Appalachian National Scenic Trail Pilot Survey
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Resource ID
1094
Access
Open
Contributed by
Appalachian Trail Museum Library
Date
2009
Tags - Places
Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Document Types
Federal, Report
Document Extract
Visitation statistics on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail are important for management and federal government reporting purposes. However, no survey methodology has been developed to obtain accurate trail-wide estimates over linear trails that traverse many hundreds of backcountry miles. This research develops a stratified random survey design which utilizes two survey instruments, exit site tallies, and a survey questionnaire to obtain visitation estimates on a portion of the AT. The design identifies three components (nonproxy, proxy, and Special Days) which can be used to subdivide the sampling frame into estimator types that lead to more efficient sampling and estimation processes. In addition, design-based and model-assisted approaches are used to obtain estimates for comparison purposes.
The survey was performed from June 1 through August 14, 2007, on a 109-mile stretch of the AT from Harpers Ferry, WV, to ten trail miles north of Boiling Springs, PA at the Scott Farm.