Informed Consent for Participation in Research (Survey)

Title of Project:Social Impact Assessment of the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program

Location: This research project takes place in the State of New Mexico.

Principal Investigator:         

Alan W. Barton, J.D., PhD,  Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, New Mexico Highlands University, 140 Lora Shields Building, Box 9000, Las Vegas, NM 87701 505-426-2081 awbarton@nmhu.edu

You must be 18 years of age or older to consent to take part in this research study.

1. Purpose of the Study: This research project is one component of a larger evaluation of the U.S. Forest Service’s Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (“CFRP”). The goal of this study is to evaluate social aspects of the CFRP.
2. Procedures to be followed: You have been selected to participate in this research because you have participated in a CFRP grant in the past. You are being asked to complete a survey about your experiences with the CFRP and the specific project(s) that you participated in. The survey consists of questions and potential responses. Please choose the response that best represents your views. Unless otherwise instructed, please select only one response to each question. The survey will be conducted online, using software developed by ESRI. Responses are automatically tabulated and confidentiality is maintained in the process. You can take as much time as you need to complete the survey. If you need assistance completing the survey, you can contact the researchers using the contact information above. Leave a contact number and we will call you assist you in completing the survey. Some surveys may be completed through telephone interviews if completing an Internet survey is not possible.
3. Risks: There are no direct risks to you or other participants in this research, nor will any aspect of the research cause you unreasonable discomfort. I use no experimental or deceptive procedures.
4. Benefits: This research offers indirect benefits to you and to all participants, by identifying ways to improve the CFRP.
5. Alternatives to Participation: The alternative to participating in this study is to decline participation. There is no cost or penalty for declining participation.
6. Compensation: Participation in this research is voluntary and there is no compensation for your participation.
7. Duration/Time: This survey will take approximately 15 to 25 minutes to complete.
8. Statement of Confidentiality: All of your responses will remain confidential.  That is, the researchers in this study will not link your responses to individual identifiers such as your name, title, or other demographic information during reporting of the results. In reports, publications or presentations resulting from this research, data will be reported in summary form only. Please note that the data will be held by a state entity and therefore are subject to disclosure if required by law.
9. Right to Ask Questions: Please contact Dr. Alan Barton using the contact information above if you have any questions or concerns about this study. For questions regarding your rights as a research participant, or to express concerns or complaints, please feel free to contact Dr. David Pan, chair of the NMHU Institutional Review Board (“IRB”), by phone at 505-454-3375 or by e-mail at dpan@nmhu.edu. The IRB is the university’s committee that oversees the ethics of research involving human subjects. Anonymous concerns and complaints can also be lodged at this website: https://www.nmhu.edu/institutional-review-board/
10. Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this research is voluntary. You can withdraw at any time with no penalty. You are not obligated to answer any questions that you do not want to answer. You will not lose any benefits if you do not answer some questions or decide to stop the interview at any time.
11. Future Use of Information: The information collected from you in this study will only be used by this study’s research team. The current research team will use the information collected from you and other respondents to conduct an assessment of the social impacts of the CFRP, to be delivered to the Forest Service. Results may also be reported in presentations and publications by the research team. Data collected may be used in future studies on the same topics without additional informed consent from you or a legally authorized representative, but only by the current research team, with the same guarantees of confidentiality. Data collected for this study will not be shared with other researchers even if identifiers are removed. If you do not wish to have your information used for purposes beyond this study, you can notify the principal investigator using the contact information above, and information you provide will only be used in this study and not in any future research.

Please take all the time you need to read through this document and decide whether you would like to participate in this research study. If you agree to participate in this research study, please check the box at the beginning of the survey indicating you understand the content of this informed consent advice. Print this sheet if you would like a copy for your records.

Thank you for participating in this research.