1024-0224 Programmatic Form for GLAC

National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Social Science Program
OMB Control Number 1024-0224
Current Expiration Date:8-31-2014
Programmatic Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys
1.
2.

Project Title: Going to the Sun Road Corridor Planning in
Glacier National Park

Submission Date 4-23-2012

Abstract: The proposed study will query individuals stopping at one of four high-use areas along
the Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR) to assess the primary reasons for stopping there;
the influence of the shuttle on visitors’ activity choices; and to assess the use of and
perceived utility of shuttle-related information sources. The primary objectives of
these surveys will be to assess the possible role of the shuttle system in increasing
backcountry hiking use and to develop recommendations for improving shuttlerelated communications. The number, group type, length of stay and activity
participation of groups stopping during the sampling times will be observed.
(not to exceed 150 words)

3.

Principal Investigator Contact Information
First Name:
Title:
Affiliation:
Street Address:
City:
Phone:
Email:

4.

Wayne
Last Name: Freimund
Professor
Department of Society and Conservation, College of Forestry and Conservation
The University of Montana
Missoula
State: MT
Zip code: 59812
406 243-5184
Fax: 406 243-6656
[email protected]

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information
First Name:
Title:
Park:
Park
Office/Division:
Street Address:
City:
Phone:
Email:

Phil
Last Name: Wilson
Chief, Division of Science and Resources Management
Glacier National Park
Headquarters
P.O. Box 128
West Glacier
406-888-7821
[email protected]

State: MT

Zip code: 59936
Fax: 406-888-7808

1

Project Information
5. Park(s) For Which Research is to be Conducted:
6. Survey Dates:

6/1/2012

Glacier National Park
TO

9/30/2012

7. Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)

8.

Mail-Back
Questionnaire
Other (explain)

On-Site
Questionnaire

Face-to-Face
Interview

Telephone
Survey

Focus Groups

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

Social science research in support of park planning and management is
mandated in the NPS Management Policies 2006 (Section 8.11.1, “Social
Science Studies”). The NPS pursues a policy that facilitates social science studies
in support of the NPS mission to protect resources and enhance the enjoyment
of present and future generations (National Park Service Act of 1916, 38 Stat
535, 16 USC 1, et seq.). NPS policy mandates that social science research will be
used to provide an understanding of park visitors, the non-visiting public,
gateway communities and regions, and human interactions with park
resources. Such studies are needed to provide a scientific basis for park
planning, development, operations, management, education, and interpretive
activities.
The reconstruction of the Going to the Sun Road (GTTSR) in Glacier National
Park (GNP) poses important questions about impacts on visitor behavior, use
levels and patterns of use within the Park, during and following the
construction activity. The scheduled construction will take place over a sevento-eight year period. During this time, while the road will not be completely
closed, visitors may experience significant time delays and changes in access to
popular trailheads and scenic overlooks. The Record of Decision for the
Reconstruction Environmental Impact Statement indicated that maintaining
visitor access is a key GNP management issue.
About 80% of GNP visitors traveling some part of the GTTSR. And while the
road is a destination experience itself, it also provides access to, subalpine
areas, trails and overlooks (such as Logan Pass and the Highline Trail). The
effects of the proposed reconstruction on visitor behavior and use are
unknown.
This information was requested by GNP managers because goal of the
reconstruction process is to minimize disruptions to visitors in the short run,
while reducing impacts on park values in the long run. These goals will be
achieved through changes in road design, improved parking, restoration
practices, development of a shuttle bus system and other actions.
The goal of these surveys is to provide an inventory and descriptive analysis of
visitor’s perceptions regarding management practices and visitor services in
the park. Analyses will also include comparisons across broad groupings of user
types (e.g., shuttle riders, Nonshuttle riders) to assess perceptions about the
2

role of the shuttle in the park. The data from this collection will be used to
provide information that will help park managers identify the consequences of
the reconstruction process so that appropriate management actions can be
implemented.
Background
This project is Phase 4 of a long-term study of visitor behavior on the GTTSR.
In Phases One and Two (completed in the summers of 2005 and 2006), visitors
were observed and interviewed at 17 pullouts on the Going to the Sun Road.
Based on 7000+ observations and 1280+ surveys, this research provided a
detailed baseline understanding of visitor use of the GTTSR and pullouts before
the beginning of road construction and the implementation of the shuttle
system (Freimund et al., 2006a; Freimund et al., 2006b). Phase Three was
completed in the summer of 2007, the first summer of shuttle operation.
Based on 376 completed surveys, this research provided an assessment of the
decision processes, motivations, activity choices, and experience of the shuttle
riders vs. non shuttle riders. It also provided an assessment of the quality of
the shuttle experience and recommendations for improvement (Baker and
Freimund, 2007).
Phase Three uncovered some interesting trends in the motivations and activity
choices of shuttle riders that deserved further investigation. Phase Four
follows up on this information by investigating the role of the shuttle in
increased backcountry and point-to-point hiking activity and visitor use and
obtaining a greater understanding of how visitors use park-provided shuttle
information sources.
The specific goals of this collection are to:
1) Identify differences in roadside use as a result of the transit system
including:
• If shuttle riding impacts decisions on where to stop
• If shuttle riding impacts what visitors choose to do at particular
stops
2) Understand the relationship between shuttle use and choice to take
extended day hikes including:
• If hikers are using the shuttle to facilitate a longer / point-topoint hike
• If hikers who take the shuttle are leaving a car parked for an
extended period in high-use parking lots
• If more visitors who would not otherwise have done a long
hike are engaging in longer day hikes due to the shuttle
3) Help managers refine a more effective communication with visitors
about the shuttle at GNP including:
• What information sources shuttle riders and non-riders used
and which they found useful
• What information sources visitors would prefer and when they
would prefer to receive information about the shuttle
3

