Summary: | The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes of Verde Valley residents toward the presence of National Park Service (NPS) units in the area. The study area is largely undeveloped rural land which includes a perennial riparian expanse along the Verde River in central Arizona. Three National Park Service units protect significant local archaeological relics. The general public and local land use decision makers were polled, using random mail surveys and telephone interviews, to determine local values toward economic, visual, cultural, historic and natural resource issues. Responses from each group were compiled and compared for similarities and significant divergence. Results indicate this is a fairly satisfied community which highly values local natural and scenic resources but values the cultural/historic resources to a lesser degree. Results also indicate a lack of association between the relationship of the Verde River and other natural resources with the presence of NPS units.
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