SLBE Programmatic Form

NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224
Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

PROGRAMMATIC REVIEW AND CLEARANCE PROCESS
FOR NPS-SPONSORED PUBLIC SURVEYS

The scope of the Programmatic Review and Clearance Process for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys is limited and will only include individual surveys of
park visitors, potential park visitors, and residents of communities near parks. Use of the programmatic review will be limited to non-controversial
surveys of park visitors, potential park visitors, and/or residents of communities near parks that are not likely to include topics of significant interest
in the review process. Additionally, this process is limited to non-controversial information collections that do not attract attention to significant,
sensitive, or political issues. Examples of significant, sensitive, or political issues include: seeking opinions regarding political figures; obtaining
citizen feedback related to high-visibility or high-impact issues like the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, the delisting of specific
Endangered Species, or drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
SUBMISSION DATE: 8/25/2023

PROJECT TITLE: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Use Management Study
ABSTRACT: (not to exceed 150 words)

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE) is a 71,199-acre unit within the National Parks system. The 2009
General Management Plan identified areas of importance and issues that included congestion at certain visitor areas and
the preservation of designated wilderness areas. Data from a 2012-2013 visitor survey suggested that while social
conditions were acceptable, encounters at different sites could increase and negatively affect both social and resource
conditions. Therefore, continued monitoring and evaluation are necessary to maintain the quality of the visitor experience
and better understand visitor expectations. The purpose of this study is to re-examine visitor use and user characteristics
on the Platte River, Crystal River, and North Manitou Island and provide managers with updated data on current
conditions at those locations and additional management priority sites. It also aims to investigate visitor use patterns that
have emerged following federal wilderness designation, rapidly increasing annual visitation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
NAME:

Dr. Elizabeth E. Perry

TITLE

Assistant Professor

AFFILIATION:

Michigan State University

ADDRESS:

480 Wilson Road, Natural Resources Building, East Lansing MI 48824

EMAIL:

eeperry@msu.edu

PHONE:

541-224-7639

PHONE:

231-326-4704

PARK OR PROGRAM LIAISON CONTACT INFORMATION:
NAME:

Scott Tucker

TITLE

Superintendent

AFFILIATION:

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

ADDRESS:

9922 Front Street, Empire MI 49630

EMAIL:

scott_tucker@nps.gov

RECORDS RETENTION - PERMANENT. Transfer all permanent records to NARA 15 years after closure. (NPS Records Schedule, Resource
Management And Lands (Item 1.A.2) (N1-79-08-1)).

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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

PROJECT INFORMATION:
Where will the collection take place? Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE)
Sampling Period Start Date: 5-15-24
Sampling Period End Date: 9-15-24
Type of Information Collection Instrument: (Check ALL that Apply)
� Mail-Back Questionnaire
� Telephone Survey
X On-Site Questionnaire
� Face-to-Face Interview
� Other (List)
� Focus Groups
Will an electronic device be used to collect information? � No X Yes – tablet computer onsite (e.g., iPad)

SURVEY JUSTIFICATION:

