Visitor Perception of Experimental Lighting Conditions at Cadillac Mountain Entrance in Acadia National Park

OMB Control #: XXXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX

PAPERWORK REDUCTION and PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT: The Paperwork Reduction Act requires us to tell you why we are collecting this information, how we will use it, and whether or not you have to respond. We are authorized by the National Park Service Protection Interpretation and research in System (54 USC §100702) to collect this information. The routine uses of this information will be for the benefit of NPS Managers and Planning staff managers to understand the effects of lighting on visitor experiences at night in the Cadillac Mountain area of Acadia National Park. The data collected will be summarized to evaluate visitor’s experiences of Cadillac Mountain at dark in Acadia National Park. Your responses to this collection are completely voluntary and will remain anonymous. You can end the process at any time and will not be penalized in any way for choosing to do so. All contact information collected for the purpose of the follow-up survey will be destroyed at the end of the collection period and no personal identifiable records will be maintained or stored for any purposes. Data collected will only be reported in aggregates and no individually identifiable responses will be reported. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

BURDEN ESTIMATE STATEMENT: Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response. You may send comments concerning the burden estimates or any aspect of this information collection to: Adam Gibson, Resource Management, Acadia National Park, Adam_W_Gibson@nps.gov (email)

The focus of this study is to better understand visitor perceptions regarding the night skies and lighting in the Cadillac Mountain area of Acadia National Park. These data will be used to inform park managers about the current visitor perceptions of the lighting and ability to view the night sky, and will be considered when making future management decisions about this area.

Your participation in the study is voluntary, and your answers will remain anonymous. Our results will be summarized so that the answers you provide cannot be associated with you or anyone in your group or household. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS1

1. Are you a first-time visitor to Acadia National Park?

   1. YES

   2. NO (Skip to Question #3)

TOPIC AREA 3: CVIS1

2. Over the past twelve months, how many visits have you made to Acadia National Park? _Number of Visits

Topic Area 5: NSKIES16 (Variation: Added a couple response items to gain more information about visitors’s experience/preferences regarding dark skies/lighting.)

3. Please indicate the degree to which you Agree or Disagree with the following statements. (Select one for each statement.)

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Do Not Know
Viewing the night sky (“stargazing”) is important to me.	1	2	3	4	5	6
I expected to see a “starry night” in this park.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Observing the night sky is an important part of my experience in Acadia National Park.	1	2	3	4	5	6
The night sky in this park is free of light pollution.	1	2	3	4	5	6
This park has a good reputation as a place to view the night sky.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Protection of natural nighttime conditions is important in preserving this park for future generations.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Preserving a natural night environment is as important as protecting other resources in this park.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Acadia National Park should modify its lighting at the Cadillac Mountain entrance (e.g. use less lighting, direct lighting downward) to better protect the natural night environment.	1	2	3	4	5	6

TOPIC AREA 5: NSKIES (New Question: This question is necessary in order to understand the lighting conditions the visitor experienced at the entrance station.)

4. As you entered the Cadillac Mountain area, what light color did you experience at the entrance station? (Select one.)

   White

   Amber

   Red

   No Light Present

   Do Not Know

   
   

   TOPIC AREA 5: NSKIES (New Question: This question is necessary in order to understand the lighting conditions the visitor would prefer.)

5. A. As you entered the Cadillac Mountain, what light color would you prefer to experience at the Entrance Station? (Select one, then respond to Part B.)

White

Amber

Red

No Light Present

Do Not Know

B. What are some reasons for the lighting preference you selected above (if you selected “Do Not Know” please skip to Question 6): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 6: PROGEVAL6 (Variation: Modified wording to focus on lighting condition.)

6. When thinking about the artificial light you experienced at the Cadillac Mountain Entrance Station, how did it influence your visitor experience? (Select one)

The light made my overall experience:

Much Worse

Somewhat Worse

About the Same

Somewhat Better

Much Better

Do Not Know

TOPIC AREA 5: HUNTFISH5 (Variation: Modified wording to apply to experiences with lighting conditions.)

7. For the artificial lighting you experienced at Cadillac Mountain Entrance Station, please indicate how True the following statements are as they relate to how that light influenced your experience. (Select one number for each item).

The lighting I experienced at the Cadillac Mountain Entrance…	Not at all True	Slightly True	Moder-ately True	Very True	Completely True	Do Not Know
…made it easy for me to see and receive the entrance station information.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it easy for me to see as I drove past/beyond the entrance.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it more difficult for me to locate my parking spot.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it easy for my eyes to transition from light to dark places.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it feel less safe.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it easier to navigate while doing activities in the dark.	1	2	3	4	5	6
… promotes more natural wildlife behaviors.	1	2	3	4	5	6
… provides benefits for wildlife and insects.	1	2	3	4	5	6
… reduces human impacts on wildlife.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it seem inappropriately bright.	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it seem inappropriately dark.	1	2	3	4	5	6
… made it difficult to find areas and points of interest (e.g. entrances to restaurants, restrooms, stores, etc.).	1	2	3	4	5	6
…made it easy for me to see in unlit areas (e.g. in the shadows).	1	2	3	4	5	6

TOPIC AREA 8: MGMTOPT3 (Variation: Reworded some response options to more closely align with study objectives.)

