Plaster Creek Stewards Evaluation Partnership
PLASTER CREEK STEWARDS
BACKGROUND
Plaster Creek, located in Kent County, Michigan, is about 27 miles long. Its watershed occupies about 58 square miles. By the time Plaster Creek enters the Grand River, it is considered one of the most impaired waterways in West Michigan.
Plaster Creek Stewards (PCS) formed in the summer of 2008, after Calvin University organized a three-day summer workshop for local churches focusing on a theological foundation for creation care, the basics of watershed ecology, and practical strategies for watershed restoration. Since then, PCS has been awarded several multi-year grants from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). DataWise has been PCS’s Social Monitoring and Evaluation partner for over a decade.
EVALUATION DESIGN
Our most recent work with PCS focused on people who have been involved with PCS over its 15-year history. The goal of the evaluation was to gauge the impact of PCS and to identify best practices by examining those who have become highly involved with PCS. Our evaluation had three parts:
Surveys of people who have been involved with PCS and general residents
The survey was designed to gauge understanding and opinions about water quality among people who have been involved with the PCS and compare this to data on the same questions gathered on other surveys in the past. Compared to general residents, people who have been involved with PCS reported greater responsibility for and ability to affect water quality; perceive greater severity of general, country-wide, and household-related water pollutants; and were more familiar with practices to improve water quality (see section starting on page 10).
Interviews with PCS-involved individuals
The goal of the interviews was to gather in-depth information from people who have been involved with PCS. Interviewees were remarkably optimistic about PCS. While each story was different, all interviewees pointed to other people as the reason they became involved with PCS. Interviewees had a strong understanding of water quality issues, shared ideas for increasing PCS’s impact, and described what others would need to be propelled to take action (see section starting on page 24).
Education event pre/post feedback forms
The event feedback forms were designed to measure changes in knowledge from before to after the education event and to gather additional feedback about the education event. People who attended PCS education events reported a significant increase in knowledge about several water quality topics. Moreover, most attendees said that information was clear and relevant to them and that they were motivated and equipped to put what they learned into practice (see section starting on page 44).
Our evaluation provided a robust evidence base demonstrating PCS’s impact. The question is no longer “Is PCS making a difference?” It is now “How can PCS multiply the difference it makes?” As evaluators, we identified two avenues to expand PCS’s impact. The first avenue is through continued advocacy for policy change, especially in upstream areas. The second avenue is to reach new people and turn those who are already connected with PCS to active promoters of its work.
“DataWise staff has walked us through the survey and report process from start to finish, so that each time we had a product that was useful, directed our program, and helped us achieve grant deliverables.” – Andrea Lubberts, Plaster Creek Stewards