The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Human Dimensions Branch recently shared the first national-level results from the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Survey. The National Visitor Survey is a collaborative effort between the Service, university partners (The Ohio State University, University of Washington, and Clemson University), and American Conservation Experience (ACE).

Visitors to San Diego National Wildlife Refuge react to a wildlife sighting on a ranger-led hike.

Rinus Baak/USFWS volunteer, Public Domain

The National Visitor Survey is one part of a comprehensive visitor monitoring program that improves the stewardship of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The survey collects detailed information on quality of visitors’ experiences, helping the FWS properly allocate financial resources, manage wildlife, habitats and visitors adaptively, and meet their overall mission. Data gathered in the first five-year cycle of this survey enables the FWS to tell a more complete story of the Refuge System.

Over 20,000 Refuge visitors completed the survey indicating they mostly participated in wildlife observation, hiking/walking, bird watching and photography. Half of the visitors lived within 50 miles of the refuge and visited six or more times in the past year.

For more details from this survey see: The National Visitor Survey | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.