respondents who recalled receiving the brochure versus those who did not. Contrary to expectations, results revealed few statistically significant differences in responses between respondents who were issued the brochure and those who were not. In fact, only 21% of the residents issued a brochure remembered receiving it. Although some statistical differences existed between respondents who recalled receiving the brochure and those who did not, these differences were small. Results suggest that it is essential to incorporate evaluations of educational materials to determine whether information is presented effectively and to tailor future educational efforts accordingly.