2011-2012 My Park Counts Wissahickon Valley Park User Survey & Count | Friends of the Wissahickon Table of Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 4 About Wissahickon Valley Park and Friends of the Wissahickon ................................................... 5 Background and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 5 Methodologies ................................................................................................................................ 6 User Count .................................................................................................................................. 7 Observer Count Corrections ....................................................................................................... 7 User Survey ................................................................................................................................. 8 Addressing Self-Selection Survey Bias ........................................................................................ 8 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................... 9 User Count .................................................................................................................................. 9 Where do visitors to the Wissahickon come from? ................................................................. 10 Who are our park visitors? 2011 Survey vs. Observed Counts ................................................. 11 Park User Experience ................................................................................................................ 12 Satisfaction and Feelings of Safety ........................................................................................... 13 Areas of Park Use ...................................................................................................................... 14 Improving User Experience ....................................................................................................... 15 Opinions of Friends of the Wissahickon ................................................................................... 15 Future Steps .................................................................................................................................. 16 Appendix A: Counter and Surveyor Locations Appendix B: Responses by User Segment Appendix C: Comparison Data Appendix D: Sample Survey 2 | Page Figure 1: the "My Park Counts" logo was used to brand the 2011 survey and count ................... 5 Figure 2: park Visitors by place of origin (2011) ............................................................................. 9 Figure 3: Frequency of Park Visits ................................................................................................. 10 Figure 4: Top forms of Recreation ................................................................................................ 12 Figure 5: Park User Satisfaction .................................................................................................... 13 Figure 6: Perceptions of Safety ..................................................................................................... 13 Figure 7: Awareness of FOW ......................................................................................................... 16 Figure 8: Opinion of FOW ............................................................................................................. 16 Table 1: N values for current and past FOW park user surveys and counts (2011, 2006, 1993) ... 8 Table 2: Current residence (2011, 2006, 1993) ............................................................................ 10 Table 3: Method of getting to the park (2011 2006, 1993) .......................................................... 10 Table 4: Sex of park users ............................................................................................................. 11 Table 5: Race of park users ........................................................................................................... 11 Table 6: Age of park users ............................................................................................................. 12 Table 7: Breakout of intercept surveys ......................................................................................... 14 Table 8: Zones of the park ranked by use ..................................................................................... 14 Table 9: Areas of concern ............................................................................................................. 15 Table 10: Desired park improvements.......................................................................................... 15 This report was created under the direction of the Friends of the Wissahickon Park User Survey Working Group: Eugene Caffrey, David Dannenberg, Bettina Hoerlin, Heidi Grunwald, Zane Magnuson, Maura McCarthy Data collection assistance provided by Atlantic Social Research Corporation (ASRC) 3 | Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Friends of the Wissahickon (FOW) has produced three significant park user surveys and counts in the Wissahickon Valley Park. The first, conducted in 1993, was an opinion survey and count; the second, conducted in 2006, was an opinion survey only. The My Park Counts 2011 Wissahickon Valley Park Users Survey is the most comprehensive ever conducted in the Valley. The data generated included both an opinion survey and a user count, using multiple methods: • An automated trail user count using TrafX Counters, which collected over 60,000 data points (one hour samples each) over the course of one year; automated counts were corrected with hand counts conducted by survey volunteers. • A hand-collected, randomized sample user census by volunteer observers, recording basic demographic information (age, race, sex) about park users that was done while providing the count correction factors. 1,472 individuals were counted through this method • A user survey, or opinion survey, collected both in person and via Survey Monkey (online) - 1,085 surveys collected (141 in the park and 944 via the web) Key Findings: • Park use has increased substantially. The 1993 count yielded an estimate of 750,000 visits each year. The 2011 count suggested 1.1 million visits to the Wissahickon each year. • Almost all users are day users (do not require overnight accommodation to visit the Park) - 64% come from inside Philadelphia, and another 17% from nearby Montgomery County townships. Over the three surveys, there has been a clear trend toward a more local park user base, implying that the growth in use may be reflective of growing use by Philadelphians. • There is a significant difference in the demographic findings from our randomized observer counts and the non-randomized user opinion survey. The opinion survey undercounts men, young people (under 30) and people of color to a significant degree, suggesting that data from the opinion survey should be reviewed carefully in light of the differences in observed vs self- reported demographics. • Illegal swimming was captured for first time in 2011- 30% of respondents in the opinion survey say they swim in the Wissahickon. • Park users tend to live close to the park and use it intensively. More people walk to the park (22% now, 12% in 2006) than previously and 86% of visitors come to the Wissahickon more than once a month. • There is a strong correspondence between park users who report feeling "very satisfied" with the park (68%) and those who report feeling safe in the park (66%). The information obtained from both the user survey and counts is being used by Friends of the Wissahickon to build a stronger and more informed constituency for the Wissahickon. User feedback on programming priorities has been influential in the development of the 2013-2017 Strategic Plan for the organization, and the data will be used going forward to inform FOW's efforts to broaden our constituent base and connect with underrepresented park user groups. 4 | Page ABOUT WISSAHICKON VALLEY PARK AND FRIENDS OF THE WISSAHICKON Wissahickon Valley Park is a beautiful wooded gorge in the City of Philadelphia, extending from the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in the north to the Manayunk neighborhood in the southwest. The Wissahickon Creek runs through the Park’s entire seven-mile length. The Park was created in 1868 to preserve the quality of Philadelphia’s drinking water; today, water from the Wissahickon Creek still enters the City’s drinking water intake system at the creek’s confluence with the Schuylkill River, via the Queen Lane intake station. The Park’s main trail is Forbidden Drive, a wide gravel multi-use old roadbed closed to automobile traffic, which parallels the Creek through the length of the Park. Wissahickon Valley Park contains more than 50 miles of often rugged trails, and is host to a wide diversity of native plant and animal life. The 1,800 acres of Wissahickon Valley Park (“the Wissahickon) are part of Philadelphia's 10,500-acre park system, one of the largest urban park systems in the world. The Wissahickon is a unique resource for Philadelphians and their neighbors throughout the region. It serves as a vital wildlife corridor for native plant and animal life; it provides