FOCA survey: Water Quality & Stewardship Knowledge

INTRODUCTION:

Ontario is blessed with 250,000 inland lakes and countless waterways that are natural treasures enjoyed for recreation, sport and leisure. Water quality can be affected by a number of threats, but individuals can take steps to protect water quality through their actions.

FOCA is conducting this survey to understand general levels of knowledge about water quality, what affects water quality, and ways to be a good water “steward”. Results will be used to inform future FOCA programs and outreach, particularly our work on water quality monitoring through the Lake Partner Program (LPP), and may be shared in aggregate form with our LPP program partners.

There are 7 questions and it should take about 5 minutes to complete. The survey is open until February 25, 2024. Feel free to share this survey link with others.

IMPORTANT NOTE: in this survey we are interested in your impressions about Ontario's inland lakes, not the Great Lakes that experience additional industrial impacts and large-scale commercial traffic.

Question Title

* 1. 1 – How aware of water quality issues are you currently? (slide the scale, or enter a number in the box, from 1=not at all aware to 10=extremely aware)

1 (not at all aware)

5 (mid-range awareness)

10 (extremely aware)

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

Question Title

* 2. 2 - How concerned about water quality in waterfront Ontario are you currently?

1 (no concern)

5 (mid-range concern)

10 (extreme concern)

Clear

i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

Question Title

* 3. 3 – In your opinion, what are the biggest threats to water quality in Ontario inland lakes and waterways today? (Click and drag to the top, or select the ranking order #, to rate from highest threat to lowest; choose “N/A” for any you don’t consider a threat. These options are being presented to you in random order.)

Chemical or physical pollution (plastics, PFOS, garbage...)

N/A

Waterfront shoreline property impacts (septics, hardened shorelines...)

N/A

Changing biodiversity

N/A

Changing climate (warming temp., extreme weather, reduced ice…)

N/A

Road salt impacts

N/A

Algae blooms

N/A

Boating impacts

N/A

Invasive species

N/A

Question Title

* 4. (Optional) Are there other threats to water quality that were not listed, that you would have ranked in the top 3? If so, please indicate below:

Yes, a top threat not listed above is:

I would have ranked this (#1, #2, #3):

Question Title

* 5. 5 - Which of the following do you feel are actions individuals can take to positively affect water quality? (Check all that you feel apply. These actions are being presented to you in random order.)

voting for politicians and political parties that prioritize environmental protections

avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides near waterways

honouring setback limits when building or renovating shoreland properties

avoiding gas spills when filling the boat

properly maintaining septic systems on waterfront properties

supporting the local lake association to educate others & do local water quality testing

not bathing or using soaps while in the lake or river

cleaning, draining & drying boats before moving waterbodies, to prevent spread of invasive species

maintaining or re-naturalizing waterfront property shorelines

supporting larger environmental organizations (like FOCA) through membership and annual donations

other individual action you recommend individuals take (please specify)

Question Title

* 6. For more than 25 years, FOCA's lake stewards have participated in water quality monitoring on hundreds of waterbodies across Ontario, with their annual samples analyzed by scientists of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks through the "Lake Partner Program" (LPP). Data is published publicly about long-term trends in water quality on our inland lakes.

What more could FOCA and the LPP do more of, to support your own stewardship goals for water quality?

hold educational seminars about stewardship

share fact sheets on particular topics (please specify below)

provide articles to reproduce in local newsletters (specify topics below)

offer more analysis and storytelling from the LPP data

create sharable material for social media or local presentations

Other, or additional comments about items above:

Question Title

* 7. Which of the following statements applies to you? (select all that apply)

I am a waterfront property owner

I spent some time on Ontario waterfronts over the past 2 years

I am a member of a local lake, cottage, residents' or camp association

I am a member of a FOCA Member Association, or an annual "Friend of FOCA" (paid supporter)

I am the local Lake Steward at my waterbody

I am the Lake Partner Program sampler at one or more lakes

Other notes about the above (optional):

Thank you! Your input is appreciated. Please select "DONE" to submit your answers to FOCA, and then share the survey link with others (by email, on social media, or elsewhere).