A New Study Offers Insights on the Power of Imagery in Conservation Initiatives
Illinois River Watershed Partnership request fuels research on imagery
By Maddie Johnson – Nov. 3, 2025
CAVE SPRINGS — This image of water flowing from a cave in Cave Springs was part of a study examining perceptions of nature photography on billboards. (Photo coutesy of Shave White/Universoty of Florida College of Agricultural & Life Sciences)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — From Ansel Adams’ national parks landscapes to Apollo astronaut William Anders’ iconic photo “Earthrise,” photography has been a powerful influence on conservation efforts in the United States.
An Arkansas and Oklahoma watershed conservation nonprofit’s request to learn how to enhance their messaging has now shed further light on the power of imagery in driving viewers’ actions.
The study, titled “The Power of Photographic Imagery — A Qualitative Study on Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement in Water Conservation Initiatives,” was recently published in the Journal of Applied Communications and provided the Illinois River Watershed Partnership guidance on conveying its messages.
Researchers found that despite billboards’ negative perception as distractions from natural landscapes, they still hold weight when it comes to conservation efforts. When visuals are minimal and text is meaningful, the findings showed billboards can be helpful to conservation efforts when they provoke thought with minimal but striking content.
Results also showed how photographs can help expand audiences by overcoming language barriers.
The study’s results helped the conservation group guide its media tactics, according to Jefferson Miller, professor of agricultural communications in the department of agricultural education, communications and technology with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
Miller, corresponding author of the study, is also Bumpers College’s assistant dean for international programs. The experiment station is the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Researchers used interviews and focus groups to assess how people felt about photographic imagery provoking an emotional connection. Landowners, conservationists, recreational users and those who have engaged in water conservation initiatives were asked about their personal experiences with imagery.
Focus group participants were met with positive and negative images related to conservation, and their emotions, reactions and desired actions moving forward were analyzed.
Shane White, an instructional assistant professor of agricultural and natural resource communication in the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, served as lead author.
White earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, a master’s in documentary filmmaking and a doctorate in agricultural education, communications and technology, all from the University of Arkansas.
Synergistic study
The Illinois River Watershed Partnership originally requested the analysis to learn how to best educate the public on watershed conservation. Leif Kindberg, the watershed’s executive director, granted funding for the project.
A watershed is a land area that drains water into a standing body of water, such as a lake or river. The Illinois River Watershed, which includes parts of Benton, Washington, and Crawford Counties in Arkansas, as well as counties in Oklahoma, drains into the Illinois River.
Protecting watersheds is vital to water quality for drinking and agricultural use and for keeping ecosystems healthy for humans and wildlife, Miller added.
Miller said he sees the study as synergetic.
“The Illinois River Watershed Partnership got the benefit of learning about communications, and Shane got the opportunity to conduct rigorous research,” Miller said, referring to White’s doctoral studies.
“This study offered us insight on how organizations and environmental efforts can use imagery in a multitude of ways to spark inspiration and drive initiative among the communities that live in and are affected by the habitats that surround them,” White said.
“We learned what captures the attention and what doesn’t and then how to utilize these preferences to build something strategic and effective,” he continued.
“To do this as my dissertation was an absolute pleasure, and it has shaped the trajectory of my career,” White said.
The Illinois River Watershed Partnership began its billboard campaign in April 2025.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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