8. Please indicate the degree to which you oppose or support the following management actions designed to protect the quality of stargazing/viewing the sky at this park.

	Completely Oppose		Oppose		Neither Oppose or Support	Support	Completely Support		Do Not Know
Setting lights to the minimum necessary brightness.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Reducing the number of park lights.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Restricting the number of lights visitors can use at night.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Creating shields on lights that direct light only to intended areas.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Adjusting color of lights to be wildlife friendly.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Adjusting color of lights to preserve a dark night sky.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Installing sensors/timers that turn lights on only when needed	1	2		3		4	5	6

TOPIC AREA 5: NSKIES17

9. Is there anything you would like to see changed in the way Acadia National Park manages its activities, visitor activities, stargazing/viewing the night sky, lighting, or park resources at night/while it is dark outside?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 5: NSKIES17 (Variation: Expanded on the above to understand visitors preferenes regarding messaging/communication for the protection of dark skies.)

10. What kind of educational messages from the park or their partners would help visitors like yourself understand the importance of natural dark skies? (e.g., messages focused on how light can impact visitor experiences, human vision, or wildlife?)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

TOPIC AREA 6: STUDEVAL9 & Topic Area 8: MGMTOPT7 (Variation: This is similar to these two questions but has been modified to focus on visitor experiences with lighting conditions.)

11. Will your experiences in the park lead you to help protect dark skies when you get home?”

YES	NO (Please Proceed to Question 13)

TOPIC AREA 5: NSKIES (New Question: This question will allow understanding regarding how onsite visitor experiences with park lighting infrastructure potentially leads to environmentally friendly behaviors in everyday life, otherwise known as “spillover behaviors.”)

12) Given your experiences at Cadillac Mountain, how likely are you to do the following activities at your home within the next 6-months? (Please select one number for each item or check the box if you are not sure).

	Definitely Not (0% Chance)		Probably Not (25% Chance)		Possibly (50% Chance)	Probably (75% Chance)	Definitely (100%)		Do Not Know
Setting lights to the minimum necessary brightness.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Reducing the number of outdoor lights.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Spending money initially to change outdoor lighting with the goal of reducing future energy costs.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Creating shields on lights that direct light only to intended areas.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Adjusting colors of lights to be wildlife friendly.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Adjusting colors of lights to preserve a dark night sky.	1	2		3		4	5	6
Install sensors/timers that turn lights on only when needed	1	2		3		4	5	6

TOPIC AREA 7: ABV6 (Variation: Included lighting infrastructure specific items to improve understanding of attitudes toward potential management actions. Added “Do Not Know” option because park lighting and infrastructure may be new concepts for respondents.)

13) Please rate the level of your agreement with each of the following statements.

	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neither Agree or Disagree	Agree	Strongly Agree	Do Not Know
Lighting in parks should focus on human enjoyment, even if it means worse lighting conditions for natural nighttime environment.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Lighting conditions should not disturb night sky viewing, even if human preferences are not met.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Lighting conditions should not disturb wildlife, even if human preferences are not met.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Lighting conditions should make it safer for humans, even if it means impacts to wildlife.	1	2	3	4	5	6
The color of lighting best suited for wildlife life should be promoted in parks, even if it means the color is not preferred by visitors.	1	2	3	4	5	6
The color of lighting best suited for easy eye adaptation for humans should be promoted in parks, even if it means impacts to wildlife.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Lighting in parks should focus on compatibility with wildlife, even if it makes some people feel less safe.	1	2	3	4	5	6
Lighting in parks should focus on compatibility with wildlife, even if it makes some people feel less comfortable.	1	2	3	4	5	6
In parks, the primary lighting concern should be the safety and security of visitors.	1	2	3	4	5	6
In parks, the primary lighting concern should be the impacts to natural nighttime environment.	1	2	3	4	5	6

TOPIC AREA 1: AGE 1

14) In what year were you born? ________

TOPIC AREA 1: RES1

15) Are you a permanent resident or citizen of the United States? (Please respond “yes” or “no”)

NO - What is your country of origin? _______________________

YES - What is your primary zip code

Zip code ______________

TOPIC AREA 1: GROUP5

16) How many people were in your personal group today, including you?

____ Number of people

TOPIC AREA 1: LANG4

17) Which one language do you and members of your personal group primarily use to communicate with each other? (Select one.)

¨ English

¨ Other (please specify) _____________________________

TOPIC AREA 1: EDUC1

18) What is the highest level of formal education you have completed? (Select one.)

¨ Some high school

¨ High school graduate or GED

¨ Some college, business or trade school

¨ College, business or trade school graduate

¨ Some graduate school

¨ Master’s degree

¨ Doctoral or professional degree

TOPIC AREA 8: MGMTOPT6

19) Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your visit to Cadillac Mountain? _____________________________________________________________________________________