Absentee Landowners in the Great Lakes Basin: Who They Are and Implications for Conservation Outreach

In the realm of conservation management a growing and important audience is absentee landowners. As natural resource agencies increasingly focus their attention and assistance on critical resource areas, working effectively with absentee landowners who are not being reached by traditional outreach methods is essential. This descriptive study compares and contrasts absentee landowners in the U.S. Great Lakes Basin based upon their primary use of the land—either for crop production or for recreational activities. Segmenting the landowners in this manner allows natural resource personnel to tailor specific conservation outreach messages that appeal to the differing groups, allowing for more effective allocation of scarce resources.