Expedited form

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Social Science Program
Expedited Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys
1.

2.

3.

Project Titles ⎢ Visitor Services Project (VSP) Bundle for Fall/Winter 2009/2010:
Death Valley National Park (NP) (DEVA) Visitor Study (Fall and Spring)
Submission Date:
Virgin Islands NP (VIIS) Visitor Study
San Juan National Historic Site (NHS) (SAJU) Visitor Study
Abstract:

The above three parks need to conduct visitor studies to obtain data on backcountry/wilderness
visitors and to gather visitor opinions about park services and facilities. The data will be used to
prepare or update planning documents, such as General Management Plans, Resource Management
Plans, Wilderness Plans, and Long-Range Interpretive Plans. The information from these visitor
surveys also will inform decisions about park operations. In addition to being used by park
managers, the information is shared with park partners and gateway communities to assist in mutual
planning efforts. The mail-back questionnaires are designed to systematically collect data from
visitors, including individual characteristics, trip/visit characteristics, individual activities, individual
evaluation of park services/facilities, individual perceptions of their park experiences, and individual
opinions on park management.

Principal Investigator Contact Information
First Name:
Title:
Affiliation:

Street Address:
City:

4.

October 13, 2009

Margaret

Last Name:

Littlejohn

NPS Visitor Services Project (VSP) Director
NPS Visitor Services Project, PSU,
College of Natural Resources,
University of Idaho
6th & Line Streets, Room 17B
Moscow

Phone:

208-885-7863

Email:

[email protected]

State:
Fax:

ID

Zip code:

208-885-4261

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information
First Name:

See attached list

Last Name:

Title:
Park:
Park
Office/Division:
Street Address:
City:

State:

Phone:

Fax:

Zip code:

Email:

83844-1139

Project Information
5.

Park Where
Research is to be
Conducted:

6.

Survey Dates:

7.

Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)
X Mail-Back
Questionnaire
‰

8.

Death Valley National Park, Virgin Islands National Park, San Juan National Historic Site.

See attached list

‰

On-Site
Questionnaire

(mm/dd/yyyy)

‰

to

Face-to-Face
Interview

(mm/dd/yyyy)

‰

Telephone
Survey

‰

Focus Groups

Other
(explain)

Survey
Justification:
(Use as much
space as needed;
if necessary
include
additional
explanation on a
separate page.)

Legal Justification: The National Park Service Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC 1, et seq., requires
that the National Park Service (NPS) preserve the national parks for the use and enjoyment of
present and future generations. At the field level, this means resource preservation, public
education, facility maintenance and operation, and physical developments that are necessary for
public use, health, and safety. Allocation of funding is to be roughly in proportion to the
seasonally adjusted volume of use (P. L. 88-578, Sect. 6) and in consideration of visitor
characteristics and activities for determining carrying capacity (92 Stat. 3467; P. L. 95-625, Sect.
604 11/10/78). Other federal rules (National Environmental Policy Act, 1969 and NPS
guidelines) require visitor use data in impact assessment of development on users and resources as
part of each park's general management plan.
Managerial Justification.
Study findings will be used as follows, depending upon the specific park:
• As input into planning (e.g., General Management Plan, Comprehensive Interpretive Plan,
Wilderness Plan, Resource Management Plan, Backcountry Management Plan).
• To design interpretive and educational programs to match visitor interests and needs. Interpretive
media at some parks are outdated, and wayside exhibits need to be replaced or added in many
areas.
• For designing future visitor facilities or renovating existing facilities.
• To evaluate visitor behavior for potential impacts on natural and cultural resources .
• To determine whether concession services in parks are meeting visitor needs.
• For local businesses and governments to use to better understand how visitors are contributing
economically to the area.
The mail-back questionnaires used in these visitor studies are designed to systematically collect
data from visitors, including individual characteristics, trip/visit characteristics, individual activities,
individual evaluation of park services/facilities, individual perceptions of their park experiences
and individual opinions on park management. Park visitors will be randomly selected to participate
in the studies as they visit selected park locations during a 7-day period.

9.

Survey
Methodology:
(Use as much
space as needed;
if necessary
include
additional
explanation on a
separate page.)

