Center for Pollinator Conservation Social Network Analys

(Rev. 08/2024) OMB Control No. 1018-####

U.S. Department of the Interior Expires ##/##/20##

C ENTER FOR POLLINATOR CONSERVATION

SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Section 1. Introduction 

Q1.1

Thank you for participating in this survey. Our goal is to better understand the many people, organizations, and partnerships that are working to advance connected and collaborative pollinator conservation efforts across North America. This is a joint research effort from The University of Texas and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) new Center for Pollinator Conservation (Center). The project is being co-led by an interdisciplinary team of social scientists and conservation biologists and will use social network analysis as a tool to depict the people and organizations who are currently contributing to pollinator conservation efforts. Social network analyses can aid in our understanding of the forms and functions of relationships and flow of information and knowledge within the pollinator conservation network. We plan to use your input to help us:  understand current pollinator conservation efforts across sectors and geographies and identify existing pollinator conservation networks and gaps and opportunities to strengthen relationships and improve communication.   

Throughout our questions, we will ask you about pollinators. By pollinators we mean animals, including various birds, bats, and insects (e.g., bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, etc.), that move pollen between flowers, helping to fertilize plants, resulting in seed and fruit production.
 
We will also ask about your organization's pollinator conservation efforts, which may include various aspects of planning, coordination, and/or implementation focused on pollinators and their habitats. By organization, we are referring to your local, State, provincial, or Federal agency; Tribal nation or Indigenous organization; academic institution; non-profit; or private sector entity. If an agency, please consider your unit when answering questions (i.e., district, station, program, etc.).
 
This survey should take you about 20 minutes to complete. Your participation is completely voluntary, survey questions are optional and may be skipped, and you may stop the survey at any time. Your answers will remain confidential, and the data collected from this survey is protected under the Institutional Review Board at the University of Texas. Any information shared with the Service will be protected according to FOIA and the Privacy Act. Contact information that is collected will not be shared without your consent and will be primarily used to contact you if there are any questions about the information provided on the survey.
 
If you have any questions related to the survey, please contact Dr. Patrick Bixler at rpbixler@utexas.edu. If you have any questions about the Center or this project, please contact Dr. Shannon Westlake at shannon_westlake@fws.gov.
 
Advance to the next page to start the survey.

 

Section 2. Pollinator Conservation Efforts

The following set of questions are about the organization you represent (i.e., your organization) and the nature of your pollinator conservation efforts. Your willingness to share some limited information about your organization will help us map the network and accurately use and report these results.

Q2.1

What is the name of the organization you are representing? Please be as specific as possible using additional descriptors such as department, program, or unit (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services).

Q2.2

Website of your organization (if available): 

Q2.3

Your organization is best described as:

• Academic (PI, Lab, or Center)

• Nonprofit / Non-governmental organization / Professional association

• Private sector business

• Tribal Nation / Indigenous organization

• Local agency (including city, county)

• State / Provincial agency

• Federal agency

• Other: _____________________

Q2.4

Does your organization have a program or unit with a sustained focus on pollinator conservation?

• Yes

• No (If no, skip to Q2.6)

• I am not sure

Q2.5

Approximately what percentage of your organization’s capacity is dedicated to pollinator conservation (use the slide tool to select):

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

 

Yes ()

 

Q2.6

Below, you will find some types of pollinator conservation efforts across North America. Specific to the work of your organization, how important are the following effort types?

	Not at all Important	Slightly Important	Moderately Important	Extremely Important
Conservation planning and/or project administration	〇	〇	〇	〇
Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations	〇	〇	〇	〇
Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators	〇	〇	〇	〇
Improving data accessibility	〇	〇	〇	〇
Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors	〇	〇	〇	〇
Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination	〇	〇	〇	〇
Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement	〇	〇	〇	〇
Research design and implementation (e.g., natural and/or social sciences)	〇	〇	〇	〇
Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring	〇	〇	〇	〇

Q2.7

Which of the following pollinator conservation effort types does your organization primarily focus on? Select all that apply.

