Sawtooth to quantify visitors
Surveys to last through coming year
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The Sawtooth Wilderness Area is only one facet of the Sawtooth National Forest that draws visitors. Forest managers hope to explore more of the numbers and reasons in a study that will last the coming year. Express photo by Greg Stahl
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When last it conducted a visitor use survey in 2000, the Sawtooth National Forest estimated it hosted 800,000 annual visitors, with 33,000 of those entering the Sawtooth Wilderness Area.
The forest is beginning a study that will quantify whether visitation trends are similar and to determine what people are doing when they visit.
The forest will begin the yearlong survey of its visitors, beginning Friday, Oct. 1.
?We hope that when visitors see the sign and Forest Service personnel in their bright orange vests, they will pull over and participate,? said Terry Fletcher, survey project coordinator for the forest. ?The basic interview lasts less than six minutes.?
Participating in the survey is voluntary and all the information provided by visitors is confidential. Names are not recorded.
Each visitor is asked a few questions beyond the scope of the regular survey, and they may take about five minutes longer. About a third of the visitors will be asked to complete a confidential survey on recreation spending during their trip.
?The information we gather during these surveys is very important to the Forest Service,? Fletcher said. ?The questions that are asked include things like where people recreated, how many people they traveled with, how long they were on the forest, what other recreation sites they visited while on the forest and how satisfied they were with the facilities and services provided.?
Fletcher said the information is useful for both forest planning and local community tourism planning.
It provides national forest managers with an estimate of how many people actually visit federal lands and what activities they enjoy.
In 2000, the last time such a survey was conducted, 1,247 visitors were interviewed, and 66 percent of those interviewed said their primary purpose for visiting the Sawtooth National Forest was for recreation. About 3 percent stopped to use the bathroom. About 10 percent were working, and 9 percent were just passing through.
Nearly 70 percent of the forest?s visitors were men, and 47 percent of the forest?s visitors were between the ages of 31 and 50. They are also a homogenous group, 99.7 percent white.
Wilderness visitors were further broken out. They were 100 percent white and the majority were over the age of 41. The average wilderness visitor stayed 4.2 hours.
This year?s surveys are to be conducted once on every national forest in the country.
Surveys on the Sawtooth National Forest will be conducted on a random basis throughout the next year and will cover the entire Forest.
?So we sincerely hope that when forest visitors see the survey signs, they will turn off and participate,? Fletcher said. ?The more we can learn about our visitors, especially their satisfaction and desires, the better we can provide for their needs.?
If people have questions about the survey program, they can visit the following Web site at www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum or call Sue Kocis at 707-574-6233.
