NPS Visitor Services Project Bundled Package

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Homestead National Monument of America Visitor Study

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

Homestead National Monument

of America

Visitor Study

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

Expiration date: XXX-2010

IN REPLY REFER TO:	United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Homestead National Monument of America 8523 W. State Highway 4 Beatrice, NE 68310-6743
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 Homestead National Monument of America. This information will assist us in our efforts to better manage this National Park Service site 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 at phone: 208-885-7863, email: [email protected], or at mailing address: Park Studies Unit, College of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 441139, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-1139,. We appreciate your help. Sincerely, Mark Engler 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 survey. 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], phone: 208-885-7863

Your Visit To Homestead National Monument of America

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 Homestead National Monument of America? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

b) If you were to visit Homestead National Monument of America 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 seek information prior to visit  Go to part b of this question

O Previous visits O

O Friends/relatives/word of mouth O

O Homestead National Monument of America website: www.nps.gov/home O

O Park’s travel information radio station (1610 AM) 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 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. On this trip, what was the primary reason that you and your personal group came to the Homestead National Monument of America area? Please mark (_•) one.

O Resident of the area (within 60 miles of the park)  Go to Question 3

O Visit Homestead National Monument of America

O Visit other attractions in the area

O Visit friends/relatives in the area

O Business

O Other (Please specify)

3. a) On this visit, how many hours in total did you and your personal group spend visiting Homestead National Monument of America?

Total number of hours (Please list partial hours as 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4.)

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

Number of times entered

c) On this visit, did you and your personal group visit Homestead National Monument of America on more than one day?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 4



d) If YES, on how many days did you visit the park?

Total number of days

4. a) On this visit to Homestead National Monument of America, which park sites did you and your personal group visit? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Education Center O Palmer-Epard Cabin

O Freeman School O Tallgrass Prairie

O Heritage Center O Trails/Woodland

O Other (Please specify)

b) If you and your personal group did not go on any trails, what would encourage you to walk/hike the trails?

5. It is the National Park Service’s responsibility to protect Homestead National Monument of America’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
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

6. a) After this visit, do you feel that you were able to make a personal connection to the people who homesteaded under the Homestead Act of 1862 (i.e. do their lives have relevance to your life today)?

O Yes O No  Go to part c of this question



b) If YES, what is the most important way that homesteading life has relevance to your life today?

c) What one aspect of the park’s story will you share with family and friends?

7. a) On this trip, did you and your personal group stay overnight away from your permanent residence in the Homestead National Monument of America 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 Homestead National Monument of America 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, motels, cabins, 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. On this visit, were the signs directing you and your personal group to and around Homestead National Monument of America adequate? Please mark (_•) one answer for each of the following.

a) Interstate signs O Yes O No O Did not use

b) State highway signs O Yes O No O Did not use

c) Signs in local communities O Yes O No O Did not use

d) Signs in the park O Yes O No O Did not use

e) If you answered NO for any of the above, please explain.

Interstate:

State highway:

In local communities:

In park:

9. a) On this visit to Homestead National Monument of America, did anyone in your personal group participate in any of the ranger-led talks/programs?

O No O Yes  Go to part c of this question

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 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 Homestead National Monument of America?

O Yes, likely O No, unlikely

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

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

O 1/2 - 1 hour

O 1 - 2 hours

10. a) Did you and your personal group obtain information from the park website (www.nps.gov/home) prior to or during this visit to plan your trip to Homestead National Monument of America?

O Yes O No  Go to part f of this question

b) If you and your personal group used the park website, please rate how helpful the website was in planning your visit. Please mark (_•) one.

Not at all Somewhat Moderately Very Extremely

helpful helpful helpful helpful helpful

O O O O O

c) Overall, how would you and your personal group rate the quality of information provided on the park website? Please mark (_•) one.

Very poor Poor Average Good Very good

O O O O O

d) Did you and your personal group find the information that you needed on the park website?

O No O Yes

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

f) If you and your personal group did not use the park website, why not?

11. a) Please mark (_•) all the types of exhibits that you and your personal group viewed/ used during this visit at the Heritage Center in column (a).

