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| Survey aides Charly McConaghy and Josh Benson pose in front of Mendenhall Glacier. |
College students and recent graduates are traveling Alaska this summer, surveying visitors about their experiences on public
lands.
SNRE Associate Professor Peter Fix, who is
coordinating the survey, said that about 3,000 recreation and subsistence users
of public lands will be surveyed by Labor Day weekend.
coordinating the survey, said that about 3,000 recreation and subsistence users
of public lands will be surveyed by Labor Day weekend.
Fix, who teaches outdoor recreation management, has been conducting
recreation surveys for state and federal agencies over the past 12 years, but
this is the largest survey conducted on-site. The survey is part of a
three-year $399,407 cooperative agreement from the Bureau of Land Management.
recreation surveys for state and federal agencies over the past 12 years, but
this is the largest survey conducted on-site. The survey is part of a
three-year $399,407 cooperative agreement from the Bureau of Land Management.
Fix said survey responses will be analyzed this fall and will help
agencies determine how Alaskans and other visitors access public lands and whether
that access is adequate or needs to be improved. They will also provide
information on visitors’ activities and their experiences.
agencies determine how Alaskans and other visitors access public lands and whether
that access is adequate or needs to be improved. They will also provide
information on visitors’ activities and their experiences.
 |
| Survey aide Josh Benson interviews tourists at Mendenhall Glacier. |
“Hopefully, it will lead to
better planning for federal lands in the region,” says Fix.
better planning for federal lands in the region,” says Fix.
The survey began Memorial Day weekend. Six survey aides based in
Fairbanks, Soldotna and Juneau have been interviewing resident and nonresident visitors
at trailheads, campgrounds, visitor centers, tourist destinations and parks, including
Mendenhall Glacier, White Mountains National Recreation Area, Kenai National
Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords and Denali national parks. They’ve also
interviewed cruise ship and Alaska ferry passengers that travel through public
lands.
Fairbanks, Soldotna and Juneau have been interviewing resident and nonresident visitors
at trailheads, campgrounds, visitor centers, tourist destinations and parks, including
Mendenhall Glacier, White Mountains National Recreation Area, Kenai National
Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords and Denali national parks. They’ve also
interviewed cruise ship and Alaska ferry passengers that travel through public
lands.
Survey sites were chosen by representatives from entities that
manage public lands in Alaska, including BLM, the National Park Service, the
U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
manage public lands in Alaska, including BLM, the National Park Service, the
U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Samples are taken on a variety of weekend and weekday dates, and
include certain dates, timed to take advantage, for instance, of the height of
the fishing season at the Russian River, the silver salmon derby in Seward and
moose hunting in the Nome Creek Valley near Fairbanks. The visitors answer
questions on iPads or on paper and are sent follow-up surveys by email.
include certain dates, timed to take advantage, for instance, of the height of
the fishing season at the Russian River, the silver salmon derby in Seward and
moose hunting in the Nome Creek Valley near Fairbanks. The visitors answer
questions on iPads or on paper and are sent follow-up surveys by email.
Fix said that more than three-quarters of visitors contacted completed
the survey and 40 percent of individuals who were sent the follow-up survey
completed that.
the survey and 40 percent of individuals who were sent the follow-up survey
completed that.
Fix said that visitors to Alaska have been slightly more willing to
complete the surveys than residents. He theorizes why: “It’s a pretty unique
experience for them and they’re jazzed about telling people about it.”
complete the surveys than residents. He theorizes why: “It’s a pretty unique
experience for them and they’re jazzed about telling people about it.”
Coordinating a statewide survey was challenging, Fix said, but it
was made possible with the assistance of Cooperative Extension Service faculty
and staff who helped the aides with logistics and training.
was made possible with the assistance of Cooperative Extension Service faculty
and staff who helped the aides with logistics and training.
Trisha Levasseur, a senior at UAF this fall, traveled Interior
Alaska this summer interviewing visitors and is helping Fix analyze the data as part
of a university internship. She enjoyed going to the sites, hanging out and
talking to people.
Alaska this summer interviewing visitors and is helping Fix analyze the data as part
of a university internship. She enjoyed going to the sites, hanging out and
talking to people.
Levasseur, who is French-Canadian, got to use her French to
interpret the survey for tourists in Denali.
interpret the survey for tourists in Denali.
“It was pretty friendly,” she said.
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