NPS Visitor Services Project Bundled Package

	Social Science Program National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Visitor Services Project

Indiana Dunes

National Lakeshore

Visitor Study

OMB Approval 1024-XXX (NPS# 09-XXX)

Expiration date: XXX-2009

IN REPLY REFER TO:	United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 1100 North Mineral Springs Rd. Porter, IN 46304-1299
August 2009 Dear Visitor: Thank you for participating in this important study. Our goal is to learn about the expectations, opinions, and interests of visitors to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. This information will assist us in our efforts to better manage this park and to serve you, our visitor. This questionnaire is only being given to a select number of visitors, so your participation is very important! It should only take about 20 minutes after your visit to complete. When your visit is over, please complete this questionnaire. Seal it with the stickers provided on the last page and drop it in any U.S. mailbox. If you have any questions, please contact Margaret Littlejohn, NPS VSP Director, Park Studies Unit, College of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 441139, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139, phone: 208-885-7863, email: [email protected]. We appreciate your help. Sincerely, Constantine Dillon Superintendent

DIRECTIONS

At the end of your visit:

1) Please have the selected individual complete this questionnaire.

2) Answer the questions carefully since each question is different.

3) For questions that use circles (O), please mark your answer by

filling in the circle with black or blue ink, or a pencil with dark

(e.g. #2) lead.

4) Seal it with the stickers provided.

5) Drop it in a U.S. mailbox.

Thank you!

PRIVACY ACT and PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT statement:

16 U.S.C. 1a-7 authorizes collection of this information. This information will be used by park managers to better serve the public. Response to this request is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. Your name is requested for follow-up mailing purposes only. When analysis of the questionnaire is completed, all name and address files will be destroyed. Thus the permanent data will be anonymous. Please do not put your name or that of any member of your personal group on the questionnaire. 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.

Burden estimate statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 20 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to Margaret Littlejohn, NPS Visitor Services Project, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 441139, Moscow, ID, 83844-1139; email: [email protected].

Your Visit to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

NOTE: In this questionnaire, your personal group is defined as anyone that you are visiting the park with, such as spouse, family, friends, etc. This does not include the larger group that you might be traveling with, such as school, church, scouts, or tour group.

1. a) Prior to your visit, how did you and your personal group obtain information about Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the future, how would you and your personal group prefer to obtain information about the park? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (b).

a) Prior to this visit b) Prior to future visits

O Did not obtain information prior to visit  Go to part b of this question

O Previous visits O

O Visitor Center (U.S. Hwy. 49, just south of U.S. Hwy. 20) O

O Friends/relatives/word of mouth O

O Travel guides/tour books (such as AAA, etc.) O

O Maps/brochures O

O Newspaper/magazine articles O

O E-mail/telephone/written inquiry to park O

O Television/radio programs/videos O

O Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore website: www.nps.gov/indu O

O Other websites O

O School class/program O

O Local businesses (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.) O

O Chamber of Commerce/visitors bureau/state welcome center O

O Other (Please specify below) O

This visit Future visit

c) From the sources you used prior to this visit, did you and your personal group receive the type of information about the park that you needed?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 2

d) If NO, what type of park information did you and your personal group need that was not available? Please be specific.

2. Prior to this visit, were you and your personal group aware that Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a national park?

O Yes O No

3. Prior to this visit, were you and your personal group aware that there are two adjacent parks along Lake Michigan named Indiana Dunes? One is Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, managed by the U.S. National Park Service, and the other is Indiana Dunes State Park, managed by Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources. Please mark (_•) one.

O Not aware there were two parks

O Aware of both and knew they were managed by different organizations

O Aware of both, but thought they were managed by the National Park Service

O Aware of both, but thought they were managed by Indiana Dunes State Park

O Aware of both, but didn’t know who managed either park

4. Prior to this visit, were you and your personal group aware of the safety risks of swimming in Lake Michigan?

O Yes O No

5. On this visit, what was the primary reason that you and your personal group came to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore area (from Gary, IN to Michigan City, IN)? Please mark (_•) one.

O Resident of the area (from Gary, IN to Michigan City, IN)

O Visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

O Visit other attractions in the area

O Visit friends/relatives in the area

O Business

O Other (Please specify)

6. On this trip to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, did you and your personal group visit other places in the area (from Gary, IN to Michigan City, IN)? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Chicago O Outlet Mall (Michigan City, IN)

O Indiana Dunes State Park O Valparaiso University

O Notre Dame University O Casinos/hotels (within a 1-hour

(South Bend, IN) drive of the park)

O Other (Please specify)

7. a) On this visit to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, did you and your personal group have only one specific destination within the park that you planned to visit?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 8

b) On this visit, were you able to find that location?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 8

c) On this visit, were you able to find parking at that location?

O Yes O No



d) If NO, where were you trying to park?

8. If you visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the future, would you and your personal group be willing to pay a modest fee ($5/vehicle/day) for parking?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

9. a) During your travel to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, did you see signs leading you to the park? Please mark (_•) one.

