2006 Living Laboratories on the Wabash Survey
This survey was conducted by the Living Laboratories on the Wabash group at Purdue University in partnership with the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation. This survey targeted all Tippecanoe County residents – residents were randomly selected from all parcels listed throughout the county. Survey results helped LLOW and WREC understand Tippecanoe County residents’ interactions with the Wabash River and their general environmental attitudes, values and behaviors.
Survey Results
78% of respondents agreed that the Wabash River was important to them.
Only 14% of respondents thought that the community was doing enough to preserve and enhance the Wabash River.
85% agreed that urban growth and development should be directed in ways to preserve open space.
Riehle Plaza and the Meyers Pedestrian Bridge were the most commonly visited sites along the Wabash River; both sites scored more than 50% visitation in the previous 12 months.
64% of respondents applied fertilizer to their lawn/garden in the last year.
Nearly a third (32%) of respondents did not know how often a septic system should be maintained.
57% did not know if Midwestern agricultural production contributed to the “dead zone” (hypoxic zone) in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nearly half (49%) of respondents reported that they did not always pick up their pet’s outdoor waste.
62% of respondents had never heard of the Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC) and only 11% of respondents knew what WREC was trying to accomplish.