Parks and People: Managing Outdoor Recreation at Acadia National Park

3. Indicators and Standards of Quality for the Schoodic Peninsula

3 Indicators and Standards of Quality for the Schoodic Peninsula The Schoodic Peninsula of Maine includes an outlying unit of Acadia National Park and is located about an hour’s drive north of the main mdi portion of the park. The park’s General Management Plan (GMP) states that opportunitiesfor “low-density”recreationshouldbemaintainedattheSchoodic Peninsula. In anticipation of some significant land ownership changes at the Schoodic Peninsula, an amendment to the GMP was needed, and a program of research was conducted to support this planning effort. The primary objective of the research was to help identify indicators and standards of quality for the recreation experience and related resource conditions. STUDY METHODS An initial visitor survey was conducted at the Schoodic Peninsula during the peak summer season. The purpose of this survey was to gather baseline information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of visitors to this area, recreation activities and use patterns, and indicators of the quality of the recreation experience. The survey was administered on ten randomly selected days in July and August. Trained surveyors were stationed at an automobile pullout near the park exit. At the beginning of each sampling day, an interviewer pulled over the first vehicle to exit the park and asked the occupants if they would be willing to participate in the sur-  This chapter is an edited version of the following paper: James Bacon, Robert Manning, Steven Lawson, William Valliere, and Daniel Laven, “Indicators and Standards of Quality for the Schoodic Peninsula Section of Acadia National Park,” Proceedings of the 2002 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, usda Forest Service General Technical Report NE-302, 2003, 279–85. T H E S C H O O D I C P E N I N S U L A  vey. Respondents were given a copy of the self-administered questionnaire and asked to complete it before leaving the park. At the completion of this process, the next vehicle was pulled over and this process continued throughout the sampling day. Over the ten sampling days, 740 vehicles were pulled over and asked to participate in the survey. A 79 percent response rate was attained, yielding 581 completed questionnaires. A second visitor survey was administered the following summer. The purpose of this survey was to measure standards of quality for selected indicator variables identified in the initial visitor survey. The survey was administered on ten randomly selected days in July and August. The same sampling procedures were used as described for the initial visitor survey. Over the ten sampling days, 918 vehicles were pulled over and asked to participate in the survey. A 70 percent response rate was attained, yielding 640 completed questionnaires. STUDY FINDINGS Indicators of Quality Respondents were asked several questions to determine potential indicators of quality of the recreation experience at the Schoodic Peninsula section of the park. Questions addressed issues such as what visitors enjoyed most and least; the most important or desirable qualities of the Schoodic Peninsula; perceived resource and social impacts of visitor use; and evaluation of problems or issues at this area of the park. Upon completion of this research, four indicator variables were identified: (1) number of cars at one time along the park road, (2) number of people at one time (paot) at Schoodic Point, (3) paot at Frazer Point, and (4) level of resource impacts on hiking trails. Standards of Quality As outlined above, the second phase of research focused primarily on establishing standards of quality for each of the indicator variables noted above. For each of these indicator variables, a series of five computer-generated photographs were prepared showing a range of use levels or resource impact . (The issue of visual research methods is described more fully in chapter 12.) Study photographs are shown in figures 3.1 through 3.4. For each series of photographs, respondents were asked a standard battery of evalu- I N D I C A T O R S A N D S T A N D A R D S O F Q U A L I T Y  ative questions. (The issue of question wording and format related to measuring standards of quality is described more fully in chapter 13.) First, respondents were asked if they had visited the sites in question. If respondents had visited the sites in question, then the remaining questions were administered . In the case of the park road, it was assumed that all respondents had used...