4) Understand behavioral coping strategies used by visitors when
experiences fail to meet expectations.
9.

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

(a) Respondent Universe:
All adults, (18 and older), hiking at two popular high use areas (Logan Pass and
The Loop) during daylight hours from 06/01/12 to 09/30/12 along the Going to
the Sun Road.
(b) Sampling Plan/Procedures:
Surveys will be implemented in several areas: in parking lots and on shuttles
running between these locations listed below:
• Avalanche
• The Loop
• Sunrift Gorge
• Logan Pass
Avalanche and Logan Pass will provide access to a broad cross-section of park
visitors, including shuttle users, non-shuttle users and backcountry hikers.
Sunrift and the Loop will provide opportunities to see the relationship between
longer hikes and shuttle use.
Visitors will be sampled during the primary daylight hours of operation—from
8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
• The crew is limited to one six-hour sampling period per day (because
of travel times and data-entry needs).
• There will be two sampling periods: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (AM) and 12 p.m.
to 6 p.m.(PM)
• The Loop and Sunrift areas sample period will be from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.;
this will help to maximize the response rate in this area (long distance
and backcountry hikers return later in the day as they come off the
Highline Trail).
We will develop a systematic random schedule based upon 50 potential
sampling days during the sampling period (June 1, 2012 to September 30,
2012). On the first day of the study, the initial study areas and sampling period
will be randomly selected. Following that day the study areas and sampling
periods (AM/PM) will be rotated systematically to ensure that each study area
is sampled equally over the study period.
Contact will occur based upon the pre-designed systematic schedule described
above. Visitors will be contacted starting with the first available group during
the sample time. The eligible adult member of each group with the next
closest birthday to the sampling day will be asked to participate. When a
visitor is either finished or able to complete the remainder of the
questionnaire on their own the interviewer will approach the next available
group and repeat the process. We will seek approximately 40 completed
surveys per sampling period ensuring that we have 400 at each site. Do to the
variable use levels at the different sites; this will result in slightly different
sampling intervals. For example, at Avalanche which receives approximately
4

1750 visitors per day, we will likely be sampling about every 10th visitor group
that meets the sampling criteria. Whereas at the Loop, which receives
approximately 300 visitors per day, we will be sampling about every 3rd or
4thgroup meets the sampling criteria. We will attempt to keep track of number
of people that pass by between samples. We will certainly ensure that the
sampling is conducted through the entire sampling period. If we end up with
more than 40 samples within a day, we will reduce the number of sample days
at that site. It may be necessary to increase the number of sample days at
Sunrift which receives only 85 visitors per day. If the person refuses to
participate, we will attempt to ask three quick questions to assess non
response bias and move onto the next available visitor.
Three visitor groups will be contacted: 1) Hikers, 2) Shuttle Riders, and 3) Nonshuttle rider/Non-hiker. Hikers will be approached as they enter or exit the
trailheads at The Loop and Sunrift. Shuttle riders will be approached at the
shuttle stops at Logan Pass, the Loop and Sunrift. Non-shuttle riders will be
approached in the parking lots of Logan Pass and the Loop.
(c) Instrument Administration:
Visitors will be approached by trained crew members associated with the
study. The instruments will consist of self-administered paper questionnaires
(approximately 10 minutes in length) and will be distributed based upon a predesigned systematic schedule starting with the first available group during the
sampling period. Questionnaires will be filled out on site and handed to the
administrator when the visitor is finished.
(d) Expected Response Rate/Confidence Levels:
For each questionnaire, we will contact 500 individuals stratified by weekend
and weekday periods and expect 450, or 90 percent, to agree to respond.
These 400 will be distributed across the four sites. We believe this response
rate is realistic based on the response rate for surveys undertaken in earlier
stages of this project in 2005 and 2007 and based on generally high response
rates for surveys undertaken in National Parks and other protected areas. With
these anticipated sample sizes, we will be 90 percent confident that the true
proportion in the population is +/- 5 percentage points of the sample statistic.
A confidence interval of five percentage points is a standard level of precision
for social science surveys of this type (Walsh and Comer, 2006).
Number of
Initial Contacts*
Logan Pass
The Loop
Sunrift
Avalanche
TOTAL

500
500
500
500
2,000

Expected
Response
Rate
90%
90%
90%
90%

Expected
Number of
Responses
450
450
450
450
1,800

Margin of
Error +/- %
5%
5%
5%
5%

*We will collect 150 of each of the three questionnaires at each place.

