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Managing Rivers in the Public Interest: Survey Methods to Assess Public Attitudes and Values Patrick Welle and Norman Baer 1 Introduction River management decisions often impose trade-offs for various groups within the public that managers are to serve. Sound decision making requires that these trade-offs be confronted based on information regarding the public values that are at stake. This study offers a conceptual framework for defming public values and identifying groups within the population to whom these values accrue. Survey methods for assessing public values are discussed in the context of a case study on the Headwaters portion of the Mississippi River. The information was generated for the various management entities that have jurisdiction over the fIrst 400 miles of the Mississippi River. This headwaters stretch of the river is comprised of the fIrst eight counties along the river. Through a joint powers agreement, these counties (shown in Figure 1) form the Mississippi Headwaters Board (MHB) which was created in 1980 to provide local control of the river. Included in the regional concept for river management which underlies the formation of the MHB is a mission to foster cooperative agreements between jurisdictions and relevant agencies. In addition to the eight counties, some of the other authorities involved with the fIrst 400 miles of the Mississippi River are the State of Minnesota, particularly various divisions of the Department of Natural Resources; the Leech Lake Indian Reservation; the Chippewa National Forest; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. While a major management task of the MHB is to implement the zoning ordinance, a comprehensive goal is to "preserve and protect the natural, cultural, scenic, scientific, and recreational values of the Mississippi River." In order to foster cooperation in pursuit of the preservation and protection of recreational values, a Recreational Management Task Force was organized. The task force includes representatives from the entities and agencies referred to above. This group determined that they needed additional information to better achieve their goals. To establish a foundation for the kind of social research which would be most benefIcial, the task force commissioned preliminary research to survey the literature to: (1) identify the components of recreational values which would be relevant for the fIrst 400 miles of the Mississippi River, (2) facilitate the recognition of key management issues which impact these recreational values, and (3) summarize the kinds of information from social research that could enhance the quality of management decisions for the river. The survey of the literature laid the groundwork for the research design which is described below. It is noteworthy that the research project was formulated through a group process from the outset. The task force held a great deal of ownership in the process and its products, having numerous meetings to formulate research objectives and provide input at the stages throughout. While this process is consistent with good principles for designing and implementing research in general, it was especially crucial in this case given the nature of the MHB and the overlapping jurisdictions and agencies. The initiative taken by the Recreational Management Task Force led to a well-focused approach to learning those things which would better inform management decisions. The research focused on three management questions: (1) How can we make sensible land-use decisions?; (2) How can we manage and/or improve recreational infrastructure?; and (3) How can we favorably impact tourism and economic development? These three over-arching questions were the basis for the following research objectives. IBemidji State University, Bemidji MN 56601, Departments of Economics and Chemistry, respectively. Funding for this research was provided by the Mississippi Headwaters Board, Chippewa National Forest, and the ltasca County, MN Trails Task Force. The authors wish to thank the staff of the Center for Social Research at Bemidji State University, particularly the Director, Dr. Ivan Weir, for assistance. Research assistance was provided by Jeff Cordray, Brian Monk, and Becky Johnson. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Chippewa National Forest, Cellular 2000, Bemidji State University, and numerous individuals and businesses provided equipment, logistical support, or assistance with the self-administered survey.