NPS Visitor Services Project Bundled Package

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Fort Larned National Historic Site Visitor Study

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

Fort Larned

National Historic Site

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 Fort Larned National Historic Site 1767 KS Hwy 156 Larned, KS 67550-9321
July 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 Fort Larned National Historic Site. 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 Coordinator, 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, Kevin McMurry 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 Fort Larned National Historic Site

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. Prior to your visit, how did you and your personal group first learn about the existence of Fort Larned? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Friends/relatives/word of mouth O School class/program

O Television or radio programs O Website

O History books/clubs O Other historical sites

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

O Brochure in Tourism Information Center

O Kansas Highway Department Magazine

O Newspaper/magazine articles (other than Kansas Highway Department)

O Personal research/study in Western Frontier history

O Personal research/study in Native American history/culture

O Saw signs on highway

O Heard message on Highway Travelers Information Station

Please specify where___________________________________________

O Other (Please specify) ___________________________________________

2. Prior to your visit, had you and your personal group ever heard of the following groups? Please mark (_•) one.

Santa Fe Trail Center O Yes O No

Santa Fe Trail Association O Yes O No

3. How did your visit to Fort Larned National Historic Site (NHS) fit into your and your personal group’s travel plans? Please mark (_•) one.

O Fort Larned NHS was primary destination

O Fort Larned NHS was one of several destinations

O Fort Larned NHS was not a planned destination

4. Prior to your visit, were you and your personal group aware that Fort Larned NHS is a unit of the National Park System? Please mark (_•) one.

O No O Yes

5. a) Prior to your visit, how did you and your personal group obtain information about Fort Larned NHS? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit Fort Larned NHS 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 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 Fort Larned NHS website: www.nps.gov/fols 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 6

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

6. On this trip, what was the primary reason that you and your personal group came to the Fort Larned NHS area? Please mark (_•) one.

O Resident of the area (within 60 miles of the park)  Go to Question 7

O Visit Fort Larned NHS

O Visit other attractions in the area

O Visit friends/relatives in the area

O Business

O Other (Please specify)

7. a) On this trip, did you and your personal group stay overnight away from your permanent residence in the Fort Larned NHS area (within 60 miles of the park)?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 8

b) If YES, please list the number of nights you and your personal group stayed in the Fort Larned NHS area.

Number of nights within 60 miles of the park

c) In what type of lodging did you and your personal group spend the night(s) in the area outside the park (within 60 miles of the park)? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Lodges, hotels, vacation rentals, B&B, etc.

O RV/trailer camping

O Tent camping in developed campground

O Seasonal residence

O Residence of friends or relatives

O Other (Please specify)

8. a) In what town/city did you and your personal group stay on the night before your arrival at Fort Larned NHS? If you stayed at home please write the name of the city/town and state where you live.

Nearest city/town State

b) In what town/city did you and your group stay on the night after your departure from Fort Larned NHS? If you stayed at home please write the name of the city/town and state where you live.

Nearest city/town State

9. On this visit, what forms of transportation did you and your personal group use to travel between your overnight accommodations or home and Fort Larned NHS? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Private vehicle (car, SUV, pickup, RV, etc.)

O Rental vehicle O Tour/school bus O Bicycle

O Taxi/limousine O Motorcycle O On foot

O Other (Please specify)

10. a) On this visit, what activities did you and your personal group participate in within Fort Larned NHS? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit the park in the future, what activities would you and your personal group prefer to participate in at the park? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (b).

a) Activities on this visit b) Activities on future visit

O Self-guided tour of historic buildings O

O Attending living history demonstrations O

O Attending ranger-led talks/programs O

O Conducting genealogical research O

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

O Enjoying solitude/quiet O

O General sightseeing O

O Nature study (birdwatching, wildlife viewing, stargazing) O

O Picnicking O

O Visiting museum O

O Visiting research library O

O Visiting Santa Fe Trail Ruts Unit O

O Walking/hiking O

O Other (Please specify below) O

This visit: Future visit:

c) Which one of the above activities was the primary reason you and your personal group visited Fort Larned NHS on this visit? Please list only one.

11. a) On this visit to Fort Larned NHS, did anyone in your personal group participate in any of the ranger-led talks/programs?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 12

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 Were not aware of any ranger-led talks/programs offered at park

O Not enough programs offered

O Other (Please specify)

c) On a future visit, would you and your personal group be interested in attending ranger-led programs at Fort Larned NHS?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely O Not sure

d) If YES, what length of program would you and your personal group be most likely to attend. Please mark (_•) only one.

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

O 1/2 - 1 hour

O 1 - 2 hours

12. a) During this visit to Fort Larned NHS, did you and your personal group have any personal interaction with park staff/employees outside a ranger-led program?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 13

b) If YES, on a scale from 1 to 5, please rate the quality of your interaction with the park employee. Please mark (_•) one response for each item.

	Very poor	Poor	Average	Good	Very good
Helpfulness	O	O	O	O	O
Courteousness	O	O	O	O	O
Quality of information provided	O	O	O	O	O

13. a) On this visit to Fort Larned NHS, what park sites did you and your personal group visit? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) For each place that you and your personal group visited, please rate the quality of the services/facilities provided. Mark (_•) one answer for each location.

a) Location visited		Quality of service/facility provided
		Very poor	Poor	Average	Good	Very good
O	Visitor center	O	O	O	O	O
O	Museum	O	O	O	O	O
O	Commissary	O	O	O	O	O
O	Infantry barracks	O	O	O	O	O
O	Hospital	O	O	O	O	O
O	Post blacksmith shop	O	O	O	O	O
O	Block house	O	O	O	O	O
O	Hospital	O	O	O	O	O
O	School room	O	O	O	O	O
O	Arsenal	O	O	O	O	O
O	Picnic area	O	O	O	O	O
O	Santa Fe Trail Ruts Unit	O	O	O	O	O
O	Quartermaster warehouse	O	O	O	O	O
O	Nature trail	O	O	O	O	O
O	Other (Please specify)	O	O	O	O	O

c) Please explain any ratings of “poor” or “very poor.”

