Do-It-Yourself Trail User Research You Can Start Right Away

Do-It-Yourself Trail User Research You Can Start Right Away
THREE 1-HOUR VIDEO CONFERENCE SESSIONS
WEDNESDAYS APRIL 5–19, 2023 • 10–11 PT/1-2 ET
In this course, you will learn how to pull together—and pull off—a meaningful trail study that you can afford. You’ll emerge with a plan for a trail study that you can implement right away, whether you have money or not, using targeted volunteer effort, free or low-cost tools, and an approach focused on what you most want or need to learn. You will also learn how to analyze your results, present findings, and use your study to catalyze action. These studies can help you learn:- Who’s using your trail, how, how often and why;
- Trail users’ perceptions of safety, facilities, cleanliness, maintenance, other users, and user conflicts;
- Amenities that trail users want or want more of;
- How much trail users spend in nearby communities, and where they stay;
- How residents perceive the trail and trail users and more
- Define and focus your objectives so you’re not biting off more than you can chew, and design a trail study to match both your objectives and your resources.
- Estimate numbers of trail users, with or without trail counters.
- Develop and conduct surveys and other data-gathering techniques for trail users and visitors.
- Collect information and insights about community perceptions.
- Collect data you need to estimate your trail’s economic impact.
- Analyze data, including simple ways to estimate economic impact.
- Present and leverage your findings to make a difference for your trail and your community.