Yosemite Wilderness Survey An App-based Data Collection Approach (Pilot)

OMB Control Number 1090-0011

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

YOSE Wilderness Survey - Pilot

Introductory Text

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study for Yosemite National Park. This questionnaire is about your current and past wilderness experience.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION and PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: The Paperwork Reduction Act requires us to tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether or not you have to respond. We are authorized by the National Park Service Protection Interpretation and research in System (54 USC §100702) to collect this information. The purpose of this collection is to pilot test a new app for Yellowstone National Park wilderness program. Your responses to this collection are completely voluntary and will remain anonymous. You can end the process at any time and will not be penalized in any way for choosing to do so. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number (1090-0011). We estimate that it will take about 20 minutes to complete and return this questionnaire. You may send comments concerning any aspect of this information collection to: Nathan Reigner, npr5097@psu.edu (email); or Phadrea Ponds, NPS Information Collection Officer at pponds@nps.gov (email).

Key Terms

Each night that you are camping, we will ask you questions about your decisions about where to camp. Each morning we will ask you questions about your camping experience. These questions will refer to your camping area and your campsite. Your camping area is the overnight destination where you camped (e.g., lakes, meadows, trail junction, river confluence, etc.). Your campsite is the specific spot within the camping area where you spent the night.

Group & Trip Characteristics

1. What is the ID number of your permit? _____________________________ (enter your permit ID, which may contain both numbers and letters)

Will you be using the services of a commercially guide or outfitter on this trip? (select one)
□	Yes
□	No

Do you plan to start your wilderness camping trip in Yosemite National Park? (select one)
□	Yes, I plan to start my wilderness camping trip someplace in Yosemite National Park.
□	No, I plan to start my wilderness camping trip someplace outside of Yosemite National Park. (If NO Go to 5)

NOTE TO REVIEWER: Response options will include trailhead locations provided by the park staff

Please select the place in Yosemite National Park where you plan to start your wilderness trip. (select one)
□	[Name of possible entry location]
□	[Name of possible entry location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________
(Go to Q6)

Please select the place where you plan to enter Yosemite National Park. (select one)
□	[Name of possible entry location]
□	[Name of possible entry location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________

What is the date of the first night you plan to camp in the wilderness in Yosemite National Park? (select one)
mm/dd/yy	Date of the first night you plan to wilderness camp in Yosemite National Park.
□	Don’t know / Not sure

Do you plan to end your wilderness camping trip in Yosemite National Park? (select one)
□	Yes, I plan to end my wilderness camping trip someplace in Yosemite National Park.
□	No, I plan to end my wilderness camping trip someplace outside of Yosemite National Park. (if NO Go to Q9)

NOTE TO REVIEWER: Response options will include trailhead locations provided by the park staff

Please select the place in Yosemite National Park where you plan to end your wilderness trip. (select one)
□	[Name of possible end location]
□	[Name of possible end location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________
Go to Q10

Please select the place where you plan to exit Yosemite National Park. (select one)
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________

10. How many nights do you plan on camping in Yosemite Wilderness? ___________________ (number of nights)

11. Approximately how far, in miles or kilometers, do you plan to travel in Yosemite Wilderness on this trip?
________	□ miles	□ kilometers
OR
□	Don’t know/not sure

12. How would you describe your route for this wilderness camping trip? (select one)
□	Our wilderness camping trip will be entirely within Yosemite National Park.
□	A trip along the John Muir Trail trip (i.e., traveling, either northbound or southbound, for all or part of the JMT between Yosemite National Park and Mount Whitney).
□	Pacific Crest Trail long-distance trip (i.e., traveling more than 500 miles along the PCT).
□	Other, please specify: ____________________

13. Do you consider yourself to be the leader or organizer of your wilderness camping group? (select one)
□	Yes
□	No

14. People choose to take wilderness trips for many reasons. How important was each of the following in your decision to take this wilderness camping trip? (check one box for each item)
				Not at all important	Slightly important	Moderately important	Very important	Extremely important
Freedom				□	□	□	□	□
Solitude				□	□	□	□	□
To think about who I am				□	□	□	□	□
Closeness to nature				□	□	□	□	□
Wilderness				□	□	□	□	□
Remoteness				□	□	□	□	□
Sense that surroundings haven’t been impacted by people				□	□	□	□	□
To be away from crowds of people				□	□	□	□	□
Challenge				□	□	□	□	□
To be away from the modern world				□	□	□	□	□
To meet other people like me				□	□	□	□	□
To develop personal, spiritual values				□	□	□	□	□

