Shawnee National Forest Conducts Surveys

National Visitor Use Monitoring Surveys completed for FY08.

By: Sue Hirsch

Between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2008, the Forest conducted visitor surveys as part of the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) Program. NVUM is the first scientific method used by the Forest Service to estimate use in national forests and grasslands.

Prior to implementing the surveys, the Forest populated a database with details for each survey-site, including levels of use. The accuracy of this pre-work is the backbone of the project for the entire Forest. You've heard the old adage "junk-in, junk-out". Same goes here. Researchers use the pre-work database to generate a random sample calendar for conducting the surveys. The four different site types are general forest day-use areas, developed sites, overnight-use developed sites and wilderness. Generally, this pre-work requires minor updates every five years.

On the Shawnee the pre-work done in 2000 had inaccurate information and use levels, which greatly affected the 2001 NVUM program and its results. This year Sue Hirsch made corrections to the database, adding 44 and deleting 188 survey points, and entering GPS locations and use-level information for each point over 265 days of the year. She organized information for the Forest to track changes in NVUM using GIS. The Forest went from 273 survey points to 129.

The Shawnee National Forest conducted 295 survey days, 20 more than originally assigned, in order to obtain more site-specific visitor-use information in Garden of the Gods and Lusk Creek Wildernesses.

On October 1, 2007 the first surveys were conducted. The surveys were a challenge to complete without hiring additional staff but Sue Hirsch, Rebeccah Williams, Jim Smith, Angela Rose, Marlene Rivero, Wendy Cowsert, Monica Neal, Roy Street and the Hidden Springs Ranger District trail crew conducted the surveys. These dedicated employees frequently arrived at work early or stayed late to complete their regular duties and to conduct the surveys. When visitor use was highest there were often two or three survey locations on weekends. A total of 2,159 visitor interviews were gathered throughout the year.

On the Forest level NVUM is important because it not only provides managers with estimated use but also provides visitor information such as demographics, length of stay, recreation activities, customer satisfaction and economic impacts of recreation on the local economy. By conducting these surveys, Forest managers are able to review recreation trends and adjust programs to meet changing needs.

NVUM provides valuable information to the Forest about the people it serves to more effectively and efficiently connect citizens to the land.