Focus Groups

OMB Control Number 0648-0788

Expiration Date 01/31/23

Introductions (10 minutes)

1. Introduce NCCOS team and purpose

   1. Who we are and who we represent

   2. Introduce moderator

   3. Study sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (or NOAA)

2. Why you have been asked to participate

   1. You are a [resident] who may have knowledge or experience with coastal wetlands

   2. You are here today to help NOAA develop a survey, which is a crucial part of a good study design.

3. How the discussion will work

   1. Session will last about an hour

   2. We will write a summary report based on the discussion, but no names will be used

   3. Discussion will be open an informal

   4. We will hear from everyone in the group

   5. One person talks at a time

   6. No right or wrong answers or ideas - We want YOUR opinions

   7. Silence or turn off cell phones

   8. Although we are talking about topics related to coastal hazards and coastal management, I am not an expert, so I may not be able to answer all of your questions

4. Participant introductions

   1. First name or pseudonym, where you are from, and your knowledge or experience with coastal wetlands

Key questions (45 min) [a or b]

5. ESV related questions

   1. Do you think coastal wetlands are important? If so, how/why? [10 min]

      1. Prompt if people don’t mention: wildlife habitat, storm protection, flood protection, fisheries productivity, others??

      2. Of the items mentioned, which is most important to you?

   2. Are you familiar with the wetland loss issue in [location]? What do you know about it? [10 min]

   3. Suppose there was a proposed project that would restore coastal wetlands to full functionality, would you be willing to pay some amount of money to fund that program? Why or why not? [15 min]

      1. Prompt: This may turn into a discussion about trusting the project, how the money would be paid (e.g., donation vs taxes vs number of payments), who should pay, etc. Probably also concepts related to different value types (e.g., option, bequest, existence).

   4. For those of you who would be willing to pay some amount, how much do you think you would be willing to pay? Would this amount change based on [considerations from previous discussion]? [10 min]

6. Flooding related questions

   1. Have you ever experienced a flood event? If so, how long ago was your most recent experience? [10 min]

   2. What do you think would be most impacted during a future flooding event in your community? [10 min]

   3. Suppose there was a proposed project that could protect your community from flooding, would you be willing to pay some amount of money to fund that program? Why or why not? [15 min]

   4. For those of you who would be willing to pay some amount, how much do you think you would be willing to pay? Would this amount change based on [considerations from previous discussion]? [10 min]

Close out (5 min)

7. Is there anything else you wanted to share today?

8. Thank you for your time

Public Burden Statement

A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid OMB Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0648-0788. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this information collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Attn: NOS/NCCOS, 1305 East West Highway, Bldg. SSMC4, Rm 9320, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, sarah.gonyo@noaa.gov, 240-621-1999.