5

An 80 percent power level for a two tailed t-test at the .05 alpha level,
assuming a difference in the true mean of .5, would require an “n” of 64 in
each cell. Thus, the proposed sample size will certainly be adequate for
bivariate comparisons and will also allow for more sophisticated multivariate
analysis if deemed necessary.
(e) Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:
We will maintain a log of observable demographics, including group size and
type, gender, age, and likely activity type of the visitors who refuse to take the
survey and compare this to the demographic data obtained for survey
respondents. This comparison will be used to assess if non-respondents are
significantly different from respondents. We will also compare respondent and
group sixe and activity type data to observational data (e.g., group size,
activities such as viewing scenery, snowplay, hiking, facility use), and shuttle
use for all groups.
During the initial contact, the interviewer will ask each visitor 3 questions
taken from the survey. These questions will be used in a non-response bias
analysis.
1) On this visit, how many people are in your group?
2) What is your home state?
3) Did/ are you planning to use the shuttle service?
Responses will be recorded on a log for every survey contact. Visitors may
decline to give this basic information as well. If so, their refusal to participate
will be recorded on the log sheet (addendum A). The results of the nonresponse bias check will be described in a report and the implications for park
planning and management will be discussed.
(f) Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or
instrument (recommended):
The majority of the questions were used in previous phases of data collection
at Glacier National Park. These were pretested, peer reviewed and reviewed
by OMB. Measures regarding coping behaviors new to this questionnaire have
considerable history in survey research and peer reviewed publication. Given
the season, it is impossible to pretest the instrument with the intended
population.

6

10

Burden Estimates:

We plan to approach at least 2000 individuals during the sampling period
(n=2000). With an anticipated response rate of 90%, we expect to receive
1800 total responses for this collection.
We expect that the initial contact time will be at least one minute per
person (2000 x 1 minute = 33 hours). We expect that 200 (10%) visitors
will refuse to participate during the initial on-site contact, for those
individuals we will record their reason for refusal and ask them to answer
the three questions that will be used for the non-response check. This is
estimated to take no more than 2 minutes (200 x 2 = 7 hours) to complete
each session.
For those who agree to participate (n= 1800) we expect that 1800 will
complete the survey, with that, an additional 10 minutes will be required
to complete the follow through (1800 response x 10 minutes = 300
hours). The burden for this collection is estimated to be 340 hours.

Estimated Number of
Contacts

11.

Estimation of Time

Estimation of Respondent
Burden

Total Number of Initial
Contacts

2000

Estimated Time (mins.) to
Complete Initial Contact

1

Estimated Burden Hours

33

Estimated number of
on-site refusals
Total Number of
Expected Responses

200

On-site Refusal/
nonresponse
Estimated Time (mins.)
to complete and return
surveys

2

Estimated Burden Hours

7

10

Estimated Burden Hours

300

1800

Total Burden

340

Reporting Plan: The survey data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests
for differences between user groups on key dependent variables such as
differences in usage of roadside stops and hiking behavior between shuttle riders
and non-shuttle riders.
A technical completion report will be submitted to Glacier National Park. We will
also hold a workshop in the fall following the completion of the data collection,
which is a component of the overall study plan. Finally, we will submit a copy of
the technical completion report, as required, to the NPS Social Science Program
for inclusion in the Social Science Studies Collection.

References
Baker, Melissa and Freimund, Wayne. 2007. Initial Season of the Going-to-the-Sun Road Shuttle System at
Glacier National Park: Visitor Use Study. Missoula, MT: University of Montana Department of Society and
Conservation.
Freimund, Wayne; McCool, Stephen F.; and Adams, John C. 2006a. Recreational Use of Selected Viewpoints on
Going-to-the-Sun Road, 2005. Missoula, MT: University of Montana Department of Society and
Conservation.
7

Freimund, Wayne; Baker, Melissa L.; McCool, Stephen F. 2006b. Recreational Use of Selected Viewpoints on the
Going-to-the-Sun Road, 2006. Missoula, MT: University of Montana Department of Society and
Conservation.
Walsh, Susan and Comer, John. 2006. Quantitative Methods for Public Administration: Techniques and
Applications. Waveland Press Inc; 3 edition.

8