Partnerscapes has been seeking input for planning of Private Lands Partners Day through a survey as our country and individual states continue the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. So far, 90 individuals have responded, and we wanted to provide a report on the results thus far, even while leaving the survey open for a bit longer. Respondents to date have been mostly landowners and federal employees (67%) and have either attended Private Lands Partners Day in the past (72%) or have not and plan to attend one in the future (25%). When asked about their willingness to attend Private Lands Partners Day 2021 if gatherings without social distancing were deemed safe in Oregon by early October, 65% said yes with 28% saying maybe.
We asked several questions about comfort with air travel, commercial lodging and field trips. Seventy-two percent would be comfortable traveling by air to the meeting and 90% would be comfortable with staying in commercial lodging. There was some concern expressed related to any field tour, with only 70% being comfortable with large passenger buses.
The biggest concern among potential attendees at this point is related to group size. While 65% of respondents are comfortable with being in groups of less than 25, only 39% are comfortable with groups of 100 or more.
We also asked respondents to rank several different alternatives if a full two and a half day in-person gathering without social distancing was not possible. The most favored alternative was if an in-person gathering (of whatever size) was possible with social distancing requirements and other limitations, with a virtual option for those unable to participate in person. The least favored option was postponing Private Lands Partners Day until it could be held without restrictions.
We will leave the survey open for a couple more weeks to allow more folks to weigh in, as we will not be making a final decision until the end of May. THANK YOU to all that have participated so far! If you would like to participate you can complete the survey at this link, and if you share your email at the end of the survey you will be entered in to a raffle for some swag from previous Private Lands Partners Days!
