Data, stories, people, natureFebruary 5, 2018

Relationships to nature & place

Project overview

Nature conversations

Region-wide survey

• 3,328 participants

• 557 people of color

• 1,981 white

• 790 declined to identify race

Personal connection

Social bonding

Place identity

Empowering community

Personal connection

Survey results

• A place of calm, peace, relaxation

• Plants, forest, green

• Beauty, scenery

• Refreshing, healing, rejuvenating

• Health & rejuvenation

• Spiritual & emotional connection

• Sense of responsibility to care for nature

Nature conversations

“I feel a connection between the landscape and plants here, and my home country.”

“The outdoors are a place to clear our minds. Connecting to nature helps us through life.”

“It is important to celebrate nature, to have a place to relax, especially when living in the city.”

“Nature is the foundation. Everything comes after that.”

Social bonding

“We like to have celebrations outside, nature is a place to be with our families.”

Social bonding

4 15 63 19

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

Time at this park allows me to bond with my family or friends.

4 18 61 18

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

Visiting this park allows me to spend time with people close to me.

Social bonding

6 43 44 8

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

The more often I visit this park, the more I associate it with special people in my life.

Social bonding

Place identity

The more I visit this park, the more emotionally attached I am.

Place identity

3 27 55 15

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

I feel this park is a part of me.

Place identity

4 33 52 11

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

Visiting this park says a lot about who I am.

Place identity

5 35 52 9

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

“Where I come from, we don’t drive out to nature on the weekends. You open the door and there is nature.”

We are all a part of nature

“I feel a connection to nature, to Oregon and the present moment when I am outside.”

This place is a part of me

Empowering community

“I would love to give back to my community more, even if that means picking up trash.”

54% 52%46%

42%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Traditionally Underserved (Communities of Color)

Traditionally Well-Served (White Dominant Population)

Cleaning up / caring for trails

Harvesting seeds and planting native plants

How interested are you in:

70%61%

0

20

40

60

80

Traditionally Underserved (Communities of Color)

Traditionally Well-Served (White Dominant Population)

Learning how agencies care for public land

How interested are you in:

“Nature should be for everyone.”

Thank you