Social science research in support of park planning and management is mandated in the NPS Management Policies 2006
(Section 8.11.1, “Social Science Studies”). The NPS pursues a policy that facilitates social science studies in support of the
NPS mission to protect resources and enhance the enjoyment of present and future generations (National Park Service
Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC 1, et seq.). NPS policy mandates that social science research will be used to provide an
understanding of park visitors, the non-visiting public, gateway communities and regions, and human interactions with
park resources. Such studies are needed to provide a scientific basis for park planning and development.
The proposed research aligns with the Secretary of the Interior’s priorities and strategic plan for 2018-2022. The
outcomes of this project will provide information that will directly align with three key mission areas: (1) conserving land
and water, (2) expanding outdoor recreation and access, and (3) modernizing organization and infrastructure for the
next 100 years. These three mission areas will be fulfilled by a) informing land use planning processes for public use and
access, b) fostering partnerships to achieve balanced stewardship and use of public lands, c) enhancing public
satisfaction at SLBE, and d) prioritizing infrastructure needs (Interior FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, 2018). This work is
furthermore guided by the steps and principles of the Interagency Visitor Use Management Framework, which identifies
the interdependent relationship among resource conditions, visitor experiences, and management actions as a strategic
area of focus (IVUMC, 2016).
The proposed collection is needed to inform management decisions about potential changes in visitor services and
visitor use at SLBE. It has been 10 years since the last visitor survey at SLBE (Examining Visitor Use and User
Characteristics at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, OMB Control #1024-0224, exp. 10/31/2014) and conditions
at the park have changed since then. Visitation has increased by over 25% and potential user capacity issues have been
identified in additional areas of the park, including popular beaches, trails, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. In
addition, 32,550 acres of the park is now federally designated wilderness. Park managers are seeking data on social and
resource conditions in these areas to guide decisions to maintain and enhance visitor experiences. Outcomes of the
proposed work will be used to inform potential management options and engagement of current and future visitors.
The three expected outcomes of this study are: 1) to provide updated information on visitor use patterns,
motivations, and preferences across previously studied sites and new areas of interest at SLBE, 2) to examine visitor
attitudes toward management strategies and actions implemented to address visitor use, and 3) to provide information
for utilization in future potential planning efforts (e.g., river use plans, management plan updates, wilderness character
monitoring). The resulting work will be used by park managers in park strategic planning efforts to identify efficient
paths towards infrastructure improvements, visitor services, amenities, and appropriate staffing.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY
(A) Respondent Universe:

The respondent universe for this collection will be a systematic sample of all adult recreation users (age 18 and
older) at the (1) Crystal River of SLBE, (2) Platte River of SLBE, (3) North Manitou Island, (4) Glen Haven Beach, and the
(5) Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive. These locations will be sampled during the proposed study period (May 15, 2024 – Sept
15, 2024). These locations represent a replication of previous locations from the 2012-2013 study (Crystal River, Platte
River, and North Manitou Island) and the introduction of key areas of interest requested by park staff, thus making
them ideal locations for intercept. According to NPS Visitor Use Statistics, approximately 1,501,117 people visited SLBE
in 2022 and annual visitation numbers have been increasing since 2008.
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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

(B) Sampling Plan / Procedures:
A systematic sampling approach will be employed to intercept visitors at specific locations within the park. Field
staff will consist of undergraduate students, university faculty researchers, and SLBE staff. Sampling is proposed for
May through September of 2024. Intercept locations from the 2012-13 survey will be used, including on the Platte
River, Crystal River, and North Manitou Island, along with new locations along the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive (e.g.,
Empire Bluff, Pyramid Point) and Glen Haven Beach. All sites were chosen based on conversations with park staff,
planners, and researchers, and are a representative sample of all locations within the park.
The sampling strategy is random, with every other visitor group being intercepted on-site. Two or three field staff
will be present at each site and randomly choose one person in the group who is over 18 to take the survey. One staff
member will remain with each visitor group for the entirety of the intercept to be available for questions or provide
instruction. Other field staff will independently intercept other groups. Upon completing an intercept, the surveyor will
let a group pass the intercept location (e.g., river take-out ramp, scenic drive parking lot, etc.) and then intercept the
next group in order to continue the every other group sampling strategy.
The random sampling strategy will be used to ensure that a representative sample of the visiting population is
reached. We expect to contact a total of 4,800 visitors over the course of the sampling period. Of these 4,800 contacts,
we expect to contact 800 visitors at North Manitou Island and 1,000 visitors at each of the other sites (1,000 x 4 other
sites = 4,000).
Using a stratified block sampling method, the sites will be sampled on weekdays and weekends, with a rotation of
North sites (Glen Haven Beach and Crystal River), South sites (Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and Platte River), and North
Manitou Island. Sampling at North Manitou Island will be truncated to six weeks, reflecting the visitor use patterns of
the site (Table 1). We expect sampling quotas will be met for sampling days and location. However, there is the capacity
to add sampling day(s), as needed and in alignment with the systematic sampling plan, should quotas not be met for a
particular time period.
Table 1. Sampling block design for the sampling timeframe. North sites are Glen Haven Beach and Crystal River, South sites are
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive and Platte River, and the Island site is North Manitou Island.
Week