O Yes, saw signs O No, didn’t see signs O No, didn’t need signs

b) If YES, were the signs helpful?

O Yes O No

10. On this visit, how long did you and your personal group stay at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore?

Number of hours, if less than 24 hours (e.g. ¼ hr, 1 ½ hrs, 5 ¾ hrs)

OR

Number of days, if 24 hours or more (e.g. 1 ¼ day, 2 ½ days, 3 ¾ days)

11. a) On a future visit, would you and your personal group be willing to pay a modest fee (such as $2.00/person each way) to ride a shuttle from a central location to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s beach at the central and east end of the park? Please mark (_•) one.

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

b) On a future visit, would you and your personal group be willing to ride a combination of a train from Chicago and shuttle bus to get to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore beaches? Please mark (_•) one.

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

12. a) On this visit, which of the following sites at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore did you and your personal group visit/use? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education (Gary, IN)

O Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk O Beach at the west end of park

O Mt. Baldy O Beach in the middle part of park

O Bailly Homestead O Beach at the east end of park

O Dunewood Campground O Visitor Center (U.S. Hwy. 49)

O Chellberg Farm O Other (Specify)

b) If you and your personal group only visited one location on this visit, why did you choose that location?

13. On this visit, which of the following trails at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore did you and your personal group walk? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Miller Woods Trail O Little Calumet River Trail

O Marquette Trail O Calumet Bike Trail

O Long Lake Loop Trail O Calumet Dune Trail

O Dune Succession Loop Trail O Ly-co-ki-we Horse & Hiking Trail

O West Beach Loop Trail O Dune Ridge Trail

O Inland Marsh Trail O Mt. Baldy Trail

O Cowles Bog Trail O Heron Rookery Trail

O Other (Please specify)

14. On a future visit, would you and your personal group be likely to use food concessions if they were available at selected locations along Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

15. a) On this visit, what activities did you and your personal group participate in within Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Attending ranger-led talks/programs/demonstrations or special event

O Beach going (e.g., swimming, tanning, walking)

O Bicycle riding

O Boating/kayaking/canoeing/tubing

O Camping at Duneland Campground

O Creative arts (photography/drawing/painting/writing)

O Enjoying solitude/quiet

O Fishing

O General sightseeing

O Horseback riding

O Nature study (birdwatching, dunes succession, plant diversity)

O Picnicking

O Visiting historic sites

O Visiting visitor center on US Hwy. 49 (viewing film, visiting bookstore, etc.)

O Walking/hiking

O Other (Please specify)

b) Which one of the above activities was the primary reason you and your personal group visited Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on this visit? Please list only one.

16. Does the presence of lifeguards influence your decision on where to swim? Please mark (_•) one.

O Yes, I would prefer areas with lifeguards.

O No, lifeguard service is not a factor in choosing where I swim.

17. Did you or any member of your group participate in a school program at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore when you were a child? Please mark (_•) one.

O Yes O No O Don’t remember/Don’t know

18. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore contains over 12 miles of beaches. The park encourages visitors to stay out of the water during periods of rip currents or a high level of e-coli activity. When these unsafe/unhealthy conditions exist, how do you prefer to learn this information? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Radio announcements

O Signs on beaches

O Cell phone message

O Rangers walking on beaches making announcements

O Other (Please specify)

19. a) For the safety issues below, please indicate how safe you and your personal group felt from crime and accidents during this visit to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Please mark (_•) one answer for each issue.

How safe did you feel in the park?

Safety issue	Very Unsafe	Somewhat unsafe	Neither unsafe nor safe	Somewhat safe	Very safe
Personal safety—from crime	O	O	O	O	O
Personal safety—from accidents	O	O	O	O	O
Personal property—from crime	O	O	O	O	O

b) If you marked “very unsafe” or “somewhat unsafe” on any of the above items, please explain why.

20. On this visit, what was your primary reason/motivation for visiting Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore? Please mark (_•) one.

O Visit the beach/swim/sunbathe

O Walk park trails/jog

O Attend special event in the park or the area

O Visit a national park/passing through

O Other (Please specify)

21. a) Please mark (_•) all of the visitor services and facilities that you or your personal group used at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore during this visit.

b) Next, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their importance to your visit from 1-5.

c) Finally, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their quality from 1-5.

a) Visitor services/facilities used? Mark (•)

b) If used, how important? 1=Not important 2=Somewhat important 3=Moderately important 4=Very important 5=Extremely important

c) If used, what quality? 1=Very poor 2=Poor 3=Average 4=Good 5=Very good

O Park brochure/map

O Assistance from park staff

O Visitor center exhibits

O Outdoor exhibits

O Park orientation film

O Ranger-led programs

O Junior Ranger program

O Directional signs

O Regulation signs

O Information signs

O Bulletin boards

O Park newspaper, The Singing Sands

used before or during visit

O Park website: www.nps.gov/indu/

O Visitor center bookstore sales items

(selection, price, etc.)

