Exploring Satisfaction Among Paddlers in Two
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EXPLORING SATISFACTION AMONG PADDLERS Park. Management guidelines for the SRCA emphasize IN TWO ADIRONDACK CANOEING AREAS preserving the wilderness character and prohibit motorized use. In contrast, the SLWF is designated as a Wild Forest, allowing for more diverse recreation opportunities, Becky J. Pfaffenbach including motorized recreation (with horsepower limits). The Pennsylvania State University, In addition, the SLWF is readily accessed from several Recreation & Park Management Program, roadside parking lots, and contains two maior University Park, PA 16802 campgrounds, each with more than 285 sites. Even though the management guidelines for these adjacent areas differ, Harry C. Zinn they share an emphasis on visitor recreation. New York The Pennsylvania State University, State (1997) defines a Canoe Area as "an area where Recreation & Park Management Program, watercourses .. makes possible a remote and unconfined type of water-oriented recreation" (p. 29). A Wild Forest is Chad P. Dawson defined as "an area where the resources permit a somewhat SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, higher degree of human use ... while retaining an Marshall Hall, Syracuse, NY 13210-2787 essentially wild character" (p. 32). Recreation and human use are not unique to the Abstract: An exploratory study examining the Adirondack Park. Parks and forests have encouraged relationships between visitor satisfaction, perceived recreation and human use since the beginning of park crowding, and expected crowding was conducted using management in the United States. For example, the 1916 both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study Organic Act that established the National Park Service sample consisted of non-motorized watercraft users in two cited a dual mission for the parks: to preserve the scenery adjacent popular canoe areas in New York State's and provide for enjoyment of the people. The accent on Adirondack Forest Preserve: the Saint Regis Canoe Area human use has led recreation managers and researchers to (SRCA) and the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest (SLWF). The be concerned about the quality of the recreational SRCA is managed essentially as a non-motorized experience, or visitor satisfaction, as a major determinant of wilderness area with no road access, while the SLWF successful management techniques. allows for some motorized recreation and is easily accessible. A total of 80 questionnaires and 36 Visitor satisfaction is deeply embedded in the history of questionnaires combined with interviews were collected outdoor recreation research (Manning, 1999; Stewart & during weekends in June, July and August 2001. Nineteen Cole, 1999). Research regarding visitor satisfaction had its percent were day visitors; 81% camped at least one night. beginning in the 1960s, when Wagar (1964) noted that Overall satisfaction levels were very high; 67% reported providing high quality experiences should be the goal of that they were very satisfied, 33% reported that they were recreation managers. Similar management observations satisfied, and none reported that they were neutral, were expressed by many researchers who followed Wagar. dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied. Compared to visitors who In their 1982 article, Schomaker and Knopf noted: reported being satisfied, those who reported being very "satisfaction has emerged as a central variable in the study satisfied expected and experienced significantly less of outdoor recreation behavior" (p. 173). Ditton, Graefe crowding. Of those interviewed, six categories or and Fedler (198 1) remarked: "satisfaction in recreation has "families" of responses (social contact within party, social typically been regarded as the goal of recreational resource contact outside party, beauty and aesthetics, unanticipated management" (p. 9). Manning (1 999) recently or uncontrollable elements, management considerations, demonstrated the importance of satisfaction to recreation and elements of nature) were identified in over three- researchers by citing 63 pages of references, all related quarters of the interview sample, and were judged to be the directly or indirectly to the topic of satisfaction. Clearly, most salient contributors to visitor $atisfaction. satisfaction has and continues to be an important focus in outdoor recreation research and management. However, a dilemma in outdoor recreation is apparent because visitors Introduction continually report high levels of satisfaction, regardless of situation or measurement technique (Manning, 1999; New York State's Adirondack Park includes six million Stewart & Cole, 1999). acres of public and private land where state land is classified into distinct management areas. The Saint Regis Statement of Problem Canoe Area (SRCA) and Saranac Lakes Wild Forest (SLWF), two adjacent management areas, are composed of A 1997 study of the SRCA demonstrated that user density a series of small lakes and ponds connected by a system of and visitor encounters explained little of the variation in portage trails. They are a haven for campers, paddlers and perceived crowding or visitor satisfaction (Dawson, anglers. An estimated 15,000 people visit the study area Newman & Fuller, 2000). The findings also sparked every year, with a 5% yearly increase in use (Middleton, questions about the relationship between crowding and 2001). Despite their proximity, the SRCA and SLWF are visitor satisfaction. Some visitors experienced low levels managed quite differently (New York State, 1997). The of crowding and reported high satisfaction, but others SRCA is the only designated canoe area in the Adirondack experienced high levels of crowding and high satisfaction. Proceedings of the 2002 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NE-302 These findings are consistent with other studies of All data were collected in the field, as opposed to using crowding and satisfaction, where most studies indicate that mail-back questionnaires. Collecting data on-site density or encounters explain a low amount of the variation minimized recall bias and allowed visitors to respond with in satisfaction (Stewart & Cole, 2001). It has been their immediate thoughts and feelings. Sampling occurred suggested that there must be other situational variables that at portage trails throughout the two canoe areas. A11 visitors contribute to visitor satisfaction (Dawson et a]., 2000). were approached at the entrance points of the portage trails, where the trails met the lakes. Visitors were asked of their Traditional research methods, generally quantitative in willingness to participate in the questionnaire and possibly design, have so far failed to identi6 these situational an interview, and were told of the fifteen to thirty minute variables or measure their contribution to perceived time commitment. crowding and satisfaction (Stewart & Cole, 1999). Some researchers suggest that the traditional research methods of All visitors who were encountered on the portage trails post tip surveys are poorly suited to measure satisfaction were asked to participate in the questionnaire. One visitor (Stewart & Cole, 1999). Post trip surveys require visitors in every third group encountered was asked to participate in to rely on long-term memory. Often, perceptions of the trip both the questionnaire and the interview. Thus, there were satisfaction change when people reflect on the experience. two types of study participants, those who only filled out In actuality, moods, desires, motivations and satisfaction the questionnaire, and a smaller number who filled out the are not consistent through the duration of a trip, and questionnaire and completed an interview. traditional measures fail to measure during-trip satisfaction (Stewart & Cole, 1999). Results and Discussion A mixed-method approach, using both quantitative and A total of 116 questionnaires and 36 interviews were qualitative methods, could be a usefd way to test the collected during weekends in June, July and August 2001. existing satisfaction model in the SRCA and SLWF, and at The refusal rate was less than 2%. Only two visitors the same time describe the experiences of visitors and refused to participate in the questionnaire, and no visitors discover how they understand and attach meaning to refused to participate in the intervie~v.The two visitors who satisfaction. Analysis of quantitative data does not explain did not participate would not provide a reason for their individual meanings attached to satisfaction. Linking refusal. quantitative and qualitative data can provide a way to combine the traditional use of statistics with individual Tests of five characteristics revealed only one significant experiences and trip anecdotes, to better explain visitor difference between questionnaire-only participants and satisfaction and crowding perceptions (Henderson et al., questionnairelinterviewparticipants (Table 1). Members of 1999). both groups were predominately male and averaged approximately 36.7 years old. Neither average party size Purpose of Study (4.4 people) nor average trip length (3.3 days) differed significantly between questionnaire-only participants and There were two major purposes of this study: (1) to interviewlquestionnaireparticipants. Only mean number of examine the current relationships between expected previous visits differed between groups, with crowding, perceived crowding and satisfaction in the questionnaire-only participants averaging fewer than half as SRCA and SLWF using a "traditional" quantitative survey, many previous visits as questionnairelinterview