Visitor reponse to demonstration fees at National Wildlife Refuges

In response to a request from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, we examined the likelihood of visitors changing their plans for future visits to National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) because of changes in entrance or use fees. We obtained data for this study from 3,173 respondents from 14 NWRs between 1998 and 2000. Overall, only 8% of all respondents reported potential displacement as a likely response to fee changes. Bivariate analyses indicated that displacement was related to the NWR visited, participation in consumptive or nonconsumptive activities, amount of fees paid, and respondents' income, but the strength of these relationships was weak. Beliefs about the fee program and attitude toward fees paid were better predictors of displacement potential. Multivariate log-linear analysis highlighted significant interactions among the variables and complexity of understanding the displacement process.