National Survey Of Fishing, Hunting And Wildlife-Associated Recreation Is Underway

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Montanans who enjoy fishing and wildlife-related recreation may receive a call this month asking them to be interviewed for the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, said Ron Aasheim, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park Conservation Education division administrator.The survey is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the request of state fish and wildlife agencies.Interviews will be primarily by telephone. "The survey provides us with valuable information on people’s recreational interests and participation," Aasheim said."It also provides us with the only comprehensive statistical data available related to participation and expenditures on hunting, fishing, bird watching, and other wildlife-related recreation." The survey is conducted every five years to update information about fish and wildlife-related recreation.It is paid for with funds from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration programs.Participation is voluntary and all responses are confidential.Data collected will be used for statistical purposes only.Participants cannot be identified from information released in the reports. Nationally some 80,000 households will be interviewed and representative samples selected to include 30,000 anglers and hunters and 15,000 wildlife watchers.Preliminary survey findings will be available the summer of 2002. For further information, contact the Division of Federal Aid’s survey staff: Sylvia Cabrera, Richard Aiken, or Genevieve Pullis on 703-358-2156.Updates will be posted on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s home page http://fa.r9.fws.gov/surveys/surveys.html