NRES Public Education and Government

Environmental Education

a learning process that teaches people about the environment and helps them develop the skills and attitudes necessary to make responsible action

Mostly done in a classroom focused on a captive audience

Environmental interpretation

a communication process in person or through impersonal items like signs that guides visitors to create meanings in objects, places and landscapes

provides a connection to nature with a non captive audience

Community Based Social Marketing

a communication strategy that emphasizes direct contact with community members and promotes the systematic removal of structural and other barriers to action

Branches of government

Legislative

• develops and passes laws

Judicial

• interprets and makes decisions about laws

Executive

• administers and enforces laws (many natural resource based agencies are in this area)

Forest Service

1905 - 193,000,000 acres

focuses on multiple use management of forests

mission is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity, of the nations forests and grasslands to meet needs of present and future generations

National Parks Service

1916 - 84,000,000 acres

limited access to resources very preservationist

Mission is to conserve scenery, historic objects, and wildlife to be of public enjoyment for future generations

Bureau of Land Management

1946 - 256,000,000 surface areas, 700,000,000 subsurface areas

holds the US grazing Service and the General Land Office

focuses on multiple use management for all public land

US Fish and Wildlife Service

1940

holds the Bureau of Fisheries, Bureau of Biological Survey

focuses on a mix of conservation and preservation ideas, and has the agents

Natural Resource Conservation Service

1935 - works for private land owners

hold the Soil Erosion Service, and the Soil conservation Service

focuses on prevention of soil erosion and loss of productivity

Environmental Protection Agency

1970

focuses on research, education, and regulation of the environment

WI Department of Natural Resources

Formed in 1969

creates and enforces rules for fishing and hunting, regulates air and water pollution, manages state forests and parks

Six Policy Approaches

six ways governments create and enforce policy related to the environment

Command and Control

uses laws and regulations to prohibit certain activities. Requires permits for harmful activities and prevents too much harm

Clean water act, Clean air act

Disclosure and Planning

Policies that require disclosure of environmental harm and plans to not do that

Market based solutions

economic incentives to reduce environmentally harmful actions, like a pollution tax

Incentives

includes both direct monetary programs, like grants for sustainable technology, and indirect programs, like a tax break for donating to conservation easement

Education and Social Marketing

get the public interested in sustainable and environmental protection

Appropriation and expenditure of money

budgets for agencies

National Environmental Policy Act

authorized the council on environmental quality, and the environmental impact statement. It was implemented to all federal agencies

Council of Environmental Quality

Evaluates the impact of the federal government on the environment and develops and recommends environmental policy for the government and nation

Environmental Impact Statement

Ensures the federal government states the purpose, need for, alternatives and environmental impacts of a policy

Clean Air Act

authorized air quality standards, emission limits, implementation plans, and limitations in the Environmental Protection Agency and individual states

Clean Water Act

authorized regulation of pollution discharged and quality standards of US waters, and it was implemented in the EPA and individual states

Endangered Species Act

Authorized the determination of endangered and threatened species, acquire land to conserve listed species, and implements us fish and wildlife service, and national marine and fisheries service

Political action

action that brings pressure on elected officials or government agencies that persuades them to take (positive environmental) action