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<br />Page 21│Kittitas County Air Quality Survey│9/30/2014 <br /> <br /> <br />with recent research on gender differences in response to paper and web surveys.9 When distributfng <br />surveys, we asked for one respondent per household, however, we did not provide a way to verify <br />this. In additfon, there was an error made while transposing questfon number thirteen into the <br />electronic survey. The error was not caught untfl after survey distributfon. The questfon asks <br />respondents to identffy their sources for the majority of the wood they burn. The paper survey gave <br />them to the optfon to “check all that apply” while the electronic version only allowed them to choose <br />one source. Many of the individuals who took the electronic survey corrected for this by writfng in <br />multfple sources into the “other” answer field. These answers were later evaluated and added into <br />the original survey data to correct for the glitch. This questfon should be revisited in future surveys in <br />order to verify findings. The questfons regarding motfvatfon and cleaner burning practfces did not <br />specify what “cleaner burning practfces” are. We also did not clearly define what was meant by <br />“equipment” or “financial” incentfves. It would be helpful to specify the exact clean burning practfces <br />that people are engaging in to identffy strengths and deficits in community practfces other than the <br />few mentfoned in this survey (certffied equipment, legal outdoor burns, “seasoning” wood). The <br />individuals who are frequent solid fuel burners appear to be engaging in cleaner burning practfces <br />than the average individual and therefore may be able to provide helpful feedback designing <br />educatfon and outreach campaigns for the general public who may not be aware of the clean burning <br />practfces they could utflize. We need to verify that this is actually the case, and if it is, determine how <br />we can use that already present knowledge to inform public educatfon and outreach. Key informant <br />interviews and focus groups would be an effectfve way to access this informatfon. <br />Conclusion <br />The findings of this study show that Kittitas County residents are engaging in many types of burning <br />behaviors that contribute to PM2.5 air pollutfon. The amount of solid fuels being burned appear to be <br />larger than other areas of the state, and if this is verified, it may mean the county’s emission levels <br />are contributfng more to PM2.5 pollutfon than previously thought. The lack of general knowledge <br />regarding partfculate matter pollutfon in Kittitas County points to a strong need for outreach and <br />educatfon in this area. An outreach and educatfon campaign focused on clean burning practfces <br />should be designed with feedback from individuals who burn solid fuel as a primary or secondary <br />heat source. The focus of community educatfon programs should be on helping people to connect <br />their behaviors with clean air outcomes. Pairing educatfon with financial incentfves would be the <br />most effectfve way to disperse informatfon. There is stfll not enough informatfon to determine the <br />largest contributors to poor air quality in Kittitas Valley. While the survey was comprehensive, further <br />research needs to be done to verify findings and to inform future clean air projects.