Browsing by Author "Keeler, Bonnie"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Assessing the benefits of ENRTF funded conservation easements
    (2018-10) Noe, Ryan; Keeler, Bonnie; Johnson, Justin; Kilgore, Michael; Taff, Steven; Polasky, Stephen
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    Episode 26: The CREATE Initiative: Research at the Intersection of Environment and Equity
    (2020-02-17) Keeler, Bonnie; Foy, Melanie Sommer
    Bonnie Keeler, assistant professor in the science, technology, and environmental policy area at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, discusses her work with the CREATE Initiative. In founding the initiative, Keeler and University of Minnesota geography professor Kate Derickson sought to combine their research areas in a program that addresses issues at the intersection of environment and equity using interdisciplinary, community-engaged, mission-driven scholarship. Groups of CREATE graduate researchers have partnered with members of the Policy Think Tank—a team of community leaders from Minnesota, Atlanta, and elsewhere—to consider the context of historic racial inequality in cities and understand community members' concerns as cities increasingly invest in policies to address climate change and improve urban sustainability. The CREATE Initiative has also developed an action-oriented policy toolkit to help community members advocate for the benefits of greening initiatives to reach their communities without engendering displacement.
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    Equipping Municipalities with Climate Change Data to Inform Stormwater Management
    (2022-02) Noe, Ryan; Birkel, Jonathan; Locke, Christina; Twine, Tracy; Keeler, Bonnie; Hall, Leah; Pinkalla, Stephanie
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    Implementing nonpoint source pollution programs: Results of interviews with agency professionals
    (2025-01) Anderson, Meghan; Hohensee, Taylor; Keeler, Bonnie; Niehoff, Erin
    Nutrient pollution from agriculture remains a leading cause of water quality impairments in the United States despite decades of policy interventions. The authority to implement water quality policies falls to states with significant variation in the development and execution of programs designed to reduce nutrient pollution. Few have evaluated how states implement these programs, limiting insights into how policy actors can improve the design and delivery of water quality policies. State agency professionals have unique insights into the implementation of programs designed to address nutrient runoff. We report on interviews with agency staff involved in six water quality programs across three U.S. states. We asked interviewees to reflect on the implementation of each program and share recommendations for how policies could be adapted to other states or contexts. Respondents identified several insights relevant to successful policy implementation. They stressed the need for strong partnerships between state and local agencies, robust technical tools for monitoring and compliance, and adaptable strategies that account for regional and operational differences. Agency staff noted that voluntary policies are more politically feasible but less effective, while mandatory policies can achieve broader compliance when robust enforcement mechanisms are in place. In addition to implementation challenges, the study notes gaps in equity in agricultural policies. Many programs fail to account for barriers faced by small-scale, minority, and underrepresented farmers, including limited access to land and resources. This research provides actionable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the importance of balancing flexibility and resource allocation to create more effective and sustainable water quality programs.
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    Measuring what matters: Assessing the full suite of benefits of OHF investments
    (2021-01-08) Noe, Ryan; Locke, Christina; Host, George; Gorzo, Jessica; Johnson, Lucinda; Lonsdorf, Eric; Grinde, Alexis; Joyce, Michael; Bednar, Josh; Dumke, Josh; Keeler, Bonnie
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    Source Water Protection Challenges and Co-benefits
    (2021-11) Noe, Ryan; Keeler, Bonnie; Mayer, Terin
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    The Value of Water in the Twin Cities
    (Metropolitan Council, 2024-08) Davenport, Mae; Keeler, Bonnie; Roth, Sarah; Kreiter, Amelia; Rogers, Maggie; Keller, Meredith; Niehoff, Erin; Mohamed, Kowsar; Pradhananga, Amit; Delgado-Ortiz, Giovanni
    This report outlines findings from a four-year research project conducted by University of Minnesota (UMN) researchers in collaboration with the Metropolitan Council (hereafter Council), with funding from the Council’s Community Development and Environmental Services Division. The study area includes the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area seven-county region. In 2019, staff from the Council’s Environmental Services Division engaged with researchers from the UMN Center for Changing Landscapes and Humphrey School of Public Affairs to discuss the Council’s desire to better understand and represent the perspectives of socially and culturally diverse residents and their water relationships. The project’s goals are to uplift the perspectives and experiences of Twin Cities Metro Area residents, especially socially marginalized groups with the aim of representation justice in water policy and planning. Davenport et al. (2023, pg. 289) define representation justice in water as policy, planning, and management in which “people should reasonably expect that the diversity of water relationships and values of community members are fairly deliberated and equitably represented among those in power.” To center representation justice in our science, the UMN team committed to using rigorous and inclusive social science research methodologies to gather and share different narratives of water from and with communities and community leaders across MSP with the goal of better representing communities and influencing water policy, programming, and investments towards water justice. In 2021-2022, UMN researchers conducted a survey of Twin Cities Metro Area residents. Our original study design directed us to survey residents onsite, at community events. However, because of the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, an onsite survey was no longer possible. Instead, we administered a mail survey of residential households in the Twin Cities Metro Area to learn more about residents’ understanding of their water supply, perceived threats or concerns related to water services, familiarity with their water bill and local issues related to water in their communities. A detailed account of Phase I (2020-2022) work is presented in a separate technical report (Roth et al., 2022). This report presents findings from the second phase of social science research conducted as part of the larger two-phase project. This report describes three research activities conducted in Phase II from 2022-2024: • Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Municipal Surveys: A Review of Water Insights • Urban Water Values in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area • Water Policy Co-Development Workshops The report is organized into three sections. Each section reports on an activity and was written by project PIs and co-authors.
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    Valuing state investments in clean water: An analysis of Minnesota’s Clean Water Fund through the lens of ecosystem services, equity, and climate change
    (2024-06) Keeler, Bonnie; Boiko, Olena; Hohensee, Taylor; Nichols, Rachel; Niehoff, Erin
    This report aims to support strategic planning through the duration of the Clean Water Land and Legacy amendment. Our goal is to provide insights to the Council and legislature to help inform remaining years of the fund, prioritize future allocations, and suggest recommendations for more efficient and equitable management. To address these gaps, we aligned our research with the following three objectives: 1. Estimating ecosystem service benefits of clean water investments, 2. Reviewing integration of climate and equity consideration in watershed planning, and 3. Evaluating potential costs of achieving multiple water quality goals through the expiration of the Clean Water Fund. Work under each objective included review of primary and secondary literatures, spatial data analysis and modeling, review and analysis of watershed plans, and assessment and synthesis of agency and academic data and reports to distill key insights and recommendations relevant for clean water planning and management.