SECTION D: FORMATIVE RESEARCH

5.1: Focus conversations with key target audiences gathered from public and private meetings and telephone conversations

Discussions with the manamko, or community elders including Buck Cruz, former mayor of Merizo and Tom Barcinas, a retired educator, led to discussions on ways people can help native wildlife. Furthermore, the senior citizens were more than welcoming in sharing their stories and local knowledge and stated that they probably know native species, such as the ko’ko’, best. Main points included:

• 
  The need to develop a recycling plan for the island.
  
• 
  The community supports the reintroduction of the ko’ko’ but in places where it is conducive to its survival.
  
• 
  The need to develop a better feral animal control plan.
  
• 
  Don’t use poisons on Cocos Island.
  
• 
  Encourage native wildlife by providing nestboxes in areas adjacent to conservation areas.
  

Discussions with Chamorro Nation, including Trini Torres, Debbie Kanata, and “Rose” resulted in the following main points:

• 
  We want to make pride in Chamorro culture.
  
• 
  The ko’ko is ours – give it to the people to raise.
  
• 
  Why is the ko’ko’ on Rota? It should be on Guam.
  
• 
  Don’t use rat poison, use traps on Cocos Island.
  
• 
  The local people have been building and using traps successfully for years.
  
• 
  Introduce the ko’ko’ somewhere on Guam.
  
• 
  The brown treesnake was not the cause of the disappearance of native birds – DDT, spraying during WWII; etc resulted in decrease of bugs for wildlife to eat.
  

Discussions with Senator James V. Espaldon from the Guam legislature:

• 
  He is not opposed to GDAWR’s efforts to promote native species.
  
• 
  We need to give the community a sense of ownership.
  

Discussions with animal control and territorial veterinarian Dr. Tom Poole:

• 
  Animal control has been a constant topic in the news especially since a child was mauled by a pack of dogs at the beginning of the 2008.
  
• 
  Animal control is hard to do on an island, even if you’d think it should be easy.
  
• 
  Due to cultural and social beliefs, the control of feral animals is hard to do. Inexpensive burglar alarms, dog fighting and apathy are reasons why some community members continue to feed and encourage strays.
  
• 
  Animal Control via the Guam Department of Agriculture is underfunded and therefore the staff is overworked and lacking in needed supplies and manpower.
  
• 
  In addition, GAIN (Guam Animals in Need), the only animal shelter on Guam, is lacking in proper space and funding.
  

Discussions with animal rights advocate, Viqui Gayer concluded with:

• 
  There were several misconceptions that she had that needed clarification.
  
  • 
    The issue of “past mistakes” - the introduction of game birds, biological controls
    
  • 
    Placement, use, duration of rodenticides on Cocos Island.
    
  • 
    There are other “native” animals to take care of such as monitor lizards and other smaller native lizards.
    
  • 
    Basic natural history of native species.
    

Discussions with members of the Marianas Audubon concluded with:

• 
  How do we protect native species?
  
• 
  The brown treesnake is a virulent animal. If rails are reintroduced how do we keep them safe from predators?
  
• 
  Natural occurrence are also a liability but cannot be avoided.
  
• 
  What will be done to keep species safe? Will birds raised in captivity be able to survive in the wild?
  
• 
  Will their needs be met? Is there a suitable place on the mainland where native species can survive despite the presence of feral animals and snakes?
  

Discussions with Peggy Denny:

• 
  Many different facets of the community must be involved, everyone from aquaculture to golf-course maintenance crews.
  
• 
  Recycling will do much for this island.
  
• 
  Schools are starting to recycle and we must support them.
  

Discussions with local school teachers, Kathy Candaso:

• 
  Reintroduction efforts are good for Guam – we need more opportunities for kids to see native animals.
  
• 
  Only older generations have had personal experiences with the ko’ko’. The younger generations have not had this luxury. The children need and deserve this opportunity.
  
• 
  Middle-aged residents have also been robbed of this opportunity to experience native wildlife.
  
• 
  Many things have caused a decline in native species but we can work and educate the youth to become stewards.
  

