User Preferences For Social Conditions on the St. Croix International Waterway

In cooperation with the St. Croix International Waterway Commission the University of New Brunswick and University of Maine conducted a study of waterway users during the summer of 1999 to determine: 1) characteristics of the waterway visit, including activities, method of travel on the waterway, length of stay, camping conditions encountered; 2) characteristics of visitors, including type of groups, previous experience, place of residence, and other sociodemographic descriptions; and 3) visitor preferences for resource and social conditions encountered on the waterway. A mail-back questionnaire was administered to a sample of waterway users. Approximately 404 usable questionnaires were returned, for an overall response rate of 62 percent. One of the management objectives of the St. Croix waterway is to provide opportunities for secluded watercourse travel and camping. The waterway has a diverse range of water-oriented settings, defined by geographic features, accessibility, an use history. Therefore, we examine visit and visitor characteristics based upon travel within the areas of the waterway. We compare the significance of indicators for secluded travel and camping for experience quality among the different user groups.