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Love Our Waterways 2026 Littering Survey

This survey officially closes Friday, March 6, 2026

Your Thoughts And Opinions Shape Our Programming.

Whether you are a lifelong Michigander or a newcomer, you play a vital role in protecting and nurturing Michigan's precious freshwater resources. Our abundant lakes and rivers are not just beautiful—they are essential for fish, wildlife, recreation, and our communities.

Our mission transcends merely cleaning waterways; it’s about fostering community spirit and civic pride. The transformative efforts of our volunteers illustrate the incredible achievements we can accomplish together. We invite you to join us on this remarkable journey as we expand our stewardship efforts statewide in 2026, prepare for regional growth in 2027, and aim for a national presence by 2030.

To guide our efforts and program development, as well as to craft effective and powerful messaging, we have created this 25-point questionnaire below to enhance our understanding of the general public's thoughts and opinions regarding the impact of litter, trash, and other signs of urban living on the appearance, health, and recreational use of our waterways. We appreciate your participation. Please answer each question to the best of your understanding. Your identity and responses will be kept private and confidential.

If you wish to learn more about how you can support our efforts to make Michigan's waterways cleaner, healthier, and the envy of our Great Lakes states, please feel free to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Mike Stout
President and Founder, Michigan Waterways Stewards.
Love Our Waterways. It’s A Shared Responsibility.
[email protected] | (952) 239-3943

Creating A Community Culture of Care
Love Our Waterways 2026 Littering Survey

SECTION 1

First, please tell us a little about yourself first.

* Indicates required field

Name *

Email *

Gender *

Male Female

What is your age? *

Less than 13 13-18 19-25 26-35 36-50 Over 50 Prefer not to say.

City or Township where you live. *

Level of education completed: *

Less than high school High school College two-years College four-years College greater than four years

Q1. Do you live on or near a river, creek, or inland lake? Choose One *

Yes No

Q2. Do you own a secondary residence on or near a river, creek, or inland lake? *

Yes No

Q3. Do you regularly engage in recreational activities 'on' a river, creek, or inland lake, like boating, swimming, fishing, or paddling? *

Yes No

Q4. Do you regularly engage in recreational activities 'along' a river, creek, or inland lake, like hiking, wildlife viewing, nature photography, or camping? *

Yes No

Q5. How concerned are you about the health of Michigan’s rivers, creeks, and inland lakes? *

Very concerned Somewhat concerned Neutral Somewhat unconcerned Not concerned at all

Please feel free to share more. *

SECTION 2

Please share thoughts about litter, trash, and other signs of urban living being found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes.

Q6. Do you agree that litter, trash, and other signs of urban living found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes to be unsightly? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q7. Do you agree that litter, trash, and other signs of urban living found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes are harmful to the environment? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q8. Do you agree that litter, trash, and other signs of urban living found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes are harmful to fish and wildlife? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q9. Do you agree that litter, trash, and other signs of urban living found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes pose a risk to humans? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q10. Do you agree that litter, trash, and other signs of urban living found in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes are more harmful than that found on land? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q11. What level of litter, trash, and other signs of urban living in or near our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes do you consider acceptable? *

Completely unacceptable Mostly unacceptable A moderate amount Mostly acceptable Completely acceptable

Q12. Do you agree with the statement, “Littered and polluted rivers, creeks, and inland lakes reflect poorly on a community?" *

Strongly agree Agree Neutal Disagree Stronly disagree

Please feel free to share more. *

SECTION 3

Please share your thoughts on how the presence of litter, trash, and other signs of urban living may affect your choices for recreation and vacation.

Q13. Would you be more likely to travel to visit an area for recreational activities if its river, creek, or inland lake is free of litter, trash, and other signs of urban living? *

Definitely more likely Somewhat more likely Neutral Somewhat unlikely Definitely unlikely

Q14. Would you be more likely to visit an area for shopping, dining, or vacationing if its river, creek, or inland lake is free of litter and other signs of urban living? *

Definitely more likely Somewhat more likely Neutral Somewhat unlikely Definitely unlikely

Please feel free to share more. *

SECTION 4

Like our air, no one owns our shared rivers, streams, and inland lakes, making it unclear who is accountable for their stewardship. Please share your thoughts on who should be primarily responsible for keeping our waterways free of litter, trash, and other signs of urban living?

