An Evaluation of a Self-Guided Visitor Tour at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

• Main Author: Kohler, Steven J.
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 1971
• Subjects: Animal Sciences; Animal Studies
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4107; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5146&context=etd

In 1967 this study was initiated to evaluate the self-guided visitor tour of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. A 20 page visitor information booklet and tour guide was prepared and published for distribution at the refuge, and its effectiveness in telling the refuge story was evaluated. To gain a measure of the self-guided tour in terms of quality, visitor use patterns and satisfactions were critically examined. To gather data on visitor use of the refuge, the visiting public was directly sampled by three methods: mail questionnaires, on-site interviews and candid tower observations of groups on the tour. The information and tour guide booklet was not as effective as it should have been in telling the refuge story. Only one-fourth of the visitor groups purchased the guide, and only about half of these groups used it to any degree at the refuge. Based on expressions of visitor satisfaction, the self-guided tour at Bear River Refuge should be termed a quality recreational activity. The continued quality of the tour depends upon sustained proper management and development of the refuge area to maintain it as a prime nesting and feeding area for migratory birds.