Discussions with anonymous Cocos Island employees:

• 
  What will happen to monitor lizards?
  
• 
  The ko’ko’ is confused with other birds. Many did not even know what a ko’ko’ looked like. It was confused with migratory species such as the golden plover or yellow bittern.
  
• 
  Something should be done for native wildlife but most were unsure of exactly what should be done.
  

A short conversation with Mark Defley, from US Navy, revealed:

• 
  Working with the community is very important.
  
• 
  From his previous experience with similar conservation projects in Hawaii, a community advisory board may be helpful in executing future projects.
  
• 
  Personal relationships with the community were very important to build community support. This process usually takes some time to build.
  

5.2 Benefits & Barriers

The benefits of invasive, feral and nuisance animal eradication on Guam and offshore islands, such as Cocos Island, extend beyond simply helping the island’s biodiversity to include benefiting the lives and livelihoods of target groups (Youth, General Public). Behavior change is far more likely if targets see a personal benefit to behavior change, rather than simply one that revolves around biodiversity in its abstract sense.

The following table summarizes how the targeted behavior changes, barriers to change and how target groups will benefit:

• 
  By increasing vigilance, communities will aid the in the detection of newly arrived species and protect Guam’s remaining wildlife. The lack of awareness regarding invasive species, their impacts on native species, how people can report invasive species will be mitigated by the Pride Campaign with the help of schools, local business and local and federal governments. The pre and post campaign survey as well as departmental reports will be used to monitor success of the campaign by the spring of 2009.
  

• 
  By increasing the occurrences of spaying/neutering among pet owners, communities will aid the in the decrease of predatory species on Guam and protect Guam’s remaining wildlife. The lack of awareness regarding animal control, their impacts on native species, how people can support animal control will be mitigated by the Pride Campaign with the help of GAIN, veterinary clinics, pet shops and Animal Control. The pre and post campaign survey as well as departmental reports will be used to monitor success of the campaign by the spring of 2009.
  

• 
  By decreasing the amounts of unwanted pets released in the wild, communities will aid the in the decrease of feral animals and predatory species on Guam and protect Guam’s remaining wildlife. The lack of awareness regarding animal control, their impacts on native species, how people can support animal control will be mitigated by the Pride Campaign with the help of GAIN, veterinary clinics, pet shops and Animal Control. The pre and post campaign survey as well as departmental reports will be used to monitor success of the campaign by the spring of 2009.
  

• 
  By supporting the eradication or control of nuisance wildlife, communities will aid the in the creation of a safe environment for people and native wildlife. The lack of awareness regarding nuisance wildlife such as rodents, their impacts on native species, how people can assist in habitat improvement will be mitigated by the Pride Campaign with the help of schools, local businesses and local and federal governmental agencies. The pre and post campaign survey as well as departmental reports will be used to monitor success of the campaign by the spring of 2009.
  

