Attitudes towards harbor seal presence in downtown Bellingham, WA
Research Mentor(s)
Acevedo-Gutiérrez, Alejandro, 1964-
Description
Wildlife is often impacted by construction and human development just as wildlife itself impacts human activities. These mutual impacts influence human opinions on where wildlife should occur. Downtown Bellingham, WA, is located on the waterfront of Bellingham Bay; currently under industrial development, it boasts dozens of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) that apparently prey on salmonids in the local Whatcom Creek. Given their mutual use of the area, interactions between humans and harbor seals are common and likely to increase. To determine the attitudes of humans towards the presence of harbor seals in downtown Bellingham, I am conducting door-to-door interview surveys of two neighborhoods near the waterfront. Thirty blocks have been randomly selected in the neighborhoods and three housing units have been randomly selected from each block. The survey contains two ranking, four multiple choice, and one open-ended question to collect both unambiguous answers and comments from participants. The results from this survey will help understand factors influencing the attitudes of humans towards harbor seals. They may also help guide potential accommodations for the continuing presence of seals in downtown Bellingham.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
15-5-2019 9:00 AM
End Date
15-5-2019 5:00 PM
Location
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Department
Biology
Genre/Form
student projects, posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Harbor seal--Washington (State)--Bellingham Bay--Public opinion; Harbor seal--Effect of human beings on--Washington (State)--Bellingham Bay
Geographic Coverage
Bellingham Bay (Wash.)
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Attitudes towards harbor seal presence in downtown Bellingham, WA
Carver Gym (Bellingham, Wash.)
Wildlife is often impacted by construction and human development just as wildlife itself impacts human activities. These mutual impacts influence human opinions on where wildlife should occur. Downtown Bellingham, WA, is located on the waterfront of Bellingham Bay; currently under industrial development, it boasts dozens of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) that apparently prey on salmonids in the local Whatcom Creek. Given their mutual use of the area, interactions between humans and harbor seals are common and likely to increase. To determine the attitudes of humans towards the presence of harbor seals in downtown Bellingham, I am conducting door-to-door interview surveys of two neighborhoods near the waterfront. Thirty blocks have been randomly selected in the neighborhoods and three housing units have been randomly selected from each block. The survey contains two ranking, four multiple choice, and one open-ended question to collect both unambiguous answers and comments from participants. The results from this survey will help understand factors influencing the attitudes of humans towards harbor seals. They may also help guide potential accommodations for the continuing presence of seals in downtown Bellingham.