Appalachian National Scenic Trail: Hiker Perspectives Of Power Lines And Development Study

NOTE TO OMB REVIEWER:

For the purposes of this review and submission the justifications for each question or section of questions is highlighted in a shaded text box above each question. These text boxes will not be printed on the final version of the surveys. The Topic Areas noted are consistent with the currently approved pool questions for the NPS Programmatic Review Process (1024-0224 – Current Expiration Date: 8-31-2014).

This questionnaire will be administered on-site by interviewers using computer tablet to administer the questionnaires. Only one questionnaire per group will be collected.

OMB Control Number: 1024-0224

Expiration Date: 8/31/2014

Appalachian National Scenic Trail Visitor Survey - 2014

Part A: Trip Description. The following questions pertain to your current trip on the Appalachian Trail.

TOPIC AREA 2: TBACK

1. On this particular trip, are you a:[check one]

□ day user (on the trail for one day only)

□ overnight user/backpacker (out for more than one day)

□ thru hiker (hiking the length of the trail in one calendar year)

□ section hiker (hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail with the intent of hiking the entire trail over an extended period of time)

TOPIC AREA 3: TBACK4

2. Please tell us about your trip.

How many days did you (or will you) spend on the trail? _____ # of days on trail

How many miles did you (or will you) hike _____ # of miles hiked

TOPIC AREA 1: GR1, 2 and 3

3. Including yourself, how many people are in your group? _____________

4. Which of the following best describes the composition of your group? [check one]

□ Individual

□ Family

□ Friends

□ Family & friends

□ Organized group (club or organization)

□ Commercial group (group of people who paid a fee to participate in this trip)

□ Other [please specify] ___________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 3: ACT3

5. Please look at the following list of activities and tell us which activities you and your group did (or will do) during this trip on the Appalachian Trail. (Please check all that apply)

ACTIVITY	PARTICIPATED
Day Hiking/Walking	□
Backpacking	□
Camping	□
Viewing Scenery	□
Picnicking	□
Fishing	□
Photography	□
Nature Study	□
Jogging/Trail Running	□
Other (please list ) _____________________	□

TOPIC AREA 3: ACT2

6. From the above list of activities, which was primary activity for you or your group? ____________________

TOPIC AREA 1: VISHIS1 and 4

7. Was this your first time on the Appalachian Trail? [check one]

□ Yes [If yes, skip to question 8] □ No

7b. About how many days have you spent on the Appalachian Trail in the last 12 months? Days

7c. In what year did you make your first visit to the Appalachian Trail? year

Part B:

Visitor Experience. The following questions pertain to your experience on the Appalachian Trail, including your reasons for visiting the trail and your reactions to the conditions you experienced.

TOPIC AREA 2: ITIN9

8. Why did you decide to visit the Appalachian Trail for this trip? What are your reasons for visiting the trail today? (Interviewer: PROBE FOR ADDITIONAL REASONS)

9. Which of those reasons would you say is your primary reason? (Interviewer: MAKE NOTE OF ONE REASON) _________________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 5: CRWDATT6 – CRWDATT10

10. Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

(please circle one number for each statement)

	Strongly Disagree	Mildly Disagree	Unsure	Mildly Agree	Strongly Agree
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip on the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5
Energy/communication-related development (e.g. power lines, pipelines, cell phone towers, wind turbines) has had no impact on my use of the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5
I cannot imagine a better trip on the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5
I thought the trail and its surroundings were in good condition	1	2	3	4	5
I do not like to see the expansion of power lines crossing the Appalachian trail	1	2	3	4	5
My trail experience was impacted by having too many people on the trail	1	2	3	4	5
Higher and/or wider power lines or cell phone towers do not bother me	1	2	3	4	5
I like to see wind turbines	1	2	3	4	5
The number of people on the trail was about right	1	2	3	4	5
I do not want to take any more trips like this trip on the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5
Wind farms are a good source of energy, but still have a negative environmental impact since they require power lines	1	2	3	4	5
I try to use a different section of the Appalachian Trail to avoid energy/communication-related development	1	2	3	4	5

TOPIC AREA 6: EVALSERV

11a. Overall, please tell us how satisfied were you with this trip on the Appalachian Trail?

Very dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Neutral	Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied
□	□	□	□	□

11b. If you responded with “very dissatisfied” or “somewhat dissatisfied,” please explain.

________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 4: PREF

12. Below is a list of different types of recreation areas. Please think about this section of the Appalachian Trail and indicate: (1) which type of area best describes this trail section, and (2) which type of area you would prefer this area should be managed for [check one for each column].

	Would you describe this area as:	Which of these would be your most Preferred Area to visit
Primitive Area– a place generally unaffected by the presence of people, with few or no facilities, providing outstanding opportunities for solitude and self-reliance.
Semi-Primitive Area – a place with some facilities or enhancements (e.g. bridges, trail markers or signs), but where the environment appears mostly unaffected by people and complete solitude is not expected.
Undeveloped Recreation Area – a place with a natural setting and some enhancements for recreation use (e.g. shelters, privies), where seeing other people is an expected part of the experience.
Developed Recreation Area – an outdoor recreation setting with many facilities and enhancements to accommodate many recreation visitors.

Part C: Scenic Quality Assessment

The questions in this section will be used to address visitor perceptions and reactions to the power lines and other infrastructure developing that may be considered to be a form of impact to the visitors’ quality of experience.