Weekdays
Monday

Tuesday

1

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

North

South

North

North

South

North

South

South

North

North

North

South

South

North

2

North

3

South

South

4

North

North

South

5

South

South

North

6

North

North, Island

South, Island

7

South, Island

South, Island

8

South, Island

9

Island
Island

10

Island

11

Island

12

North

Weekend

South
Island

South, Island

North

Island

North, Island

North

South, Island

North, Island

South

South, Island

North, Island

North, Island

North, Island

South, Island

South

North, Island

North, Island

South, Island

South

North

North, Island

North, Island

South, Island
South, Island

South, Island
North

South

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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

(C) Instrument Administration:
The initial contact with visitors will be used to explain the study and determine if visitors are interested in
participating (see script below). If the group agrees, the adult within the group with the next birthday will be selected.
That individual will then be handed a tablet to use to respond to the survey. Individuals who decline to participate will
be asked if they would be willing to answer 4 non-response bias questions (Section E), which will be recorded directly by
the team member and be counted as soft-refusals on the contact log. Individuals who decline to answer the nonresponse bias questions will be recorded as hard-refusals on the contact log. The number of refusals will be recorded
and used to calculate the overall response rate for the collection. Surveys will be administered and completed on tablet
computers (e.g., iPads) utilizing Qualtrics survey software.
Visitors selected for participation will be read the following script:
“Hello, my name is_________. I am conducting a survey for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to better
understand your opinions related to your overall experience at the park. Your participation is voluntary, and all responses
will be kept anonymous. Would you be willing to take a 12-minute survey?”
If YES – then ask, “has any member of your group been asked to participate in this survey
before?”
If “YES” (already asked to participate) then, “Thank you for agreeing to participate in
this study. Have a great day.”
If “NO” (have not been previously asked to participate) then,
“Thank you for agreeing to participate. Who in your group is at least 18 years old and
has the next birthday?” Hand them a tablet survey. Participants will then be briefed on
how to utilize the tablet to answer the questions in the survey: “Please use the tablet to
answer the questions in the survey, please let me know if you have any questions about
the process.”
If NO– (soft refusal) - “Thank you. Instead, could you answer four quick questions today
[listed below]?” (Record responses in spaces provided on the contact log.)
If NO– (hard refusal) - end the contact and thank them for their time.

(D) Expected Response Rate / Confidence Level:
The expected response rate for this collection is 50% and is based on the survey administered at SLBE in 2012-2013.
Assuming a 50% response rate, we will need to contact approximately 4,800 visitors across five locations (Table 2) in
order to receive 2,400 total responses. Of the 50% of individuals who refuse to participate, we expect 20% (n=480) to be
soft refusals and agree to participate in the non-response survey and 80% (n=1,920) to be hard refusals and decline
participation entirely.
Based on the survey sample sizes, there will be 95% confidence that the survey findings will be accurate to within 35 percentage points. The proposed sample sizes will be adequate for bivariate comparisons and will allow for
comparisons among study sites. For dichotomous response variables, estimates will be accurate within the margins of
error and confidence intervals will be somewhat larger for questions with more than two response categories. The
number of refusals at each location will be recorded and reported in a survey log and will be used in calculating the
overall response rate.

