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Proceedings of the 2009 northeastern recreation research symposium

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Table 1.—Importance <strong>of</strong> wildlife-viewing activities to Lake Umbagog visitors<br />

Activity<br />

Not at all<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Somewhat<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

frequently mentioned items. Seeing more or less wildlife<br />

than expected were <strong>the</strong> reasons most <strong>of</strong>ten listed by<br />

respondents who felt that <strong>the</strong>ir trip was better or worse<br />

than expected. When asked about stopping to observe<br />

wildlife, visitors responded that stopping and taking<br />

adequate time to enjoy wildlife (44 percent) was <strong>the</strong><br />

most important aspect in <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir experience,<br />

followed by <strong>the</strong> bus driver’s providing information and<br />

assistance with wildlife viewing (17 percent).<br />

Based on <strong>the</strong> indicators identifi ed in <strong>the</strong> qualitative<br />

interviews, standards were measured for three dimensions<br />

Importance<br />

Moderately<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Extremely<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Viewing loons, ducks, eagles, ospreys,<br />

and o<strong>the</strong>r birds on or near <strong>the</strong> water<br />

0.6 6.9 26.9 65.7 3.6<br />

Viewing moose 6.3 13.9 29.1 50.6 3.2<br />

Wildlife photography opportunities 4.7 10.4 29.2 55.7 3.4<br />

<strong>of</strong> wildlife viewing: (a) <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> buses seen along<br />

<strong>the</strong> road at wildlife stops, (b) <strong>the</strong> waiting time to see<br />

wildlife (as buses queued at wildlife stops), and (c) <strong>the</strong><br />

percent chance <strong>of</strong> seeing a grizzly bear.<br />

To measure standards for <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> buses seen along<br />

<strong>the</strong> road at wildlife stops, respondents were presented<br />

with a series <strong>of</strong> eight photographs in which <strong>the</strong> number<br />

<strong>of</strong> buses varied from 0 to 12 (Fig. 1). Respondents were<br />

asked to rate <strong>the</strong> acceptability <strong>of</strong> each photograph on<br />

a 9-point scale ranging from -4 = “very unacceptable”<br />

to +4 = “very acceptable.” Visitors were <strong>the</strong>n asked to<br />

<strong>Proceedings</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>astern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NRS-P-66<br />

Mean<br />

Table 2.—Importance <strong>of</strong> activities in determining <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> Lake Umbagog visitor experience<br />

Activity<br />

Not at all<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Somewhat<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Importance<br />

Moderately<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Extremely<br />

Important<br />

(%)<br />

Mean<br />

Seeing wildlife 4.0 7.6 21.2 67.2 3.52<br />

Visitors disturbing loons, eagles, and<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r wildlife<br />

7.6 7.6 14.6 70.2 3.47<br />

The noise <strong>of</strong> boats 8.7 13.8 20.9 56.6 3.26<br />

The speed <strong>of</strong> boats 9.6 12.7 23.9 53.8 3.22<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> motor boats on <strong>the</strong><br />

lake/rivers<br />

10.2 17.3 26.0 46.4 3.09<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> boats on <strong>the</strong> lake/rivers 11.2 19.9 39.3 29.6 2.87<br />

Parking at access sites 14.9 26.3 34.5 24.2 2.68<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> visitors to <strong>the</strong> refuge 10.2 26.4 36.5 26.9 2.80<br />

Large groups <strong>of</strong> visitors/boats 13.6 25.8 32.8 27.8 2.75<br />

Catching fi sh 31.5 21.8 20.8 25.9 2.41<br />

Congestion at popular fi shing spots 32.0 26.8 18.6 22.7 2.32<br />

The number <strong>of</strong> canoes/kayaks on <strong>the</strong><br />

lake/rivers<br />

41.1 31.8 17.7 9.1 1.94<br />

91

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