• Conservation planning and/or project administration

• Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations

• Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators

• Improving data accessibility 

• Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors

• Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination

• Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement

• Research design and implementation (e.g., natural and/or social sciences)

• Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring

Q2.8

Which of the following pollinator conservation effort types does your organization provide to others (i.e., what do other organizations rely on you for)? Select your top 3.

• Conservation planning and/or project administration

• Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations

• Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators

• Improving data accessibility 

• Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors

• Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination

• Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement

• Research design and implementation (e.g., natural and/or social sciences)

• Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring

Q2.9

Which of the following pollinator conservation effort types does your organization need most help with? Select your top 3.

• Conservation planning and/or project administration

• Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations

• Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators

• Improving data accessibility 

• Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors

• Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination

• Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement

• Research design and implementation (e.g., natural and/or social sciences)

• Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring

Section 3. Pollinator Conservation Collaboration

In this next section, we will ask about your primary pollinator conservation collaborators and the focus of your collaborative work. By collaborators, we mean the organizations you work with on pollinator conservation efforts. This information will help identify and understand organizational relationships and information flows throughout the pollinator conservation community, identify opportunities and gaps in the network, and improve efficiencies in our collaborative efforts.

Q3.1

My organization’s pollinator conservation efforts are focused (Select all that apply. Your scale responses will populate the following collaboration questions.):

• Locally (i.e., within one state/province)

• Regionally (i.e., across two or more states/provinces but within one region of the country)

• Nationally (i.e., across multiple regions)

• Internationally

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Locally (i.e., within one state/province).

Q3.2

Which are the main organizations you work with on your local pollinator conservation efforts? Please list one organization per box and click next after you have finished your list (fill in as many organizations as you can think of, up to 10 responses). Please be as specific as possible using additional descriptors such as department, program, or unit (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services).

If your organization works with more than 10 organizations on your local efforts, please list the first 10 that come to mind.

Please list the organizations below: 

Organization #1:

Organization #2:

Organization #3:

Organization #4:

Organization #5:

Organization #6:

Organization #7:

Organization #8:

Organization #9:

Organization #10:

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Regionally (i.e., across two or more states/province but within one region of the country).

Q3.3

Which are the main organizations you work with on your regional pollinator conservation efforts? Please list one Organization per box and click next after you have finished your list (fill in as many Organizations as you can think of, up to 10 responses). Please be as specific as possible using additional descriptors such as department, program, or unit (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services).

If your organization works with more than 10 organizations on your regional efforts, please list the first 10 that come to mind.

Please list the organizations below: 

Organization #1:

Organization #2:

Organization #3:

Organization #4:

Organization #5:

Organization #6:

Organization #7:

Organization #8:

Organization #9:

Organization #10:

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Nationally (i.e., across multiple regions).

Q3.4

Which are the main organizations you work with on your national pollinator conservation efforts? Please list one Organization per box and click next after you have finished your list (fill in as many Organizations as you can think of, up to 10 responses). Please be as specific as possible using additional descriptors such as department, program, or unit (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services).

If your organization works with more than 10 organizations on your national efforts, please list the first 10 that come to mind.

Please list the organizations below: 

Organization #1:

Organization #2:

Organization #3:

Organization #4:

Organization #5:

Organization #6:

Organization #7:

Organization #8:

Organization #9:

Organization #10:

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Internationally.

Q3.5

Which are the main organizations you work with on your international pollinator conservation efforts? Please list one Organization per box and click next after you have finished your list (fill in as many Organizations as you can think of, up to 10 responses). Please be as specific as possible using additional descriptors such as department, program, or unit (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Services).

If your organization works with more than 10 organizations on your international efforts, please list the first 10 that come to mind.

Please list the organizations below: 

Organization #1:

Organization #2:

Organization #3:

Organization #4:

Organization #5:

Organization #6:

Organization #7:

Organization #8:

Organization #9:

Organization #10:

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Locally (i.e., within one state/province).

Q3.6

Please indicate which local pollinator conservation effort(s) you worked on with the organizations you previously listed. Check all that apply per individual.

