Refuge Visitors Like What They See
More than 90 percent of visitors to wildlife refuges are “satisfied or very satisfied with their refuge experience.” according to a recent report commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Based on more than 3,000 visitor satisfaction surveys, the report compiled information from 43 refuges throughout the country, each hosting a visitor center, an environmental education program, and an annual visitation of at least 75,000.
“One of our most valuable conservation resources is people, and to get them interested in the refuge system is to get them invested in conservation,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Steve Williams.
Survey analysis revealed that almost 90 percent of respondents would likely visit a refuge again within two years. According to the report, visitor satisfaction was “not only consistently high, it was also durable. That is, even visitors who perceived some aspect of a refuge’s services or facilities to be inadequate were very likely to express overall satisfaction with regard to their refuge visit.”
While there do not appear to be any fundamental areas of concern related to visitor satisfaction, the refuge system will use the survey results to hone, and broaden, its appeal. The survey data analysis cited specific areas that may enhance the visitor experience such as greater law enforcement presence and increased road sign visibility.
Another conclusion reached through analysis is that the National Wildlife Refuge System could benefit by extending its outreach efforts to broader audiences. In addition to conserving natural habitat for wildlife, the National Wildlife Refuge System is enhancing a variety of wildlife-dependent recreation for the public. Additionally, the Service is expanding environmental education programs to instill a conservation ethic that can be passed down from generation to generation. The report also helped the National Wildlife Refuge System better understand public attitudes towards its fee demonstration program. Most refuges are open to the public at no cost, but about 25 percent charge nominal entrance fees or charge for special activities and additional services. Survey results found that an overwhelming majority of visitors, 94 percent, did not mind the fee. In fact, statistical analysis found that while the fee did not restrict visitation at all, nearly 90 percent of visitors felt strongly that the refuge provided them with an excellent value.
The Fish and Wildlife Service developed the survey in accordance with the President’s call for citizen-centered government. The Service is planning to use the survey on other refuges to further gauge the visitor experience, and it is also working with other agencies within the Department of Interior to refine the mechanism of visitor surveying on all Department lands.
Future refuge surveys may expand to invite public participation as volunteers in Refuge Friends groups, community-based nonprofit organizations aimed at increasing support for the refuge system. Many of the original surveys analyzed in the current report were distributed and collected by Refuge Friends and volunteers.
Citizen support was crucial in the early days of the National Wildlife Refuge System. On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside a tiny island off the coast of Florida as a preserve and breeding ground for brown pelicans.
Today, the National Wildlife Refuge System encompasses nearly 95 million acres on 540 wildlife refuges in all 50 states, and hosts some 35 million people annually. Like a no-risk investment with guaranteed returns, the National Wildlife Refuge System will continue to provide a great value as long as the American public remains invested in conserving its natural heritage.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations.