15. Including this one, approximately how many wilderness or backcountry camping trips have you taken in Yosemite National Park? (select one)
□	This is my first wilderness or backcountry camping trip in Yosemite.
□	2 to 3 trips
□	4 to 5 trips
□	6 to 7 trips
□	8 or more trips

16. Including this one, approximately how many wilderness or backcountry overnight camping trips have you taken in your lifetime? (select one)
□	This is my first wilderness or backcountry camping trip anywhere.
□	2 to 5 trips
□	6 to 10 trips
□	11 to 25 trips
□	26 to 50 trips
□	51 or more trips

17. How familiar are you with the purposes and characteristics of federally designated Wilderness areas? (select one)
□	Not at all familiar
□	Slightly familiar
□	Somewhat familiar
□	Very familiar

18. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about your use of federally designated Wilderness areas. (check one box for each item)
	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not applicable/ I don’t know
I find that a lot of my life is organized around wilderness use.	□	□	□	□	□	□
I feel like wilderness is part of me.	□	□	□	□	□	□
I get greater satisfaction out of visiting wilderness than other areas.	□	□	□	□	□	□

Camping Night

NOTE TO REVIEWERS: At 18:00 local time each day on and after the planned trip start date provided by respondents the app will provide a notification presenting Q19.

19. Have you found your campsite for the night? (select one)
□	Yes, I found my campsite for tonight. Go to Q20.
□	No, I have not yet found my campsite for tonight. “Ok, we will ask you this question again in two hours.” NOTE TO REVIEWER: At this point, the app will go dormant for a period of 2 hours. After that period, it will provide a notification presenting Q19 again. This process will cycle until the first or third response option for this question is selected or three nights have passed, at which point the app will cycle to Q28.
□	No, I am not camping tonight. Go to Q28.

Each night that you are camping, we will ask you questions about your decisions about where to camp. Each morning we will ask you questions about your camping experience. These questions will refer to your camping area and your campsite. Your camping area is the overnight destination where you camped (e.g., lakes, meadows, trail junction, river confluence, etc.). Your campsite is the specific spot within the camping area where you spent the night.

20. When was the decision made to camp in this area tonight? (select one) Please note, this question asks about your decision to camp in this camping area, not your specific campsite.
□	Upon arriving in the area.
□	Sometime during the day today.
□	Sometime during my wilderness trip before today.
□	Prior to the start of my wilderness camping trip.
□	At another time (please specify): ______________________________________________________

21. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements about the reasons how your group selected its campsite for tonight. Please note, this question asks about your decision about where to locate your campsite, not the general camping area. (select one for each item)
We chose this campsite because…	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neither	Agree	Strongly Agree	Not applicable/ I don’t know
I or someone in my group already knew about it.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it was easy to find.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it has adequate level and clear ground to accommodate our group.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it provides shelter from weather, insects, sun, etc.	□	□	□	□	□	□
most desirable campsites in the area were occupied.	□	□	□	□	□	□
there were few suitable campsites in this area	□	□	□	□	□	□
it has a good view or other scenic appeal.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it is close to water.	□	□	□	□	□	□
It is close to the trail.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it is close to facilities like food storage lockers, potable water, privies, etc.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it has campsite “furniture” like a fire ring, seating, cooking rock, etc.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it is away from others (i.e., you will not see or hear other campers).	□	□	□	□	□	□
the campsite and surrounding area are free from litter and human waste.	□	□	□	□	□	□
it appears undamaged by previous campers.	□	□	□	□	□	□
It is a low impact place to camp.	□	□	□	□	□	□

22. “Among the reasons you considered when selecting your campsite, what was the primary reason why you chose the campsite that you did?” Please note, this question asks about your decision about where to set-up your campsite, not the general camping area.

______________________________________________ (enter text, 80-character limit).

“Thank you. In the morning we will ask you some questions about your experience at this campsite.”