(a) Respondent universe:
At San Juan NHS and Virgin Islands NP, the respondent universe will be all recreational visitors,
age 16 and older, who visit the parks during the study period. At Death Valley NP the respondent
universe will consist of all recreational visitors to wilderness or backcountry units of the park who
are at least 16 years of age or older. A systematic sample of visitors will be contacted by VSPtrained interviewers at selected locations in the parks.
(b) Sampling plan/procedures:
The survey design and sampling plan for each of these visitor studies is based upon Dillman's
Tailored Design Method (TDM). The TDM has been shown to increase response rates, improve
accuracy, and reduce cost and burden hours. The methodology has been used in 198 previous
surveys conducted by the VSP. Most questions have been included in other VSP questionnaires or
appear in the NPS Known Pool of Questions. A systematic sampling procedure, based on the
park’s visitation statistics from the previous year, will require intercepting every nth visitor group to

participate in the study. Each interviewer will be trained in the interview procedure. A supervisor
will be on-site during the survey to ensure that interview procedures are followed.
(c) Instrument administration:
The initial contact with visitors to explain the study and determine if visitors are interested in
participating (see attached script) takes approximately 1 minute. The number of visitor groups who
refuse are recorded and used in calculating response rates. Visitors who voluntarily agree to
participate in the study are verbally given a short front-end interview (1 additional minute) to
collect information used in a non-response bias check. They are also asked to record their name,
address, and phone number/email address. If a group agrees to participate, the researcher will give
the survey to the individual within the group who has the next birthday. Participants will be given a
stamped, addressed questionnaire to complete and mail back to the Visitor Services Project.
On-site visitors will be intercepted at locations shown on the accompanying spreadsheet. The two
surveys at Death Valley (fall and spring seasons) are of visitors to backcountry and wilderness
zones within the park. Unlike many other NPS units, at Death Valley backcountry and wilderness
visitors are not required to obtain a permit to enter the zones, even for overnight camping.
Therefore, permit data cannot be used as a sampling frame for mail-back surveys in this park.
Visitors must be intercepted on-site.
San Juan NHS’s questionnaire will also be translated into Spanish and distributed by Spanishspeaking interviewers.
In all parks, participants will be mailed a thank you/reminder post card 11 working days after
completion of the survey. A reminder letter with a stamped, addressed replacement questionnaire
will be sent to nonrespondents 21 working days after completion of on-site contacts. A second
reminder letter will be mailed after 35 working days with a stamped, addressed replacement
questionnaire.
(d) Expected response rate/confidence levels:
The number of questionnaires to be distributed is based on each park’s visitation data and the
number of days of surveying. See the attached list of the expected sample sizes, response rates, and
associated confidence intervals and confidence levels for each park.
For dichotomous response variables, estimates will be accurate within the margins of error and
levels of confidence described in the attached list. The confidence intervals will be somewhat larger
for questions with more than two response categories.
(e) Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:
During the front-end interview, questions are asked for use in a non-response bias analysis.
Answers are recorded on a log of every survey contact. Results of the non-response bias check are
described in the report and the implications for park planning and management are discussed.
(f) Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument
(recommended):
The questionnaire format and many of the questions have been used in over 198 previous VSP
survey instruments. Questionnaires are peer reviewed by NPS managers and university professors.
10.

Total Number of 3,079 2,805 1,937 11. Estimated Time 1
Initial Contacts (See
(mins.) to
Accept Instrument | attached
Complete Initial
Expected Respondents: list)
Contact |
(refusals only)
Accept Instrument
Return Instrument:

1

20

12. Total 1,033
Burden
(See
Hours: attached
list)

13.

Reporting Plan:

The results of the studies will be presented in an internal agency reports for NPS managers.
Response frequencies will be tabulated and measures of central tendency computed (e.g., mean,
median, mode, as appropriate).The reports will be archived with the NPS Social Science Program
for inclusion in the Social Science Studies Collection. They will also be posted on the Park Studies
Unit VSP website at: http:/psu.uidaho.edu/vsp.reports.htm. Hard copies will be available upon
request. The economic data will be used to produce special reports for the NPS covering overall
use estimates and local economic impacts.