O Access for people with disabilities

22. a) Please mark (_•) all of the visitor services and facilities that you or your personal group used at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore during this visit.

b) Next, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their importance to your visit from 1-5.

c) Finally, for only those services and facilities that you or your personal group used, please rate their quality from 1-5.

a) Visitor services/facilities used? Mark (•)

b) If used, how important? 1=Not important 2=Somewhat important 3=Moderately important 4=Very important 5=Extremely important

c) If used, what quality? 1=Very poor 2=Poor 3=Average 4=Good 5=Very good

O Campground

O Picnic areas

O Restrooms

O Trails

O Visitor center (U.S. Hwy. 49)

23. a) On this visit to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, did you and your personal group attend any ranger-led programs?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 24

b) If NO, what prevented you and your personal group from participating in ranger-led talks/programs? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Not interested

O Did not have time for this activity

O Not aware of any ranger-led talks/programs offered at park

O No program subjects of interest

O Not enough programs offered

O Other (Please specify)

24. a) If you visit Indiana Dunes in the future, would you and your personal group be interested in attending ranger-led programs?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

b) If YES, what length of program would you and your personal group like to attend?

O Under 1/2 hour O Other (Please specify below)

O 1/2 - 1 hour

O 1 - 2 hours

c) If YES, what theme or topic would interest you?

25. If you visit Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the future, how would you and your personal group prefer to learn about cultural and natural history/features of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Not interested in learning about the park  Go to Question 26

O Indoor exhibits O Outdoor exhibits

O Park website: www.nps.gov/indu O Self-guided tours

O Volunteer opportunities O Special events

O Ranger-led interpretive programs

O Electronic media/devices available to visitors (downloadable digital files,

podcasts, cell phone tour, interactive computer programs, etc.)

O Audiovisual programs (DVD, CD, video, or audio)

O Printed materials (brochures, park newspaper, books, maps, etc.)

O Other (Please specify)

26. On this visit, were you and your personal group part of the following types of organized groups?

a) Commercial guided tour group O Yes O No

b) School/educational group O Yes O No

c) Other (scouts, work, church) O Yes O No

d) If you were with one of these organized groups, how many people, including yourself, were in this group?

Number of people in organized group

27. a) On this visit, with what kind of personal group (not guided tour/school/other organized group) were you?

O Alone O Friends

O Family O Family and friends

O Other (Please specify)

b) On this visit, how many people were in your personal group, including yourself?

Number of people

c) On this visit, how many vehicles did you and your personal group use to arrive at the park?

Number of vehicles

28. For you and your personal group on this visit, please provide the following. (If you do not know the answer, leave blank).

	a) Current age	b) U.S. ZIP code or name of country other than U.S.	Number of visits to Indiana Dunes NL (including this visit) c) past 12 months d) lifetime
Yourself
Member #2
Member #3
Member #4
Member #5
Member #6
Member #7

29. For you only, what is the highest level of education you have completed? Please mark (_•) one.

O Some high school O Bachelor’s Degree

O High School Diploma/GED O Graduate Degree

O Some college

30. a) Are you or members of your group Hispanic or Latino? Please mark (_•) one for each group member.

	Yourself	Member #2	Member #3	Member #4	Member #5	Member #6	Member #7
Yes, Hispanic or Latino	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
No, not Hispanic or Latino	O	O	O	O	O	O	O

b) What is your race? What is the race of each member of your personal group? Please mark (_•) one or more for you and each group member.

	Yourself	Member #2	Member #3	Member #4	Member #5	Member #6	Member #7
American Indian or Alaska Native	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Asian	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Black or African American	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	O	O	O	O	O	O	O
White	O	O	O	O	O	O	O

31. a) Does anyone in your personal group have a physical condition that made it difficult to access or participate in park activities or services?

O Yes O No Go on to Question 32

b) If YES, on this visit, what activities or services did the person(s) have difficulty to accessing or participating in?

32. a) Is there any service or facility that the park does not have that you would like to have available?

O Yes O No

b) If YES, what services or facilities would you like to see provided?

33. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was established because of its significance to the nation. In your opinion, what is the national significance of this park?

34. Is there anything else you and your personal group would like to tell us about your visit to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore?

35. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the facilities, services, and recreational opportunities provided to you and your personal group at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore during this visit? Please mark (_•) one.

Very poor Poor Average Good Very good

O O O O O

36. a) Which category best represents your annual household income? Please mark (_•) only one.

O	Less than $24,999	O	$50,000-$74,999	O	$150,000-$199,999
O	$25,000-$34,999	O	$75,000-$99,999	O	$200,000 or more
O	$35,000-$49,999	O	$100,000-$149,999	O	Do not wish to answer

b) How many people are in your household? Number of people

T

Printed on recycled paper

hank you for your help! Please seal the questionnaire with the stickers provided and drop it in any U.S. mailbox.

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Visitor Services Project

Park Studies Unit

College of Natural Resources

University of Idaho

P.O. Box 441139

Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139