Table 3 – Barriers and Benefits to Behavior Change

Behaviour Change	Benefit of Behaviour Change	Barrier to Behaviour Change	Barrier Removal Techniques	Barrier Removal Partner	Monitoring Success	Target Completion Date
Increasing vigilance and adherence to biosecurity protocols	Increased rate of detection of invasive species, preservation of remaining native wildlife.	Lack of awareness about reasons for protecting native species from invasive species	Pride Campaign	Schools	Pre and Post Campaign survey Quizzes	March 2009
		People don’t know how to report invasive species or to whom.	Pride Campaign	GuamCell, GTA	Pre and Post Campaign Survey, DAWR reports	March 2009
		People are unable to identify an invasive species.	Pride Campaign	Local & state government, GISAC	Pre and Post Campaign survey. Reports from veterinary clinics and GAIN	March 2009
Spaying or neutering pets	Decreasing number of predatory species on Guam	People don’t know where to spay or neuter their pets	Pride Campaign	GAIN, vet clinics, pet shops	Pre and Post Campaign survey.	March 2009
		People are unaware of the effects of pets on native wildlife	Pride Campaign	GAIN, vet clinics, pet shops	Pre and Post Campaign survey.	March 2009
		Local tradition/beliefs of pet control	Pride Campaign	GAIN, Elders	Pre and Post Campaign survey. Reports from GAIN, vet clinics	March 2009
		Lack of resources	Provide alternatives – financial support	Local & state government, Local veterinary clinics.	Reports from GAIN, vet clinics,	March 2009
Not releasing unwanted pets into the wild	Decrease the amount of feral animals	People are unaware of the effects of feral animals on native species	Pride Campaign	GAIN, schools	Pre and Post Campaign survey, Reports from GAIN & Animal Control	March 2009
		Local tradition/beliefs of pet control	Pride Campaign	GAIN, Elders	Reports from GAIN	March 2009
		People don’t know where to bring unwanted pets	Pride Campaign	GAIN, Animal Control	Pre and Post Campaign survey, GAIN reports, Animal control reports	March 2009
		Lack of resources to spay/neuter pets	Spay/neuter clinic	GAIN, Local veterinary clinics	Reports from GAIN, vet clinics	March 2009
Support for eradication or control of nuisance species	Cleaner, safer environment for all.	People are unaware that nuisance species can be harmful to native wildlife	Pride Campaign	Schools	Pre and Post Campaign survey	March 2009
		Lack of resources to eradicate or control nuisance wildlife	Provide alternative – free traps	USDA	Pre and Post Campaign survey	March 2009
		Local tradition/beliefs	Pride Campaign	Elders	Pre and Post Campaign survey	March 2009

6.0 Objective Themes

GDAWR recognizes that to reduce the threat of invasive species on Guam’s terrestrial biodiversity they must do the following:

1. 
   Promote the use of reporting tools of nuisance animals (invasive species and pests) in Guam.
   
2. 
   Protect the areas in which native species are found.
   
3. 
   Create areas for reintroductions of native species.
   
4. 
   Reduce the number of feral animals.
   
5. 
   Eradicate of nuisance animals, specifically control rodents.
   

However, these objective themes have several possible ways of accomplishing them:

Objective Theme #1	Promote the use of reporting tools of nuisance animals (invasive species and pests) on Guam.
Option 1 (Preferred)	Island-wide marketing campaign advertising reporting methods – TV, radio, and newspaper.
Option 2	Workshops with high risk groups: vendors to Cocos Island, Cocos Resort security guards & employees
Option 3	Civic presentations to Mayor’s Council, Rotary clubs, Chamber of Commerce etc., schools
Option 4	Outside advertising: billboards, posters, signs.

Objective Theme #2	Protect the areas in which native species are found.
Option 1 (Preferred)	Increase access to protected areas (military owned).
Option 2	Petition with local people to hand over military land to the local environmental agencies.
Option 3 (Preferred)	Work with military to help conserve lands currently used by endangered species.
Option 4 (Preferred)	Work with private landowners of areas where native species are found or could be reintroduced.

Objective Theme #3	Create areas for reintroductions of native species.
Option 1 (Preferred)	Utilize appropriate offshore islands.
Option 2 (Preferred)	Work with military to create more refuges on base.
Option 3 (Preferred)	Work with Guam National Wildlife Refuge to create a suitable area.
Option 4 (Preferred)	Fence-in suitable existing park/conservation areas on Guam.

Objective Theme #4	Reducing the number of feral animals.
Option 1 (Preferred)	Increase number of people who spay and neuter their pets.
Option 2 (Preferred)	Increase number of people who do not release unwanted pets into the wild.
Option 3 (Preferred)	Work with GAIN to publicize effects of feral animals on native wildlife.
Option 4 (Preferred)	Periodic catch and cull program.

Objective Theme #5	Control of invasive and nuisance animals, especially brown treesnakes and rodents.
Option 1	Use rodenticides and traps to eradicate rodents in areas slated for conservation work.
Option 2	Increase community awareness on the effects of rodents on native wildlife.
Option 3 (Preferred)	Integrated species specific pest management plans for specific areas on Guam.
Option 4	Use bounty to call attention to nuisance species.

