1024-0224 Programmatic Form for SLBE

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: Examining Visitor Use & User Characteristics at
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE)

Submission
Date

6-22-2012

Abstract: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE) is a 71,291-acre unit within the
National Parks system. Its purpose is to preserve outstanding natural features,
including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena in their
natural setting and protect them from developments and uses that would destroy the
scenic beauty and natural character of the area, for the benefit, inspiration,
education, recreation, and enjoyment of the public. To accomplish this purpose, the
Lakeshore’s General Management Plan has identified areas of importance and issues
that include congestion at certain visitor areas, and the preservation of proposed
wilderness areas. This project will examine visitor use and user characteristics on the
Platte River, Crystal River, and North Manitou Island. Results from this examination
will provide managers with baseline data for current conditions and be used to
address the park’s commitment to user capacity management.
(not to exceed 150 words)

3.

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

4.

Robert
Last Name: Dvorak
Assistant Professor
Central Michigan University
Finch Fieldhouse, 106A
Mount Pleasant
State: MI
Zip code: 48858
989-774-7269
Fax: 989-774-2161
[email protected]

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

Tom
Last Name: Ulrich
Deputy Superintendent
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
9922 Front Street
Empire
State: MI
Zip code: 49630
231-326-5135 ext. 112
Fax: 231-326-5382
[email protected]

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

July 4, 2012

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
TO

Sept 10, 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 and development.
The 2009 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore General Management Plan
(GMP) states that:
“this area is to be valued primarily for the preservation of its
natural resources, and for the opportunities it provides for
visitor enjoyment of natural, cultural, and recreational resources
in a scenic outdoor setting.”
To achieve this, park staff must address issues related to user capacity at the
Platte and Crystal Rivers and North Manitou Island. These areas are popular
visitor facilities and are maintained to provide quality experiences in both front
country and proposed wilderness areas.
The recreational use levels in these areas are a management concern because
high crowding conditions can exist. The public has specifically expressed
concerns about high use levels on the Platte River and the GMP notes that
increases in future use levels on the Crystal River may cause similar concerns.
The GMP also identifies popular camping areas on North Manitou Island for
special monitoring attention. As a proposed wilderness area, North Manitou
Island is to be managed in such a manner as to maintain its eligibility for future
federal wilderness designation.
Based on these identified areas of interest in the GMP, the managers at SLBE
would like to understand the characteristics and quality of the visitor
experience for the Platte River, Crystal River, and North Manitou Island. This
study will provide park managers with a cross sectional view of current
visitation and baseline assessments of visitor motivations, attitudes, crowding
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and experiences. Results from this study will be used to identify any specific
concerns regarding crowding and the quality of the visitor experience and to
determine the severity and extend of these issues. Results from this study will
also be used as part of the scientific basis and justification for further planning
efforts or management actions that may be necessary to address areas of
concern on the Platte River, Crystal River, and North Manitou Island. It will
provide the empirical data that is needed to assist in future planning and user
capacity management of these recreational use areas.
9.

Survey (a) Respondent Universe:
Methodology: (Use
as much space as Each of the three locations listed below will have an individual respondent
needed; if universe.
necessary include
additional
1) Platte River – the target population for this location will be all adult
explanation on a
day users. Recent use counts by SLBE staff suggest that as many as
1,500 individuals visit the Platte River on a single day during the high
separate page.)
use period. A gross estimate of 75,000 -100,000 individuals for total
visitation may be reasonable.
2) Crystal River – the target population for this location will be all adult
day use visitors who travel the Crystal River between the Fisher Road
launch to the Crystal River Bend. It is estimated that 1,100 individuals
visit the Crystal River on a single day during the high use period.
3) North Manitou Island (NMI) – the target population is all adult
overnight visitors to NMI. NMI is accessible to nearly all visitors only
via concessioner ferry services provided by Manitou Island Transit.
Recent logs of ticketed ferry passengers suggest that between 3 -3,500
individuals visited North Manitou Island in 2011.
(b) Sampling Plan/Procedures:
•

Sampling will occur July 4 to September 10, 2012 for all three
locations. This timeframe is based on a typical visitor use season of
Independence Day to Labor Day.

•

Sampling will occur at the end of a visitor’s trip for all three locations.

•

For the Platte and Crystal Rivers, sampling times have been selected to
best represent when visitors are completing their trip. These periods
are 10am- 2pm and 2pm -6pm.

•

Sampling times for North Manitou Island will be shortly before the
Manitou Island Transit ferry arrives (typically late morning). However,
a consistent sampling time may not be possible. The goal will be to
sample visitors once they leave the wilderness and before they board
the ferry.
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•

Sampling will occur on the Platte and Crystal Rivers 2 days/week, with
sampling times alternating between locations (e.g. Day 1= Platte River
(10am -2pm) & Crystal River (2pm -6pm); Day 2 = Crystal River (10am 2pm) & Platter River (2pm-6pm)). Sampling days will be randomly
selected to include both weekdays and weekends to represent
difference across days of the week.

