Visitor Interviews

APPENDIX H: Qualitative Visitor Interview Guide

On-site contact script

Hello, my name is Insert first and last name. I work for the Protected Area Social Research Unit at the University of Washington. Along with Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, we are doing a survey of visitors to Glacier Bay. Here is some information about the survey for you to review [hand person copy of Information Sheet (see below)—give them time to review].

As you can see, park management is interested in learning about visitors and their trips to Glacier Bay to help them provide the best quality of visitor experiences in this area. The project involves an interview about your experience and will be conducted by phone at your convenience. The interview will take about 30 minutes to complete and all of your answers are voluntary.

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires approval of all federal government surveys by the Office of Management and Budget. This interview has been approved under this Act. The Office of Management and Budget control number and expiration date, as well as further information, is contained on the Information Sheet.

Do you have any questions about the study? If yes, answer questions. If no, continue.

Would you be willing to be interviewed?

NO  Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.

YES  Thank you.

What is your name?

What is your phone number?

When will you be leaving Glacier Bay?

When is a good time to contact you?

Glacier Bay Qualitative Interview Information Sheet

Purpose of Study

Park management is interested in learning about visitors and their trips to Glacier Bay. Your input will help managers and planners provide quality experiences for visitors to the area.

Overview of Study

In this study, you will be interviewed by phone about your trip experiences in Glacier Bay. The phone interview is estimated to take 30 minutes on average to complete. We are asking people who want to participate to provide their names and phone numbers.

Privacy

All responses you provide are voluntary. We ask for your name and phone number so that we can call and interview you. Your name will not be placed on the interview notes or included in the final database. All name and phone information will be destroyed within nine months of being contacted (December 2008). Your name will not be published in the results of the study.

Risks

There are no known risks associated with completing this survey. It should be noted that some people feel that providing information is an invasion of privacy.

Voluntary Participation

Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to answer any question. You are free to stop at any time.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this survey, please contact Jane Swanson at the Protected Area Social Research Unit, University of Washington. She can be reached at (206) 685-9150 or by email at [email protected].

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 and phone number is requested for interviewing purposes only. When analysis of the interviews is completed, all name and phone number files will be destroyed. Thus permanent data will be anonymous and will not include your phone number. 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 for this interview is estimated to average 30 minutes per respondent. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to:

Scott M. Gende, Ph.D. Ecologist

Glacier Bay Field Station

3100 National Park Road

Juneau, AK, 99801

Email: [email protected]

Interview phone script

Hello, my name is Insert first and last name. I work for the Protected Area Social Research Unit at the University of Washington. During your trip to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, you agreed to participate in a survey of visitors to Glacier Bay. The interview takes about a half hour. Is this a good time?

NO  Schedule a mutually agreed upon time

YES  Continue below

Before we proceed with the interview, I’m required to obtain your informed consent.

Park managers are interested in learning about visitors and their trips to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Your input will help managers and planners provide high quality experiences to visitors. If you do not visit the park again, you may not directly benefit from this study. You will receive no pay or compensation for participating in this study.

If you choose to participate, you will be asked a variety of questions. I will ask about the things you did in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, about your experiences there, and about the effects, if any, of different motorized vehicles on your experience. Interviews vary in length, but commonly range between a half-hour and an hour.

Participation in this survey is voluntary. You are not required to answer any of the questions. You are free to stop the interview at any time.

Do you have any questions about the study? If yes, answer questions. If no, continue.

Do you consent to participate in the survey?

NO  Thank you for your time. Have a nice day.

YES  Thank you. May I tape-record the interview so that I can represent your thoughts most accurately for this study?

Thank you for participating. I am going to start the interview by asking you some relatively simple questions.

Please feel free to stop me at any time for clarification.

1. What is your home zip code (or city and country if not US resident)?

2. Was this your first trip to Glacier Bay National Park?

   1. If not…How many other trips have you made?

3. How long did you spend in Glacier Bay National Park on this trip?

The rest of the interview involves questions that are more open-ended. Feel free to talk through your answers in some detail.

[The topics addressed by the questions listed below will be discussed but not necessarily in the order below.]

4. What kinds of motorized craft such as boats, ships, or aircraft did you see in Glacier Bay?

5. Did the presence of boats/ships/aircraft affect the quality of your trip? If so, how?

   1. If affected quality of experience, then ask…Have these effects changed at all over time?

   2. If no effects reported, then ask… Was this the case also at the time you saw the craft?

6. How did your experience with different kinds of craft compare to each other?

7. Did different craft affect different aspects of your trip? How so?.

8. What aspects of [insert type of craft] affected your experience? [Ask for each type of boat or aircraft that interviewee reported affected experience]

9. Were there times or places when other craft had more or less effect on your experience?

10. Some visitors have talked about their trip in Glacier Bay as a series of attractions or destinations where they visit or see one thing and then travel for a while before they get to the next attraction. Other visitors describe their trip more as a continual flow of experience. Could you talk about your trip in relation to these different viewpoints?

11. Do you feel it is appropriate for cruise ships to be in Glacier Bay? Why or why not?

    1. Follow-up with people who say either “cruise ships had negative effect and are appropriate” or “cruise ships had no effect and are not appropriate” to explain more about how they think about this issue given the apparent conflicting positions. Ask…”Earlier you indicated that cruise ships had [negative or neutral/positive effect], can you tell me more about how that relates to whether cruise ships are appropriate in Glacier Bay?”

We have come to the end of our interview. I would really like to thank you again for taking the time out of your day to talk with me. Your input will be a great help to park managers.

If you have any questions for me in the future, or any concerns regarding our study, please contact me by phone or email. My phone number is XXXXXXX and my email is XXXXXX. Thanks very much!