THE AUTHOR 



RESEARCH SUMMARY 



MARGARET E. PETERSEN was a research forester 

 with the Intermountain Station's Wilderness Manage- 

 nnent research work unit at the Forestry Sciences 

 Laboratory on the University of Montana campus when 

 this study was conducted. She is now public informa- 

 tion officer, Umpqua National Forest, Roseburg, OR. 

 She received her B.S. degree in forestry from Okla- 

 homa State University in 1977. She received a master's 

 degree, also in forestry, from Oregon State University 

 in 1980. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



Adrienne Corti, volunteer, assisted the author with 

 fieldwork. DeLynn C. Colvert, illustrator, USDA Forest 

 Service, Missoula Equipment Development Center, 

 provided consultation and artwork for experimental 

 station signs. 



Poor registration rates at unattended trail stations 

 have become a concern to managers who rely on such 

 registration for information about wilderness use and 

 users. Reliable data that accurately describe wilder- 

 ness visitors and their use patterns allow managers to 

 provide better opportunities for wilderness experiences 

 and to better protect wilderness resources. This report 

 describes an investigation of reasons that influence 

 the visitor's willingness to register and whether com- 

 pliance rates can be raised to useful levels. 



A review of prior research showed that sign design 

 (visibility and message), trail register maintenance, 

 card design, and location of the trail register all in- 

 fluence compliance. Sign design and the location of 

 the registration station were judged the two most im- 

 portant factors influencing registration. On this basis, 

 a study of two different trail registration stations was 

 conducted on three popular trails in the Bob Marshall 

 Wilderness in Montana. A new sign was developed to 

 depict both hikers and horse users registering and in- 

 clude a message about how the collected data were to 

 be used. Effectiveness of this new sign was compared 

 to the standard Forest Ser\'ice sign currently used. 

 Registration stations located at trailheads were com- 

 pared with stations located 1 to 3 miles (1.6 to 4.8 km) 

 up the trail. 



Results showed location is the most important in- 

 fluence in improving registration rates. Moving the 

 control sign from the trailhead up the trail almost dou- 

 bled the registration rate. The experimental sign when 

 moved up the trail raised registration from 50 percent 

 to 69 percent. Separating the data by user type 

 showed that visitors using horses and camping over- 

 night responded well to the experimental sign up the 

 trail. Registration was raised from 20 percent to 56 

 percent. Day hikers responded well to both the ex- 

 perimental and control signs up the trail (65 percent 

 registered). Hikers who camped overnight had the 

 highest registration of any group, with 88 percent 

 registering in response to the experimental sign up the 

 trail. 



Selecting a good site for a registration station is a 

 matter of judgment; however, the following criteria are 

 universally useful: Signs should be visible for reason- 

 able distances; the site should offer horse users a 

 safe place to stop; the site should be placed where vi- 

 sitors are likely to stop for a rest, to drink, or to view 

 some scenic attraction. 



