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<br />26 <br /> <br />Condusions & Summary Of Empirical Findings <br /> <br />At tile time of tilis writing tile empirical analysis is still underway and tile property-owner mail survey is yet to <br />be administered. However, sufficient results are available to indicate tI1at tlIe study design bas generated a wealtil <br />of information wbich will better inform management decisions. A great deal of information is contained iu tile <br />responses to tile open-ended questious. Indeed as an effort to learn about the recreational values tI1at tile MHB is <br />to "preserve and protect" tile survey results capture tllose values in various forms. <br /> <br />Some major results wbicb can be higbligbted are tI1at one- fiftil of tile users eucountered by interviewers were <br />riparian property owners and tile otiler four-fiftils did not own property. Slighlly over balf of tile latter group <br />(users who did not own riparian property) were local residents, defined as tllose who bad travelled from bome for <br />a day trip on the river. Even a greater percentage of user days were generated by local river users because tilese <br />people, on average, spent more days per year using the river tilan visitors. Other patterns in tile users' prof1Ie <br />were that use was more concentrated around some of tlIe larger towns and fisbing was tile most important <br />activity. These results are interconnected in tilat a large percentage of user days were generated by locals from tile <br />four largest towns along tile river wbo took day trips for fisbing. <br /> <br />The interviews yielded encouraging results regarding tlIe satisfaction among users of tile river. High satisfaction <br />ratings were obtained for the spectrum of activities tI1at people engaged in. The importance-satisfaction ratings <br />on tlIe eleven aspects of a Mississippi River experience iodicate good management performance overall. Here <br />again the open- ended responses provide valuable additional information. important variations have heen detected <br />between various stretches of tile river. <br /> <br />This leads to an important overall finding regarding management strategies. The results demonstrate an <br />impressive diversity of experiences being sought and delivered along the different stretcbes of tile river. Given <br />tilat400 miles of tile river were studied, it is not surprising tIlat some diversity would exist. However, tile result <br />is notewortily because it sbould impress upon us tilat tile Headwaters portion of tlIe Mississippi River truly is a <br />tremendous resource. Diverse groups witilin tile public seek diverse experiences 011 tlIe Mississippi River and a <br />diversity of bigh-quality experiences can be delivered. FurtJiermore, from a management perspective tile diversity <br />whicb tile river supports needs to be recognized SO tI1at a uniform management approacb is not misapplied. <br />Wilile tilere are some strategies tbat need to be applied universally, discretion can be exercised to accentuate tile <br />diversity wbicb the Mississippi River bas to offer. Perbaps tile organizational model of tile MHB itself, tilat of <br />regional cooperation between adjoining jurisdictions and overlapping agencies, speaks to tile diversity of public <br />values tilat are at stake. The diversity of tile natural resource represents botil a challenge to management and a <br />tremendous asset for all of us. <br /> <br />American River Management Society <br />