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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

Table 2. Anticipated Response Rates by Location
Sampling Location

Crystal River
Glenn Haven Beach
North Manitou Island
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
Platte River
TOTAL

Total Number of
Visitor Contacts

1,000
1,000
800
1,000
1,000
4,800

Completed
Onsite Surveys
50%

Refusals
50%

500
500
400
500
500
2,400

500
500
400
500
500
2,400

(E) Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias:

Completed
Non-Response
Surveys
(20% of refusals)

Hard Refusals
(80% of
refusals)

100
100
80
100
100
480

400
400
320
400
400
1920

During the initial contact, the interviewer will ask each visitor who refused a survey to answer four questions taken
from the survey. The following questions will be the non-response bias check for this collection:
1) How many people are in your personal group, including you?
2) Over the past 12 months, how many visits have you made to the park?
3) Are you a Michigan resident?
4) What is your age?
All responses to the non-response questions will be recorded on the survey log. Results of the non-response bias
check will be described in a report and any implications for park planning and management will be discussed.
(F) Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument:
The survey questions are from the currently approved list of questions in NPS Pool of Known Questions (PKQ) (OMB
1024-0224; Ex. 08/31/2026). In a few instances (labeled on the survey instrument), question wording varies from the
PKQ in order to match the wording from the 2012-2013 SLBE visitor survey to allow for comparisions (Examining Visitor
Use and User Characteristics at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, OMB Control #1024-0224, exp. 10/31/2014).
The survey has been reviewed by SLBE managers and faculty from Michigan State University and Central Michigan
University. All questions pertain to areas of management interest by SLBE. The survey was pre-tested with nine
university students to estimate burden and clarity of the questions.

BURDEN ESTIMATES:
The total estimated burden for this survey is 536 hours (Table 3). We plan to intercept 4,800 visitors during the
sampling period. We anticipate that 50% (n=2,400) of those contacted will agree to participate and complete the online
survey. Based upon the pretest, we estimate that an average of 13 minutes (1 minute for initial contact and 12 minutes
to fill out the survey) will be required to complete and return the on-line survey, resulting in a burden of 520 hours.
Of the 2,400 visitors refusing to complete the survey. We expect 20% (n=480) to be soft refusals and agree to
answer the non-response questions. We expect the non-response survey, including initial intercept and answering the 4
non-response questions, to take 2 minutes, resulting in a total burden of 16 hours. The burden for the remaining visitors
completely refusing to participate in this collection will not be estimated due to the de minimis nature of their
participation.
Table 3. Burden Estimate

On-site Survey
Non-response survey
Total burden requested under this ICR:

Responses

Completion
Time
(minutes)

Burden
Hours
(rounded up)

2,400

13

520

480

2

16

2,880

536
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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

REPORTING PLAN:
The study results will be presented in internal agency reports for NPS managers at the park. Response
frequencies will be tabulated and measures of central tendency computed (e.g., mean, median, mode, as appropriate).
The reports will be archived with the NPS Social Science Program for inclusion in the Social Science Studies Collection as
required by the NSP Programmatic Approval Process. Hard copies will be available upon request.
REFERENCES
Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC). 2016. Visitor use management framework: a guide to providing
sustainable outdoor recreation. Edition One. July 2016. 130p.

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NPS Form 10-201 (Rev. 09/2019)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0224

NOTICES
Privacy Act Statement
General: This information is provided pursuant to Public Law 93-579 (Privacy Act of 1974), December 21, 1984, for
individuals completing this form.
Authority: National Park Service Research mandate (54 USC 100702)
Purpose and Uses: This information will be used by The NPS Information Collections Coordinator to ensure appropriate
documentation of information collections conducted in areas managed by or that are sponsored by the National Park
Service.
Effects of Nondisclosure: Providing information is mandatory to submit Information Collection Requests to Programmatic
Review Process.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) and is authorized by the
National Park Service Research mandate (54 USC 100702). This information will be used by The NPS Information
Collections Coordinator to ensure appropriate documentation of information collections conducted in areas managed by
or that are sponsored by the National Park Service. All parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to
be considered. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to, this or any other Federal
agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has reviewed
and approved The National Park Service Programmatic Review Process and assigned OMB Control Number 1024-0224.
Estimated Burden Statement
Public Reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 60 minutes per collection, including the time it takes for
reviewing instructions, gathering information and completing and reviewing the form. This time does not include the
editorial time required to finalize the submission. Comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form
should be sent to the Information Collection Clearance Coordinator, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Dr., Fort
Collins, CO 80525.

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