The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino National Forest:
Beginning Oct. 7 through Sept. 30, 2023, the public will encounter contract employees conducting the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) survey on the Mendocino National Forest in developed and dispersed recreation sites and along Forest Service roads. They will be out in all types of weather conditions, wearing bright orange vests and will be near signs that say, “Traffic Survey Ahead.”
Information gathered from the survey is useful for forest planning as well as local community tourism planning. It provides forest managers an estimate of how many people recreate, which activities people engage in and how satisfied people are with their visit. Economic impact to the local economy is also captured in the survey.
The survey gathers basic visitor information. Surveys are voluntary and all responses are confidential; names are not included. Interviews last about 10 minutes. Questions asked will include:
- Where you recreated on the forest,
- How many people traveled with you,
- How long you were on the forest,
- What other recreation sites you visited while on the forest, and
- How satisfied you are with the facilities and services provided.
About a third of the visitors will be asked to complete a confidential survey on recreation spending during their trip.
“Although the survey is entirely voluntary, participation is extremely important so we can assess visitor experiences on the Forest and work to make it a better place to visit,” said Paulette Kelly, Forest Recreation Program Manager on the Mendocino National Forest.
“We would appreciate it if visitors would take the time to stop and answer a few questions. It’s important for interviewers to talk with local people using the forest, as well as out-of-area visitors, so all types of visitors are represented in the survey.”
Information about the National Visitor Use Monitoring program can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/nvum. The contact for more information about the survey is Paulette Kelly, Forest Recreation Program Manager, Mendocino National Forest at paulette.kelly@usda.gov.
For more information on the Mendocino National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino.
