Appendix Q. Info about Study on NPS Website

APPENDIX Q – NPS Study Website

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

BACKCOUNTRY SURVEY

The National Park Service (NPS) Public Health Program is partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a survey exploring the health of park visitors who travel in the backcountry. By BACKCOUNTRY we mean those wilderness areas of the park that (1) require a permit to enter, (2) are reached primarily by hiking, boating, or horseback, and (3) lack most facilities and services. Only those people who traveled in the backcountry at Yellowstone National Park from May 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008 are eligible to participate in the study. These people are being contacted about the study as they come to a Backcountry Office at Yellowstone National Park to get their backcountry permits.

Every year, many people enjoy backpacking in remote backcountry areas throughout the United States. Unfortunately, people also become ill or injured while traveling in the backcountry. However, even though illnesses and injuries occur, little information is available about specific activities and situations that increase the risk for these conditions.

The NPS Public Health Program is excited to sponsor this survey to help identify these risks. This information will help the NPS Public Health Program (as well as our partners at CDC) strengthen evidence-based guidelines for backcountry health and sanitation practices. These guidelines will help protect future park users from illness and injury while they enjoy their backcountry experiences.

If you have any questions about this study or your rights as a participant please call:

National Park Service Public Health Program

Please call Lieutenant Commander David Wong at 202-513-7160 or Captain Charles Higgins at 202-513-7217

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Study questions: Please call Dr. Sharon Roy at 770-488-4412

Your rights as a participant: Please call CDC’s Human Research Protection Office at 1-800-584-8814 and leave a message including your name and phone number. Say you are calling about the Division of Parasitic Diseases’ web-based survey of Yellowstone National Park Backcountry Users (exempt protocol # 4583). Someone will call you back as soon as possible.

Page 1 of 1