6.1 Prioritizing themes

The Department recognized the need for additional research to decide which approach or approaches represent the best use of limited resources. At the present time, access to military lands is limited and with the current plans for joint basing, the US Navy will have authority over all Department of Defense lands on Guam. Future access and land used is unknown or tentative. Therefore the ability to protect and create new areas for reintroduction of native species is limited. It would be advantageous for the Department of Agriculture to focus efforts and resources on promoting the use of reporting methods for invasive species and reducing the number of feral and nuisance animal species on Guam. This effort will support current restoration projects objectives such as the need for biosecurity for Cocos Island. Finally with a decrease of predatory species on Guam, areas can be identified for possible restoration and reintroduction of native species. 7.0 Establishing a Baseline

GDAWR conducted a 68-question quantitative survey to establish a baseline for Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) and to help better understand and test assumptions about their audiences for the Pride Campaign. Three hundred and eighty-four respondents were sampled systematically in face–to-face surveys. Questions (see Appendix F) were closed and open-ended, prompted and unprompted. The survey solicited information on prevailing levels of knowledge, attitude and behavior toward Guam’s terrestrial environment and the threats it faces in particular. There were also questions regarding media preferences, willingness to change behaviors and trusted information sources.

7.1 Survey Methodology

Using the current total population estimate and the web site (http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm) a sample size of 383 was calculated. This will guarantee a confidence level of 95% at a confidence interval of 5% which is acceptable for most Pride campaigns as per Rare guidelines.

Randomization of the sample population was accomplished through stratification of the sampling area, which is the entire island of Guam. Current census information was collected for Guam’s 19 villages. By using Table 4 below, the number of interviews conducted in each village was approximated by calculating what percentage of the villages’ population contributed to the total island population. This percentage was then used to calculate the number needed to survey from each village within the sample population.
Example
Population of Agana Heights 4336 = x = 2.5% percentage

Population of Guam 173,456 100 of total population

2.5% = x = 9.5 number needed to survey within Agana Heights

100 383 target sample size

Additionally, systematic sampling was accomplished by randomly picking a household or group, and then sampling every 5^th household or person moving throughout the village until the quota is complete. If a household or group had more than one person who fits the sample criteria (age etc), one eligible respondent was randomly selected.
Six volunteer enumerators were utilized to administer the survey to a sample population of 384 random individuals. Volunteers canvassed specific villages according to the breakdown in Table 4 below. No one below the age of 14 was surveyed for legal reasons. Interviews took place during the day or early evening at a time when most people are not working. Due to deadline constraints, places where large numbers of individuals congregated were targeted. These locations included laundry shops, public parks, schools and dense neighborhoods. Questions were read aloud by the enumerators, who were trained by the campaign manager. See Appendix E for “Rules for Interviewers”. Answers were carefully recorded and written on the sheets by the enumerators themselves. Surveys were checked carefully before sampling the next person.
One volunteer failed to return any surveys. This contributed to discrepancies in actual and target number of individuals surveyed per village. The original goal was to complete 598 surveys to increase accuracy to within 4%. It was not attained due to the lack of cooperation from one volunteer.
Table 4 – Geographical Distribution of Survey

Village	Population	REQUIRED # to survey for target Confidence Interval	ACTUAL # surveyed	DIFFERENCE between CI @ 5 and actual # surveyed	Name of Enumerator responsible for village
	According to 2007 Census	CI @ 5
GUAM	173,456	383	384	+1
Agana Heights	4336	10	11	+1	S. Larkin
Agat	6418	14	14	0	S. Larkin
Asan	2428	5	8	+3	S. Larkin, C. Calaustro
Barrigada	9714	21	30	+7	L. Tatreau
Chalan Pago/Ordot	6591	16	19	+3	L. Tatreau
Dededo	48,221	106	75	-31	C. Calaustro, M. Blas
Hagatna	1214	3	3	0	S. Larkin
Inajaran	3469	8	8	0	C. Calaustro
Mangilao	14917	33	33	0	L. Tatreau
Merizo	2428	5	10	+5	P. Rankin, V. Sayers
Momgmong/Toto/Maite	6591	15	18	+3	L. Tatreau
Piti	1908	4	6	+2	C. Calaustro
Santa Rita	8326	18	6	-12	C. Calaustro
Sinajana	3122	7	9	+2	S. Larkin
Talofofo	3643	8	8	0	C. Calaustro
Tamuning	20,294	45	48	+3	E. Petra
Umatac	1041	2	6	+4	C. Calaustro
Yigo	21,855	48	48	0	C. Calaustro
Yona	7285	16	16	0	C. Calaustro
Preferred to not reply			8	+8

