Fee Demonstration Program Survey The National Park Service is supporting a sustained program of survey research conducted by various universities to monitor and understand response to the Fee Demonstration Program. The research is supported by funds from newly instituted recreation fees. Results from a 1997–98 visitor survey consistently indicate that park visitors generally support the new fees, provided the funds remain in the park or with the National Park Service. Also, managers at the 100 fee demonstration parks were surveyed about fee collections and their impact on park operations.
GPRA Survey In 1998 the Visitor Survey Card was developed to help the National Park Service comply with GPRA. Distributed in 310 units of the park system, the survey card measured each park's performance related to GPRA goals concerning visitor satisfaction and visitor understanding and appreciation of park values. The survey results have been published for each unit, cluster, and region.
Visitor Use Surveys The Visitor Services Project conducts approximately 10 detailed visitor studies per year. Since 1988 this project has completed nearly 100 studies; produced an annual report, Serving the Visitor; and created a national database of all survey responses. The Visitor Services Project studies completed in 1998 include Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Acadia National Park, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, and others. Park staff use the data in planning, operations, and policy making. For example, Jean Lafitte staff are using the study to help identify transportation needs.
During 1998, researchers conducted additional survey research throughout the National Park Service. Examples include general visitor studies completed at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Yosemite National Park, Statue of Liberty National Monument, and Alcatraz Island, part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. A landowner/visitor use study at Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River and a gateway communities study at Sequoia–Kings Canyon were also conducted.
Additional survey research is planned for 1999. Examples include continued research related to the Fee Demonstration Program and new studies of fees and backcountry users, a revised Visitor Survey Card, 10 new Visitor Services Project studies, a public opinion survey, and socioeconomic studies of winter use and bison management at Yellowstone. Social science survey research like this will continue to provide park managers with critical information about visitors and local communities, both to help protect park resources and to provide for visitor enjoyment.
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jean_mckendry@nps.gov
Research Scientist, University of Idaho CPSU and NPS Social Science Program, Washington, D.C.
SURVEY APPROVALS OPTIMIZED
Visitor surveys require approval of the Office of Management and Budget, and the typical approval process can last up to six months. Recently the National Park Service, together with the Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget, developed a proposal to streamline approvals as an exercise in “reinventing government.” A three-year pilot effort was launched in 1998 that will dramatically reduce the approval period for most visitor surveys, saving significant time and money.
Back to Chapter 2: NPS Science
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