Next, for only those exhibits that you and your personal group viewed/used during this visit at Heritage Center, please provide one response to each of the following questions:

b) Was the exhibit lighting adequate to view?

c) Was the exhibit easy to understand?

d) Was the exhibit easy to use?

a) Viewed/used on this visit?		b) Lighting adequate? Yes No		c) Easy to understand? Yes No	d) Easy to use? Yes No
O	Did not view/use any exhibits at Heritage Center  Go to Question 12
O	Handset exhibits	O O		O O	O O
O	Static exhibits (exhibits that are read or viewed: photos, posters, etc.)		O O	O O	O O
O	Computer interactive exhibits (exhibits that can be manipulated)		O O	O O	O O
O	Hands-on non-electronic interactive exhibits (exhibits that can be manipulated)	O O		O O	O O

e) If you and your personal group did not use the handset exhibits, why not?

f) If you and your personal group did not use the computer interactive exhibits, why not?

12. a) On this visit, which activities did you and your personal group participate in within Homestead National Monument of America? Please mark (_•) all that apply in column (a).

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

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

O Attending ranger-led talks/programs O

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

O Participating in Junior Ranger program O

O Picnicking O

O Researching Homestead records O

O Shopping at park bookstore O

O Walking/hiking trails O

O Watching movies/videos O

O Viewing exhibits at Education Center O

O Viewing museum exhibits at Heritage Center O

O Viewing trailside exhibits O

n/a Attending restoration of farm equipment demonstrations O

n/a Attending a Native American pow-wow O

n/a Attending a continuing education class O

n/a Camping O

n/a Horseback riding O

n/a Learning craftwork O

n/a Recreational fishing O

O Other (Please specify below) O

This visit: Future visit:

13. a) Did you and your personal group visit the park bookstore?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 14

b) Are there any sales items that you and your personal group would like to purchase that are not currently available?

O Yes O No  Go to Question 14

c) If YES, which items would you like to have available for purchase on a future visit? Please mark (_•) all that apply.

O Additional publications (books, brochures, etc.)

 List subjects that you are interested in:

O CDs, DVDs, downloadable digital files such as podcasts, MP3, etc.

O Additional maps (besides the park brochure map)

O Other (Please specify)

14. 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) Other (scouts, work, church) O Yes O No

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

Number of people in organized group

15. a) On this visit, which type of personal group (not guided tour/school/ historical society/other organized group) were you with? Please mark (_•) only one.

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 used in personal group

16. 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) Number of visits to Homestead National Monument of America (including this visit) Since May 2007		d) Descendent of someone who homesteaded under the Homestead Act of 1862?
Yourself				O Yes O No
Member #2				O Yes O No
Member #3				O Yes O No
Member #4				O Yes O No
Member #5				O Yes O No
Member #6				O Yes O No
Member #7				O Yes O No

17. 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

18. a) Were you and your personal group aware that special needs equipment (listening devices, white gloves, etc.) is available to visitors?

O Yes O No

b) 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 19

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

d) Did you and your personal group use any of the special needs equipment?

O Yes O No  Go on to Question 19

e) Was the special needs equipment easy to use?

O Yes O No

19. a) & b) When visiting an area such as Homestead National Monument of America, which one language do you and most members of your personal group prefer to use for the following?

a) Speaking: O English O Other (Specify)

b) Reading: O English O Other (Specify)

c) In your opinion, what services in the park need to be provided in languages other than English? Please specify a service or mark (_•) “None.”

Service (Specify) O None

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

O Some high school O Some college O Graduate degree

O High school diploma/GED O Bachelor’s degree

21. Homestead National Monument of America is in the process of preparing for the 150^th anniversary of the Homestead Act. In your opinion, what would be the most appropriate way to commemorate these events at Homestead National Monument of America? Please mark (_•) one.

O A series of events during 2012

O As a weeklong event in 2012

O As an event in a series of commemorations held at other national park sites or locations

22. a) After visiting Homestead National Monument of America, do you find the word “monument” in the name Homestead National Monument of America confusing?

O Yes O No

b) If YES, why was it confusing?

23. For you and your personal group, please estimate all expenditures for the items listed below for this visit to Homestead National Monument of America 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 Homestead National Monument of America.

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 Homestead National Monument of America.

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.

d) Were you and your personal group aware that you can make the following types of donations to the park?

Financial O Yes O No

Non-financial (volunteer services) O Yes O No

Bequest O Yes O No

24. If you were a manager planning for the future of Homestead National Monument of America what would you and your personal group propose?

25. Is there anything else you and your personal group would like to tell us about your visit to Homestead National Monument of America?

26. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the facilities, services, and recreational opportunities provided to you and your personal group at Homestead National Monument of America during this visit? Please mark (_•) only one.

Very poor Poor Average Good Very good

O O O O O

27. 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.