7.2 Guahan Pride Campaign – Pre-Campaign (Baseline) Survey

The survey was designed and analyzed using Survey Pro. See Appendix F for the Guam Pre-Campaign (Baseline) Survey.

8.0 SURVEY RESULTS

The 384 questionnaire surveys were returned by the enumerators and loaded into Survey Pro. A summary of the results are included in this section of the project plan. For a complete analysis, please refer to Appendix G.

8.1 Summary of bio-data

Please refer to Table 4 in Survey Methodology.

• 
  50.5% of respondents surveyed were male and 49.5% female.
  

• 
  More than half of the respondents (57.3%) were ages 21 and older. The remaining 42.7% was comprised of respondents age 16-20.
  
• 
  Two teachers were recruited as enumerators and may have biased the data by interviewing only high school aged children.
  

8.2 Media preference by key segment

• 
  86.9% of respondents surveyed watch television at least once a week.
  

• 
  86.4% of respondents surveyed read newspapers or magazines at least once a week.
  

• 
  86.2% of respondents surveyed listen to the radio at least once a week.
  

8.2.1 Analysis – Radio, Newspaper and Television

The majority of local communities on Guam are tuned into their local media either through television, newspaper or radio.

The preferred television stations of respondents included cable/satellite stations and KUAM, a local NBC affiliate with news, local programming and sports being chosen as favorite programs to watch. Of those respondents who watched television, most showed an affinity for watching television after 6:01pm but there were also many that did not have a preferred watching time or watched on and off all day.
The top three publications read on Guam include: the Pacific Daily News, the Marianas Variety and Marine Drive Magazine. Of those respondents who read that paper, headline news, feature stories and comics were favorite sections to read.
The three most popular radio stations are: Hit Radio 100, Power 98, and I94 with local and international music being favorite genres. Of those respondents who listened to the radio, the majority did not have a preferred listening time or listened on and off all day. However 26% of respondents did listen to radio between 6am and 10am.
See Appendix G – cross tabulation section for analysis of media preference according to targeted age group.

8.3 Trusted Sources

• 
  43.2% of respondents trust government environment officials with environmental information.
  

8.4 Knowledge and attitude about key issues

• 
  72.7% of respondents know that Guam rails are only found on Guam.
  
• 
  Since 43% of respondents were youth (aged 16-20) surveyed by teachers, they may have had pre-existing knowledge of native species and contributed to the high percentage of respondents knowing about the Guam rail.
  

• 
  53.7% of respondents know that the brown treesnake is a threat to the ko’ko’.
  

• 
  The top 3 actions as identified by respondents that people can do to protect native wildlife include not littering (71.7% of respondents), recycling (59.1% of respondents), and planting a tree (48.1% of respondents).
  

• 
  68% of respondents can name an invasive species.
  
• 
  52.5% of respondents know that invasive species are harmful to wildlife.
  
• 
  43.4% of respondents know that invasive species originate from other places.
  
• 
  38.7% of respondents know to contact Guam Department of Agriculture regarding invasive species.
  

ATTITUDES

• 
  60.9% of respondents surveyed strongly agree that litter harms wildlife and 45.4% of respondents surveyed disagree that rodents are not attracted to litter.
  
• 
  28.8% of respondents surveyed strongly disagree that releasing unwanted pets into the jungle does not harm wildlife. Additionally, 45.9% of respondents surveyed are neutral whether spaying and neutering with help native wildlife.
  