Camping Morning

23. How much of the following did you notice in and around your campsite last night? (select one for each item)
				None at all	A little	Some	A lot	Don’t know
Litter or trash				□	□	□	□	□
Improperly disposed of human waste or toilet paper				□	□	□	□	□
Campfire rings or evidence of campfires				□	□	□	□	□
Campsite furniture like rocks or logs arranged for seats, tables, etc.				□	□	□	□	□
Intrusions into your campsite by other campers who are not members of your group (i.e., other campers entering or walking past or through your campsite).				□	□	□	□	□
Damage to vegetation or soil caused by park visitors.				□	□	□	□	□
Wildlife habituation (e.g., animals approaching you in search of food)				□	□	□	□	□

24. Now we would like to know how the amount of each of the above items you noticed affected your wilderness camping experience. Please indicate how the amount of each of the following items in and around your campsite last night affected your wilderness experience? (select one for each item)
	Detracted greatly	Detracted somewhat	Had no effect	Added somewhat	Added greatly	Not applicable/ I don’t know
Litter or trash	□	□	□	□	□	□
Improperly disposed of human waste or toilet paper	□	□	□	□	□	□
Campfire rings or evidence of campfires	□	□	□	□	□	□
Campsite furniture like rocks or logs arranged for seats, tables, etc.	□	□	□	□	□	□
Intrusions into your campsite by other campers who are not members of your group (i.e., other campers entering or walking through your campsite).	□	□	□	□	□	□
Damage to vegetation or soil caused by park visitors.	□	□	□	□	□	□
Wildlife habituation (e.g., animals approaching you in search of food)	□	□	□	□	□	□

25. How many other camping groups were you able to see or hear from your campsite last night? (select one)
□	No other groups
□	1 other group
□	2 to 3 other groups
□	4 to 6 other groups
□	7 to 10 other groups
□	11 or more other groups

26. We would like to know how the number of other groups you could see or hear from your campsite last night affected your wilderness experience in camp. Please indicate how the number of other groups you could see or hear from your campsite last night affected your wilderness experience in camp? (select one)
□	It added greatly to my wilderness experience
□	It added to my wilderness experience
□	It had no effect on my wilderness experience
□	It detracted from my wilderness experience
□	It detracted greatly from my wilderness experience

27. Thinking about your camping experience last night only, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with your campsite? (select one)
□	Very dissatisfied
□	Somewhat dissatisfied
□	Neutral
□	Somewhat satisfied
□	Very satisfied

28. Will you be wilderness camping in Yosemite National Park tonight? (select one)
□	Yes, I will camp at least one more night in Yosemite Wilderness. Return to Q. 19 .
□	No, I am ending my wilderness camping trip today. Go to Q. 29 .
□	No, I will continue my wilderness camping trip but am leaving Yosemite National Park today. Go to Q. 30 .

End of Trip

NOTE TO REVIEWER: Response options will include trailhead locations provided by the park staff

29. Please select the place in Yosemite National Park where you ended your wilderness trip today. (select one)
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________
Go to Q. 31 .

30. Please select the place where you exited Yosemite National Park today. (select one)
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	[Name of possible exit location]
□	Other, please specify: ____________________

31. Did your group end your trip or exit Yosemite Wilderness earlier than, later than, or on the same day as originally planned?
Yes, we ended our trip or exited Yosemite Wilderness earlier than originally planned.	No, we ended our trip or exited Yosemite Wilderness on the same day as originally planned.	Yes, we ended our trip or exited Yosemite Wilderness later than originally planned.
□	□	□

32. We would like to know about how the time you spend wilderness camping in Yosemite National Park, as a whole, compared with your expectations. Thinking about your wilderness camping trip in Yosemite National Park as a whole, please indicate how your experience of each of the following items compared with your expectations. (select one for each item)
			I had no expectations	A lot less than expected	Less than expected	About as expected	More than expected	A lot more than expected
The number of other camping groups you could see or hear from your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
The number of intrusions into your campsites by others who were not part of your group.			□	□	□	□	□	□
The amount of litter or trash in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
The amount of improperly disposed of human waste or toilet paper in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
The number of campfire rings or evidence of campfires in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
The amount of campsite furniture like rocks or logs arranged for seats, tables, etc. in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
Damage to vegetation or soil caused by previous campers in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□
Wildlife habituation (e.g., animals approaching you in search of food) in and around your campsites.			□	□	□	□	□	□

33. Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements about your participation in this wilderness camping study. (select one for each item)
			Strongly disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly agree	Don’t know
Participating in this study negatively impacted my wilderness experience.			□	□	□	□	□	□
My participation in this study contributed to stewardship of Yosemite National Park.			□	□	□	□	□	□
I would participate in this study again if I had the chance.			□	□	□	□	□	□

END OF SURVEY

THANK YOU

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