*Answers from Q3.2 will carry over here to the first column, while the answers from Q2.7 will carry over to the first row

	Conservation planning and/or project administration	Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations	Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators	Improving data accessibility	Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors	Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination	Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement	Research design and implementation	Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring
Organization #1:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #2:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #3:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #4:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #5:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #6:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #7:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #8:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #9:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #10:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Regionally (i.e., across two or more states/province but within one region of the country).

Q3.7

Please indicate which regional pollinator conservation effort(s) you worked on with the organizations you previously listed. Check all that apply per individual.

*Answers from Q3.3 will carry over here to the first column, while the answers from Q2.7 will carry over to the first row

	Conservation planning and/or project administration	Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations	Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators	Improving data accessibility	Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors	Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination	Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement	Research design and implementation	Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring
Organization #1:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #2:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #3:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #4:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #5:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #6:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #7:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #8:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #9:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #10:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Nationally (i.e., across multiple regions).

Q3.8

Please indicate which national pollinator conservation effort(s) you worked on with the organizations you previously listed. Check all that apply per individual.

*Answers from Q3.4 will carry over here to the first column, while the answers from Q2.7 will carry over to the first row

	Conservation planning and/or project administration	Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations	Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators	Improving data accessibility	Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors	Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination	Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement	Research design and implementation	Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring
Organization #1:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #2:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #3:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #4:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #5:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #6:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #7:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #8:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #9:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #10:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Display this question if Q3.1 scale = Internationally.

Q3.9

Please indicate which international pollinator conservation effort(s) you worked on with the organizations you previously listed. Check all that apply per individual.

*Answers from Q3.5 will carry over here to the first column, while the answers from Q2.7 will carry over to the first row

	Conservation planning and/or project administration	Developing and/or enforcing policy and regulations	Fundraising and/or investing in capacity to support pollinators	Improving data accessibility	Increasing suitable habitat quality or quantity and/or reducing anthropogenic stressors	Partnership collaboration and/or network coordination	Promoting education, outreach, and/or engagement	Research design and implementation	Surveying, inventorying, and/or monitoring
Organization #1:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #2:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #3:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #4:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #5:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #6:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #7:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #8:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #9:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Organization #10:	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Q3.10

Thank you for filling out the collaborators section! If you can you think of other organizations you work with you would like to list, or if there is another scale at which you work you forgot to add, please navigate back to Q3.1 now to add in those details.

Q3.11

We would like to extend the survey to the organizations you work with to continue mapping the network. If possible, please provide a contact email for each organization you previously listed. 

*The answers for Q3.2, Q3.3, Q3.4, and Q3.5 will be listed here.

Local

Organization #1:

Organization #2:

Organization #3:

Organization #4:

Organization #5:

Organization #6:

Organization #7:

Organization #8:

Organization #9:

Organization #10:

Regional

Organization #11:

Organization #12:

Organization #13:

Organization #14:

Organization #15:

Organization #16:

Organization #17:

Organization #18:

Organization #19:

Organization #20:

National

Organization #21:

Organization #22:

Organization #23:

Organization #24:

Organization #25:

Organization #26:

Organization #27:

Organization #28:

Organization #29:

Organization #30:

National

Organization #31:

Organization #32:

Organization #33:

Organization #34:

Organization #35:

Organization #36:

Organization #37:

Organization #38:

Organization #39:

Organization #40:

Q3.12

Are there any “forums” or “venues” where you go to interact with others to exchange knowledge and information about pollinator conservation? These can be virtual or in-person (e.g., webinar series, conferences, work groups). If so, please list below and separate multiple entries by a comma. If no forums or venues come to mind, please respond “None”.

Section 4. Characterizing Your Network

Thanks for letting us know what you work on with your primary pollinator conservation collaborators. In this next section, we would like to understand more about how you work together. Although you may work with different collaborators in varied ways, in the next four questions we will ask you to consider your network of collaborators as a whole.

Q4.1

Please indicate the extent to which each of the following statements describes the way things stand right now with your network of pollinator collaborators. The terms “we and our” in the statements refer to your network.