• 
  31.5% of respondents surveyed believe invasive species are harmful to native wildlife and 31.7% of respondents surveyed believe they can stop the spread of invasive species by telling the proper authorities.
  

8.5 – Analysis of control

Establishing a “control” group was considered an important aspect of the project, but unfortunately not possible as media to be used (radio, press) would likely reach everyone on Guam and possibly even to nearby islands in the CNMI, where a concurrent Pride campaign is occurring. It would be difficult to isolate a single control (comparison) population. The pre-project (baseline) survey will be repeated after the project to determine changes in knowledge, attitude and practice. Respondents will be asked where they gained new information, and information that may have resulted in modified behaviors in an attempt to attribute changes to our campaign.

Some questions were added to the survey to monitor the level of knowledge, attitudes and practice before and after the Pride Campaign. Some questions referring to media outlets will gauge where people are hearing their information and how much has been heard. Other questions will show how many people know “Che’lu” – the proposed mascot for Guam’s Pride Campaign.

4.0%




14

• 
  Respondents of the pre-campaign survey chose newspapers (60%), posters (41.7%) and advertising “spots” (19.4%) as the top 3 recent sources of native species information.
  

• 
  44.4% of respondents surveyed know “Che’lu”.
  

9

5.4%

• 
  However of these respondents, only 5.4% associate the name Che’lu with GDAWR’s ko’ko’ mascot.
  

8.6 Cross tabulation

By utilizing the SurveyPro software, the data was manipulated to stratify responses of specific questions according to age group. Youth (aged 16-20) were identified as an integral target audience. Therefore it was imperative to isolate results from this age group. More detailed analysis of the survey can be found in Appendix F. The results are as follows:

• 
  The majority of respondents, (48.37%), aged 16 - 20 were neutral when asked if they thought spaying or neutering pets will help native wildlife.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents, (50.0%), aged 16 - 20 believe predation by brown treesnake is the most important threat to the ko’ko’.
  

• 
  When shown a picture of the ko’ko’, the majority of respondents, (26.14%), aged 16 - 20 associated the ko’ko’ as being endangered.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents, (66.88%), aged 16 - 20 know that the ko’ko’ are only found on Guam.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents, (75.32%), aged 16 - 20 believe there is something they can do to protect the native wildlife of Guam.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents, (68.83%), aged 16 - 20 know examples of invasive species are brown treesnake, rhinoceros beetle, strangling vines and snakehead fish on Guam.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents, (75.32%), aged 16 – 20 know not littering protects or encourages native wildlife.
  

• 
  The majority of respondents who own pets, (36.77%), aged 16 – 20 did not have them spayed or neutered.
  

8.7 Flagship species

As the territorial bird of Guam, the ko’ko’ is a natural choice as a flagship species for an inaugural Pride Campaign. The questionnaire survey conducted as part of this study solicited respondent input regarding knowledge of the Guam rail. 85% of those polled replied that they have heard of the ko’ko’ (Question 38). 73% of those polled knew the species was endemic to Guam (Question 40) and 77% of respondents know that the ko’ko’ are in danger of dying out (Question 41). 54% of respondents can cite the brown treesnake as the cause of species extinction (Question 43) and 71% believe there is something they can do to protect native wildlife (Question 44). Finally when questioned, only 11% of respondents replied “nothing” or “I don’t know” when asked “what does the ko’ko’ mean to you” (Question 37). Therefore, since a large part of the population have knowledge of the ko’ko’, it’s threats, and believe they can help native wildlife, the Guam rail is best to represent current conservation efforts and can be used as a symbol of Guahan pride.

1.2%

4

• 
  When shown a picture of the Guam rail, 28.1% of respondents stated that the bird is endangered and 17.2% of respondents stated that bird is a representation of the island and is the territorial bird of Guam.
  
• 
  10.9% of respondents associate it with Chamorro life, culture, and ancestry.
  
• 
  5.2% of respondents believe the ko’ko’ is going extinct.
  
• 
  Smaller percentages of respondents have associated the species with personal experiences/significance and with native environment and wildlife.
  

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