_______________________________________________________________

14. a) On this visit, did you and your personal group visit Fort Larned NHS on more than one day?

O Yes O No

b) How many hours in total did you and your personal group spend visiting Fort Larned NHS?

Total number of hours (please list the partial hours as ¼, ½, etc.)

15. It is the National Park Service’s responsibility to protect Fort Larned NHS’s natural, scenic, and cultural resources while at the same time providing for public enjoyment. How important is protection of the following resources/attributes in the park to you and your personal group? Please mark (_•) one answer for each resource/attribute.

Resource/attribute	Not important	Somewhat important	Moderately important	Very important	Extremely important
Clean air (visibility)	O	O	O	O	O
Clean water	O	O	O	O	O
Clear night sky	O	O	O	O	O
Educational opportunities	O	O	O	O	O
Historic sites and buildings	O	O	O	O	O
Native plants	O	O	O	O	O
Native wildlife	O	O	O	O	O
Repair/maintenance of historical structures	O	O	O	O	O
Natural quiet/sounds of nature	O	O	O	O	O
Recreational opportunities	O	O	O	O	O
Historical scenic views	O	O	O	O	O
Natural scenic views	O	O	O	O	O

16. a) In which communities did you and your personal group obtain support services (e.g. information, gas, food, lodging) for this visit to Fort Larned NHS? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O None  Go to Question 17

O Larned O Hays O Hutchinson

O Great Bend O Dodge City O Salina

O Garden City O Other (Please specify)

b) Were you and your personal group able to obtain all of the services that you needed in these communities?

O No O Yes  Go to Question 17

c) If NO, what needed services were not available?

Service (List) Comments (Please be specific)

17. For you and your personal group, please estimate all expenditures for the items listed below for this visit to Fort Larned NHS area (within 60 miles of the park). Please write "0" if no money was spent in a particular category.

a) Please list your group's total expenditures inside Fort Larned NHS.

b) Please list your group's total expenditures in the area outside the park (within 60 miles of the park).

NOTE: Surrounding area residents should only include expenditures that were just for this trip to Fort Larned NHS .

EXPENDITURES

a) Inside park b) Outside park

Lodges, hotels, motels, cabins, B&B, etc. N/A $

Camping fees and charges N/A $

Guide fees and charges N/A $

Restaurants and bars N/A $

Groceries and takeout food N/A $

Gas and oil (auto, RV, boat, etc.) N/A $

Other transportation expenses N/A $

(rental cars, taxis, auto repairs, but

NOT airfare)

Admission, recreation, entertainment fees N/A $

All other purchases (souvenirs, film, books, $ $

sporting goods, clothing, etc.)

Donations $ $

c) How many people do the above expenses cover?

Adults (18 years or over) Children (under 18 years)

Please write 0 if no children were covered by the expenditures.

18. a) Please mark (_•) all of the information services and facilities that you or your personal group used at Fort Larned NHS 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) Information 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 Access for people with disabilities

O Bookstore sales items (selection, price, etc.)

O Assistance from park staff

O Directional signs

O Information signs

O Junior Ranger program

O Living history demonstrations

O Outdoor exhibits

O Park brochure/map

O Park website: www.nps.gov/fols

used before or during visit

O Ranger-led programs

O Restrooms

O Videos/films

O Nature trail

O Visitor center exhibits

19. Fort Larned NHS was established because of its significance to the nation. In your opinion, what is the national significance of the park?

20. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the facilities, services, and recreational opportunities provided to you and your personal group at Fort Larned NHS during this visit? Please mark (_•) one.

Very poor Poor Average Good Very good

O O O O O

21. a) During this visit to Fort Larned NHS, what topics did you and your personal group learn through exhibits, ranger-led programs, brochures, etc.? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit Fort Larned NHS in the future, what topics would you and your personal group like to learn or learn more about in interpretive programs? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (b).

a) This visit			b) Future visit
	Not interested in learning on a future visit			O
O	Role of Santa Fe Trail in trading, travel, commerce and cultural exchange across the American West			O
O	How the U.S. government established its authority and control and extended its influence through Fort Larned and other military posts			O
O	How the Plains Indians culture and lifestyle were irreversibly altered by encroaching non-native people			O
O	Cultural interactions at Fort Larned and along the Santa Fe Trail among soldiers and civilians from variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds			O
O	Influence of the plains environment on its inhabitants, and how they altered the plains			O
O	Other (Please specify)			O

22. 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) Historical society/club O Yes O No

d) Automobile (car/motorcycle) club O Yes O No

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

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

Number of people in organized group

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

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 in personal group

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

Number of vehicles

d) On this trip, how many times did you and your personal group enter the park?

Number of times entered

24. 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.	c & d) Number of visits to Fort Larned NHS (including this visit) Last 12 months Lifetime
Yourself
Member #2
Member #3
Member #4
Member #5
Member #6
Member #7

25. 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 26

b) If YES, what services or activities were difficult to access/participate in?

26. a) Are you or members of your personal 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

27. If you were a manager planning for the future of Fort Larned NHS what would you and your personal group propose?

28. Is there anything else you and your personal group would like to tell us about your visit to Fort Larned NHS?

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.