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Variation of BLM employee attitudes toward environmental conditions on rangelands
Author
Richards, R. T.
Huntsinger, L.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
1994-09-01
Body

Using survey data collected as part of a comprehensive reevaluation of the Vale Rangeland Rehabilitation Project in eastern Oregon, this exploratory study examined variation in attitudes of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees toward rangeland environmental conditions. Almost one-half of the BLM employees surveyed believed the loss of streamside vegetation (48%) and streambank erosion (42%) were widespread problems on Vale rangelands. Approximately a quarter of the respondents believed rangeland soil loss (24%) and overgrazing (26%) were problems, while only a tenth believed water pollution (10%) was a problem on many or most areas. A composite scale of these attitude toward environmental conditions on rangelands was developed and assessed. The composite scale was regressed on respondents' regional affiliation, length of service, and ideological attitudes towards government role in natural resource management. In contrast to findings from studies for USFS employees, attitudes toward range environmental conditions were not determined by regional affiliation or length of service (P > 0.05). Rather, BLM employee attitudes toward range environmental conditions were found to vary by the interaction of length of service in the agency and attitude toward government's role in regulating water quality (P < 0.05) and managing livestock grazing (P < 0.01). As length of service increases, core beliefs, professional norms, or client constituencies may not polarize employee attitudes but rather moderate them over time. The accumulation of environmental knowledge may also tend to influence environmental attitudes so that ideological attitudes may have a weaker effect as time passes and expertise expands. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020

Language
en
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Journal Issue/Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.2307/4002331
Additional Information
Richards, R. T., & Huntsinger, L. (1994). Variation of BLM employee attitudes toward environmental conditions on rangelands. Journal of Range Management, 47(5), 365-368.
ISSN
0022-409X
OAI Identifier
oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/644493
Journal Volume
47
Journal Number
5
Journal Pages
365-368
Collection
Rangeland Ecology & Management (REM)
Journal Name
Journal of Range Management
Keywords
environmental assessment
attitudes and opinions
human resources
surveys
soil erosion
riparian buffers
Oregon
water quality
rangelands
grazing