Q15. Are you familiar with Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR)? *

Yes No

Q16. Are you familiar with Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)? *

Yes No

Q17. Who do you think 'is most' responsible for retrieving litter, trash, and other signs of urban living once they have made their way into our rivers, creeks, or inland waterways? *

The City/Township The County The State (either DNR or EGLE) The Local Watershed Organization Volunteers

Q18. Who do you think 'is least' responsible for retrieving litter, trash, and other signs of urban living once they have made their way into our rivers, creeks, or inland waterways? *

The City/Township The County The State (either DNR or EGLE) The Local Watershed Organization Volunteers

Please feel free to share more. *

SECTION 5

It is generally accepted that education and creating awareness is vital in fostering a shared responsibility to steward the environment and to protect and care for our waterways. We welcome your thoughts on the following topics.

Q19. Do you believe that well-crafted public service announcements will be helpful in raising awareness about our shared responsibility to protect and care for our waterways? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q20. Do you believe that well-designed and appropriately placed signage will be helpful in raising awareness about our shared responsibility to protect and care for our waterways? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Q21. Do you believe that the combined use of well-crafted public service announcements 'and' well-placed signage would demonstrate a community's commitment to protecting and caring for its waterways? *

Extremely effective Very effective Moderately effective A little effective Not at all effective

Q22. Do you believe that the enforcement of a municipality's laws prohibiting littering and illegal dumping would prove to be an effective deterrent against such acts? *

Extremely effective Very effective Moderately effective A little effective Not at all effective

Q23. Do you believe that public service announcements, appropriate placement of well-designed signage, and the enforcement of a municipality’s laws prohibiting littering and illegal dumping would collectively help protect the appearance and health of our waterways? *

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Pease feel free to share more. *

SECTION 6

Retrieving litter, trash, and signs of urban development from our rivers, creeks, and inland lakes requires significantly more effort and cost, and poses a higher risk of personal injury. Moreover, these incidents harm our environment, particularly our waterways, more than if the items were collected on land. Please share your thoughts on potential deterrent measures.

Q24. Accepting this understanding, should the penalties or fines for violators be: *

The same as standard littering and illegal dumping laws. Greater to reflect the increased effort, cost, risk of personal injury, and environmental harm.

Q25. In the event that a person is unable to pay a fine, would you find it acceptable for them to volunteer their time to conduct community service in lieu of payment? *

Yes No

Please feel free to share more. *

SPECIAL TOPIC (OPTIONAL)

While it is essential to approach the topic of homelessness with empathy and sensitivity, we must also acknowledge the significant environmental challenges associated with homeless encampments. These areas can be a major source of litter, trash, and contaminants, including human waste and discarded needles, which often find their way into our urban rivers and creeks. Furthermore, the deforestation linked to these encampments poses serious risks to the natural health of riverbanks and surrounding ecosystems.

Given these factors:

Q1. Should homeless individuals be held accountable for littering, polluting, and discarding items in our waterways? *

Yes No Would rather not answer.

Q2. Should homeless individuals be subject to fines or penalties for littering, polluting, and discarding items in our waterways? *

Yes No Would rather not answer.

3. If a homeless individual is unable to pay a fine, would you find it acceptable for them to volunteer their time to conduct community service in lieu of payment? *

Yes No Would rather not answer.

4. Who do you think is 'most' responsible for retrieving litter, trash, and other pollutants attributed to homelessness once they have made their way into our rivers, creeks, or inland waterways. *

The City/Township The County The State The Local Watershed Organization Homeless Individuals Homeless Advocacy Groups Volunteers

5. Who do you think is 'least' responsible for retrieving litter, trash, and other pollutants attributed to homelessness once they have made their way into our rivers, creeks, or inland waterways.Choose One *

The City/Township The County The State The Local Watershed Organziation Homeless Individuals Homeless Advocacy Groups Volunteers

Please feel free to share more. *

Submit

THANK YOU

MICHIGAN WATERWAYS STEWARDS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS

LOVE OUR WATERWAYS. IT'S A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.

Love Our Waterways 2026 Littering Survey

Your Thoughts And Opinions Shape Our Programming.

Creating A Community Culture of CareLove Our Waterways 2026 Littering Survey

Creating A Community Culture of Care
Love Our Waterways 2026 Littering Survey