	Not Descriptive	Slightly Descriptive	Moderately Descriptive	Greatly Descriptive	Completely Descriptive
We agree on what we should be aiming to accomplish together.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
We have a clear vision of what the network needs to achieve in the future.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
We have network goals that guide our key decisions.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Our work is united by a common direction.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Q4.2

Please indicate the extent to which each of the following statements describes the way things stand right now with your network of pollinator collaborators. The terms “we and our” in the statements refer to your network.

	Not Descriptive	Slightly Descriptive	Moderately Descriptive	Greatly Descriptive	Completely Descriptive
Our work is aligned across the network.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Although individual collaborators take on different tasks in the network, our combined work fits together.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Collaborators who perform different roles or functions in the network coordinate their work effectively.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
The work of each individual collaborator is well coordinated with the work of others.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Q4.3

Please indicate the extent to which each of the following statements describes the way things stand right now with your network of pollinator collaborators. The terms “we and our” in the statements refer to your network.

	Not Descriptive	Slightly Descriptive	Moderately Descriptive	Greatly Descriptive	Completely Descriptive
Collaborators in the network are committed to the network.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Collaborators give the effort needed for the network to succeed.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
Collaborators are dedicated to this network even when we face setbacks.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇
We trust one another to accomplish the work of the network.	〇	〇	〇	〇	〇

Q4.4

Which of the following are barriers that limit your organization’s ability to collaborate across your network? (Select all that apply.)

• Inter-organizational collaboration is not a leadership and/or unit priority

• Lack of / limited capacity

• Lack of / limited communication

• Lack of / limited funding

• Misaligned deliverables (e.g., scientific publishing versus on the ground efforts)

• Organizational and/or jurisdictional silos

• Other (please describe): _____________

Section 5. Information About You 

Congratulations, you have reached the last section! The following section will ask a few additional questions about your role and our ability to follow up. Your personal information will remain confidential, and we will not share the identifying information below with anyone outside of the research team.

Q5.1

Which of the following best describes your role within your organization?

• I have decision-making authority over my organization’s funds or strategic direction

• I oversee project efforts or people

• I carry out efforts on the ground (e.g., research, habitat creation, etc.)

• Another role (please describe): _____________

Q5.2

If we have additional questions, is it okay if we follow up with you?

• Yes

• No --> Skip to Q6.1

Q5.3

Your name: 

Q5.4

Your e-mail address: 

Section 6. End of Survey

Q6.1

Thank you for participating in this survey. We value your feedback, so if you have additional comments on the survey or pollinator conservation in general, please use the space below.

NOTICES

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

Authority: The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d); 5 U.S.C. 301.

Purpose: The Center for Pollinator Conservation collects the necessary information to support the Center’s mission of increasing awareness of, collaboration on, and efficacy of pollinator conservation efforts across public and private sectors.

Routine Uses: Information maintained by FWS as a result of this survey may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Privacy Act of 1974, and the routine uses listed in the System of Records Notice INTERIOR/FWS-27, Correspondence Control System, 64 FR 29055 (May 28, 1999); modification published 88 FR 16277 (March 16, 2023) available at https://www.doi.gov/privacy/fws-notices.

Disclosure: There are no consequences for not responding to this survey; however, failure to provide all the requested information may prevent the Center for Pollinator Conservation from being able to follow up on your survey responses.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) to provide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the information necessary to address gaps in conservation network understanding and will serve to advance the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy’s (SECAS) leadership role as a regional forum and decision-support hub. Information requested in this form is purely voluntary. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned Control No. 1018-####.

ESTIMATED BURDEN STATEMENT

We estimate public reporting for this collection of information to average 20 minutes, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of the form to the Service Information Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, or via email at Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please do not send your completed survey to this address.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT STATEMENT

Information provided to the Service is generally subject to release to the public under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Certain information, however, may be subject to withholding if the Service determines that the information is a trade secret and/or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential. To the extent you are submitting business information that falls into one of these categories, you must clearly mark this information as "Business Confidential" in order for the Service to assess the applicability of FOIA Exemption 4. Any information provided by you that is not marked as “Business Confidential” will be considered releasable to the public under the FOIA [43 CFR 2.26 – 2.33].

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