Dissertation Research: The Nature Conservancy, Science, and the People of Adams County

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This dissertation research project is a study of the relations between an international, science-based conservation organization (The Nature Conservancy) and the people of a rural county in southern Ohio. The Conservancy has established a preserve in this area, but more importantly is attempting to enroll the local residents in a program of county-wide assessment and planning. The study addresses important theoretical and practical issues in the sociology of knowledge and of science in public controversies, drawing as well on sociological theory of small towns, organizations, and place. The specific research questions of the project are: (1) For the Adams County residents and for the Conservancy, what are the different meanings of the county and what are their different interests in its future, taking into account both the human community and natural environment (2) How does the Conservancy bring its definition of the county into alignment with the county residents? What are the strategies employed by the Conservancy and how are these resisted? To answer these questions, the project consists of three elements: (a) ethnographic observation in the county as the Conservancy attempts to institute a process of county-wide assessment and planning; (b) tape-recording and analysis of interviews and oral histories with approximately 30 Conservancy staff and county residents; (c) the collection and analysis of documents and data from the Conservancy, from collections relevant to the county (from libraries, newspapers, county and village records, and organizations). This interdisciplinary study is significant first because it brings science and technology studies and community studies together for the first time. For science and technology studies, the project aims to enlarge upon theories of science in public controversies, while in sociology this investigation will add as well to the theoretical understanding of small towns, organizations, and place. This investigation has practical significance as well. The changes taking place in this rural county are being duplicated nationwide, and this study can help communities and conservation groups decide on the best course of action to take in grappling with this change and its consequences. In addition, the growth of the Conservancy and in particular its new participatory conservation approach has been overlooked. These findings can help the Conservancy, its supporters, other conservation groups, the involved communities, and interested others to better understand the new approach, assess it, and take action in accord with their goals. Finally, this research can be applied to the larger problem of balancing the knowledge and interests of local residents with the need for expert science from an organization like the Conservancy. This study can help in evaluating how scientific knowledge can best be part of democratic decision-making.