7846

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7846
• Author: American River Management Society
• Title: Editor
• USFW Year: Series
• USFW - Doc Type: 1994
• Copyright Material: NO

26

Conclusions & Summary Of Empirical Findings

At the time of this writing the empirical analysis is still underway and the property-owner mail survey is yet to
be administered. However, sufficient results are available to indicate that the study design has generated a wealth
of information which will better inform management decisions. A great deal of information is contained in the
responses to the open-ended questions. Indeed as an effort to learn about the recreational values that the MHB is
to "preserve and protect" the survey results capture those values in various forms.

Some major results which can be highlighted are that one- fifth of the users encountered by interviewers were
riparian property owners and the other four-fifths did not own property. Slightly over half of the latter group
(users who did not own riparian property) were local residents, defined as those who had travelled from home for
a day trip on the river. Even a greater percentage of user days were generated by local river users because these
people, on average, spent more days per year using the river than visitors. Other patterns in the users' profIle
were that use was more concentrated around some of the larger towns and fishing was the most important
activity. These results are interconnected in that a large percentage of user days were generated by locals from the
four largest towns along the river who took day trips for fiShing.

The interviews yielded encouraging results regarding the satisfaction among users of the river. High satisfaction
ratings were obtained for the spectrum of activities that people engaged in. The importance-satisfaction ratings
on the eleven aspects of a Mississippi River experience indicate good management performance overall. Here
again the open- ended responses provide valuable additional information. Important variations have been detected
between various stretches of the river.

This leads to an important overall finding regarding management strategies. The results demonstrate an
impressive diversity of experiences being sought and delivered along the different stretches of the river. Given
that 400 miles of the river were studied, it is not surprising that some diversity would exist. However, the result
is noteworthy because it should impress upon us that the Headwaters portion of the Mississippi River truly is a
tremendous resource. Diverse groups within the public seek diverse experiences on the Mississippi River and a
diversity of high-quality experiences can be delivered. Furthermore, from a management perspective the diversity
which the river supports needs to be recognized so that a uniform management approach is not misapplied.
While there are some strategies that need to be applied universally, discretion can be exercised to accentuate the
diversity which the Mississippi River has to offer. Perhaps the organizational model of the MHB itself, that of
regional cooperation between adjoining jurisdictions and overlapping agencies, speaks to the diversity of public
values that are at stake. The diversity of the natural resource represents both a challenge to management and a
tremendous asset for all of us.

American River Management Society