The Economic Importance of Nature-Based Tourism in Ohio's Lake Erie Tourism Industry: The Case of Ottawa and Erie Counties
Project Number: R/ME-027-PD, Progress Report
Start Date: 4/1/2001
Completion Date: 2/28/2002
Revision Date: 3/7/2001
Classified Under: Coastal Recreation Businesses
| Principal Investigator(s) | 1. | Leroy J. Hushak, Agricultural Economics and Rural Sciences The Ohio State University* |
| This shows the current affiliation and may not match affiliation at time of participation. * | ||
Funding Record
| Source: Ohio Sea Grant College Program | |||
| Source Fund | State Match | Pass Through | |
| First Year | $ 5,439.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
| Total | $ 5,439.00 | $ 0.00 | $ 0.00 |
Objectives
to examine the role of nature-based recreation, birding and sport angling in particular, in the activities of recreational visitors to Ohio's Lake Erie area
to estimate the recreational expenditures of visitors and the portion that is attributable to birding and sport angling
to update visitor profiles generated from the 1991 survey to include nature-based activities and an update of other recreational visitor activities in the Ottawa and Erie county areas
to estimate the recreational expenditures of visitors and the portion that is attributable to birding and sport angling
to update visitor profiles generated from the 1991 survey to include nature-based activities and an update of other recreational visitor activities in the Ottawa and Erie county areas
Rationale
Nature-based visitor activities have changed substantially over the past 10 years. Birding, or bird watching, and other non-consumptive activities have become important components of the recreational activities of visitors to Ohio's Lake Erie area. On the other hand, sport angling, the core activity of many visitors during the past 25 years, has declined. It is important that visitor's bureaus and state and local policy makers understand these changes and why they have occurred in order to develop effective policies to maintain the attraction of the coastal area to recreational visitors.
Methodology
About 400 visitors will be contacted at nature-based sites such as Magee Marsh, Old Woman Creek, East Harbor State Park, and South Bass Island. These visitors will be asked to complete a mail questionnaire about their recreational visits and activities in the Lake Erie area. The respondent data will be compiled to determine how many are sport anglers or multi-purpose general visitors who visit these nature-based sites for birding and other non-consumptive activities as "casual" birders or nature-based visitors, and how many are birding "specialists", i.e., devote most or all of their recreational time to birding. A companion proposal funded by the Lake Erie Protection Fund will use the same questionnaire, but target about 800 visitors at coastal businesses frequented by visitors.