•

Sampling will occur on North Manitou Island 1-2 days/week. Sampling
days will be randomly selected to include both weekdays and
weekend, but are constrained by staff transit to and from the island.

•

Visitors will be intercepted at the end of their visit at:
1) Platte River – Kittendorf Landing and Lake Township Park
2) Crystal River – Crystal River Outfitters and The River Outfitters
3) North Manitou Island – Village area adjacent to dock

•

A pass-by or convenience sampling strategy will be used on the Platte
and Crystal Rivers. The first available adult visitor from a group will be
approached and asked to complete the survey onsite. Only one person
per group will be sampled, as to provide the greatest diversity and
variability in responses. An individual may only complete one survey
during the data collection period (e.g. a visitor will not be asked to
complete a second survey later in the season if they are a repeat
visitor).

•

Due to the smaller population of NMI visitors, all groups will be
approached prior to their departure on the Manitou Island Transit
Ferry. All adult members may be asked to complete a survey if initial
efforts to receive one response per group appear inadequate. An
individual may only complete one survey during the data collection
period (e.g. a visitor will not be asked to complete a second survey
later in the season if they are a repeat visitor).

•

Staff may have as many as 3 individuals from separate groups
completing a survey at one time. Once a survey is completed, the next
adult member from a new group will be approached.

(c) Instrument Administration:
•

Survey staff will approach visitors, provide an explanation of the study
and acquire the visitor’s consent.

•

Surveys will be provided on a clip-board for completion on-site. Staff
may read surveys to the visitors and record their responses if needed
to accommodate the visitors.

•

Staff will be available to provide clarity or answer questions regarding
the survey.
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(d) Expected Response Rate/Confidence Levels:
The goal for this study is to achieve 95% confidence levels with a ±4-5%
error rate.
Expected responses rates should be high, with similar onsite studies
achieving responses rates of 70% or higher. Below are the specific
response rates and expected number of responses for each location.
Sampling
Location
1) Platte
River
2) Crystal
River
3) NMI
TOTAL

Number of
Initial
Contacts
857
857
535
2,249

Expected
Response
Rate
70%
70%
70%

Expected
Number of
Responses
600
600
375

Margin of
Error +/%
±4%
±4%
±5%

1,575

(e) Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:
To evaluate nonresponse bias, field staff will record gender, age, group
size, and number of previous visits to the location (e.g. Crystal River, Platte
River, North Manitou Island) for individuals who refuse to participate in
the survey. These demographic and trip characteristics will be used for
comparisons between respondents and nonrespondents.
(f) Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or
instrument (recommended):
During the previous peak season, the principal investigator made site visits
to all locations discussed in the study plan. SBDNL field staff provided
information and assistance in investigating these locations for future
sampling options.
Park staff, including the deputy superintendent, district rangers, and
relevant field staff, has reviewed both the methods and instrument for this
study. Feedback from the reviews has been used to create sampling
procedures and to reflect critical issues in the survey instrument.
Measures included in the survey instrument reflect topic areas from the
pool of known questions provided in programmatic review. These include
such topics as respondent’s characteristics, trip behavior, motivations,
preferences, attitudes, crowding, experiences, and evaluation of services.
Item formats reflect examples provided for these topics areas. If examples
are not available, then item formats have been based largely on previously
validated scale items (e.g. place attachment scales, REP scales, Trust and
commitment social value scales). References for the previous use and
validation of these items can be provided if necessary.

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Burden Estimates:

We plan to approach at least 2250 individuals during the sampling period
(n=2250). With an anticipated response rate of 70%, we expect to receive
1575 total responses for this collection.
We expect that the initial contact time will be at least one minute per
person (2250 x 1 minute = 38 hours). We expect that 675 (30%) visitors
will refuse to participate during the initial on-site contact, for those
individuals we will record their gender, age, group size, and number of
previous visits. These questions will be used for the non-response check.
This is estimated to take no more than 2 minutes (675 x 2 = 23 hours) to
complete each session.
For those who agree to participate (n= 1575) we expect that 1575 will
complete and return the survey, with that, an additional 10 minutes will
be required (1575 response x 15 minutes = 394 hours). The total burden
for this collection is estimated to be 455 hours.

Estimated Number of
Contacts
Total Number of
2250
Initial Contacts

11.

Estimation of Time (minutes)
Estimated Time to
Complete Initial
Contact

1

Estimation of Respondent
Burden (hours)
Estimated Burden for
38
initial contact

Estimated number of
on-site refusals

675

On-site Refusal/
nonresponse

2

Estimated Burden for
on-site refusals

23

Total Number of
Responses

1575

Time to complete
and return surveys

15

Estimated Burden to
compete the on-site
survey
Total Burden Hours

394

Reporting Plan:

455

Surveys responses will be compiled and analyzed by December 2012. A
summary report of key findings and results will be provided to the park in
mid to late Spring 2013.
Park staff will also be provided with a database of all compiled responses
from the data collection process.
Key findings and results may also be presented in professional and scholarly
presentations. Park staff will be informed and included on any of these
presentation opportunities.
Reporting of results to local stakeholders and other interested parties will be
per the discretion and requirements of the park staff.

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