U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FORM APPROVED 

 FOREST SERVICE OMB NO. 40R3eS7 



VISITOR REGISTRATION CARD 



(13) Travel Plon 



If a travel zone map is available, list all zones that you will be traveling 

 through, in sequence, and indicate the number of nights you plan to spend in 

 each zone. 



If travel zones are unknown, describe your planned trip by listing campsites, 

 lakes or named landmarks you plan to visit and the number of nights you will 



spend in each area. 



TRAVEL 

 ZONE 

 CODE 



N 

 1 



G 

 H 

 T 



s 



Completion of this form is voluntary and is not required by low or to obtain a Federal benefit. However, we would appreciate 

 your cooperotion in providing iis with information about your planned National Forest visit. It will help us plan for future 

 management and protection of this area. 



ffe will enter the proper codes in the shaded blocks. THANK YOU! 



(1) NAME (First, middle Initial, and lost) 













32 



33 



34 



35 



(2) MAILJNG ADDRESS (Optional ) 













36 



37 



36 



39 



(3) CITY AND STATE 



(4) ZIP 



CODE 























I 



2 



3 





5 



40 



41 



42 



43 



(SI AREA VISITING (Write namB at ame) 





















6 



7 



8 



9 



44 



45 



46 



47 



161 DATES OF VISIT (Qlic best calimale ol 

 start and f/niah dales al rour rlsll) 



From 



month/day 





















10 



1) 



12 



13 



48 



49 



50 



51 



Through 

 month/ day 





















14 



15 



16 



17 



52 



53 



54 



55 



17} LOCATION OF ENTRY POINT (Write name of en/ry po/nO 



















\9 



19 



20 





57 



58 



59 



18) LOCATION OF EXIT POINT (Write name ol oxlt point) 



















2! 



27 



23 





61 



62 



63 



(9) PRIMARY METHOD OF TRAVEL (Wrlia method such aa hihinS, horseback, canoes, etc.) 

















24 



25 





65 



66 



67 



[\0) NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN GROUP 

















26 



27 



66 



69 



70 



71 



(11) NUMBER OF PACK OR SADDLE STOCK 







(14) REMARKS • SUGGESTIONS 



28 



29 



(121 NUMBER OF WATERCRAFT OR VEHICLES 







30 



31 



FS-2300.32 (7/79) 



Figure 1.— Voluntary self-registration card currently used in the Bob Marshall 

 Wilderness, MT. 



reading. Changing the card's format and size would 

 greatly improve the quality and accuracy of visitor 

 responses. 



Station Locations 



Wenger (1964) and others have suggested that station 

 location influences registration rates. Locations up the 

 trail from the treiilhead may be superior to parking lot 

 placement in improving compliance. Lucas and 

 Kovalicky (1981) discussed potential reasons for select- 

 ing locations up the trail (as opposed to the trailhead lo- 

 cation). Their reasons were (1) signboards may be unno- 

 ticed at the trailhead because of cars, bulletin boards, 

 and other related distractions; (2) the group leader is 

 generally the one who registers and his attention will be 

 focused on getting everything ready while at the trail- 

 head; (3) users may welcome a place up the trail to ad- 

 just saddles and backpacks; (4) the registration system 

 placed up the trail may symbolize wilderness entry; and 

 (5) a registration system up the trail will screen out 

 users making very brief trips. 



When evaluating location, one should also consider fac 

 tors such as trail slope, trail grade, and turnout space 

 for stock. Visitors should see the sign from a distance; 

 registration stations therefore should not be located on 

 bends in the trail. Users may be more likely to register 

 if registration stations are placed in attractive, accessi- 

 ble, and highly visible areas. 



STUDY OF STATION 

 MODIFICATIONS 



Based on the literature review, it was concluded that 

 sign design and location did indeed affect rates of com- 

 pliance and thus offered a promising means of raising 

 registration rates. It was decided to test variations in lo- 

 cation and design on trails typical of those used by 

 wilderness visitors. Specific objectives were to 

 determine: (1) how much location and sign design affect 

 nonoutfitted party registration, and (2) whether rates 

 could be raised sufficiently to be useful for management 

 planning. 



Study Area 



The Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana is 1,009,356 

 net acres (408 481 ha) in size and is contiguous to the 

 Great Bear and Scapegoat Wildernesses. Together the 

 three wildernesses total over 1,535,000 net acres (over 

 621 000 ha) (fig. 2). The area offers large rivers suitable 

 for rafting and fishing, and lowland valleys, along with 

 high mountain vistas. The composition of users is about 

 40 percent horse users and 60 percent hikers. About 17 

 percent are outfitted groups. Average length of stay is 

 about 5 days (Lucas, in press), which is longer than 

 other wilderness areas in Montana. In 1983, visitor use 

 of the three-wilderness complex totaled 215,000 visitor 

 days. The area has over 70 trailheads and an extensive 

 trail system. Trail registers are present on most trails. 



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