TOPIC AREA 5: CRWDATT6 – CRWDATT10 (variation)

13. Approximately how much communications and/or energy-related development (e.g. power lines, pipelines, cell phone towers, wind turbines) did you see along the Appalachian Trail on this trip?

Type of Development	Number Seen
Power lines
Pipelines
Cell phone towers
Wind turbines

14. Please tell us how acceptable each type of energy/communications-related development that you saw along the Appalachian Trail was to you on this trip.

Type of development	Very Unacceptable	Unacceptable	Slightly unacceptable	Neutral	Slightly acceptable	Acceptable	Very acceptable
Power lines	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3
Pipelines	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3
Cell phone towers	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3
Wind turbines	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3

15. Based on a seven‐point scale where “1” means very low scenic value and “7” means very high scenic value, how would you rate the scenic value of the section of the Appalachian Trail you visited today?

Very low scenic value	Low scenic value	Slightly low scenic value	Neutral	Slightly high scenic value	High scenic value	Very high scenic value
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Next, I will show you a series of photographs and I would like for you to rate your perceived scenic value for each of the photos. You will rate each scene using a 7 point scale from very low (1) to very high (7).

16. PHOTO #1

Very low scenic value	Low scenic value	Slightly low scenic value	Neutral	Slightly high scenic value	High scenic value	Very high scenic value
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

17. PHOTO #2 [PHONE TOWERS/WIND POWER PROJECT]

Very low scenic value	Low scenic value	Slightly low scenic value	Neutral	Slightly high scenic value	High scenic value	Very high scenic value
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

18. Using the same image, please rate your overall enjoyment on the trail if this were the actual view. Using a seven‐point scale where “1”means a very negative effect and “7” means a very positive effect on your enjoyment, how would your overall enjoyment be effected?

Very negative effect	Negative effect	Slightly negative effect	Neutral	Slightly positive effect	Positive effect	Very positive effect
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Interviewer: PROBE FOR DETAILS. IF RATING IS 3 OR LESS by asking the following question

19. Please tell me why you this would have a negative effect for you?? Why?)

___________________________________________________________________________

19a. In your opinion, would the transmission line/cell phone tower/wind turbines have more, the same, or less impact than other existing large projects within view such as recreation resorts, snowmobile/ATV trails, second home developments, clear cut areas, town centers, etc?

□ less impact

□ about the same

□ more impact

20. Now, please think about how this change in the view would affect your likelihood of returning to the Appalachian Trail. Using a seven‐point scale where “1” means you are much less likely to return and “7” means you are much more likely to return, how likely are you to return to the area.

Much less likely to return	Less likely to return	Slightly less likely to return	Neutral		Slightly more likely to return	More likely to return	Much more likely to return
1	2	3	4		5	6	7

(REPEAT USING OTHER PHOTOS. TOTAL OF 6 PHOTOS)

21. Thank you for reviewing those various landscape scenes. We would also like to know your overall opinion about communications and/or energy-related development projects along the Appalachian Trail. Using a seven‐point scale where “1” means strongly oppose and “7” means strongly support, please tell us the extent to which you support or oppose electric transmission line crossings/commercial‐scale wind energy development on the AT?

Strongly oppose	Oppose	Slightly oppose	Neither support nor oppose	Slightly support	Support	Strongly support
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

PART D: Background Information. The information in this section will help us to better understand who is using the Appalachian Trail. The results will be reported only as overall averages.

TOPIC AREA 4: PA1

22. Below is a list of statements that address your feelings about the Appalachian Trail. Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the statements listed below.

	Strongly Disagree	Mildly Disagree	Unsure	Mildly Agree	Strongly Agree
The Appalachian Trail means a lot to me	1	2	3	4	5
I enjoy hiking along the Appalachian Trail more than any other trail	1	2	3	4	5
I am very attached to the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5
No other trail can compare to the Appalachian Trail	1	2	3	4	5

TOPIC AREA 1:

23. What, if any, outdoor organizations do you belong to?

___________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 1: GEND1

24. What is your gender? □ Female □ Male

TOPIC AREA 1: AGE2

25. In what year were your born? _________

TOPIC AREA 1: ED2

26. What is the highest level of education you have completed? [Check one of the following]

□ Less than high school	□ college graduate
□ some high school	□ some graduate school
□ high school graduate or GED	□ masters, doctoral, or professional degree
□ business school, trade school, some college

TOPIC AREA 1: ECON1

27. What was your total household income (before taxes) in 2013? [Check one of the following]

□ less than $19,999	□ $40,000 to $59,999	□ $80,000 to $99,999
□ $20,000 to $39,999	□ $60,000 to $79,999	□ $100,000 or more

TOPIC AREA 1: RACE/ETH2

28. Are you Hispanic or Latino? (Select one):

□ Hispanic or Latino	□ Not Hispanic or Latino
29. What is your race Select one or more
□ American Indian or Alaskan Native		□ Asian American	□ Black or African American
□ Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander			□ White

Thank you for your assistance!

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT: The National Park Service is authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1a-7 to collect this information. This information will be used by park managers to understand issues concerning power lines and other infrastructure developing that may be considered to be a form of impact to the visitors’ quality of experiences along Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Response to this request is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. The permanent data will be anonymous. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

BURDEN ESTIMATE Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 15 minutes per response. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to: Alan Graefe, Pennsylvania State University; gyu@psu.edu (email); or Phadrea Ponds, NPS Information Collection Coordinator, Fort Collins, CO; pponds@nps.gov (email).

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