Volunteers

Eppley Institute User Study

Indy Greenways is searching for volunteers to help count trail users for a survey being conducted by the Eppley Institute of IU Bloomington and the IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

The study is being conducted September 23 through September 29. We are searching for volunteers who are willing to give four hours of their time to help.

The study is a survey effort in an attempt to discover how trails are being used; the impacts of trail development and issues of concern related to trail use and management throughout the State of Indiana. The results of this survey are intended to help trail managers and planners, as well as state and local officials, in better serving trail users and planning future trail developments.

There are four areas of the Monon Rail-Trail where the surveys will be distributed: 86th, 75th, 62nd, and 54th Streets. The shifts that volunteers are needed are 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The volunteers will work with two survey types; an intercept survey and a follow-up mail survey. The volunteer will approach every third adult and administer the intercept survey. Survey time is approximately four minutes. After the trail user has completed the intercept survey, a follow-up mail survey is given to the trail user to take home, fill out, and mail in.

Other trails being studied include the Pennsy Trail in Greenfield, the Cardinal Greenway in Muncie, the Maple City Trail in Goshen, the Prairie Duneland Trail in Portage, and the Rivergreenway in Fort Wayne. The study focuses on trails in operation that have trail neighbors. Results will be presented at the 2001 Indiana Trails and Greenways Conference in Indianapolis in February.

Volunteers interested in this project can contact Jonathan Gick of the Greenways Foundation at (317) 710-0739.

Volunteers