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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPA2911Document No.2911 ::;;F/lfS Gb/('Jj SUSITNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT GUIDE SURVEY REPORT Report by Harza-Ebasco Susitna Joint Venture Prepared for Alaska Power Authority TK \4~5 .S)" A73 no-29 't TK 1*• •••Aat! ~."11 .ARLIS .Alaska Resources LIbrary &Infom"ah SALJon eTVlces Anchorage,Alaska Final Report June 1985 r-'.- .\...i ~'-I;r;::>:l. OO&OO~&=§@£®©@ SUSITNA JOINT VENTURE 711 H STREET ANCHORAGE,ALASKA 99501.TEL (907)272 5585 June 27 t 1985 1.8.2/4.5.2.6 Mr.JamesS.Dischinger P-roJect Manager Alaska Power Authority 334 West 5th Avenue Anchoraget Alaska 99501 ~ONFt"F)I~'"-.-.".....-~r't WOFlK PFlOO~::;i 1 <::.~ATJON elF LITIGATION;RE.:S fiLe i ~&J e~STRJ8UTION-''''-$-- Subject:Susitna Hydroelectric Project Guide Survey Report r ""'",r 'L .- Dear Mr.Dischinler: We have enclosed a draft final version of the subject report for your review and approval.This report will becaBe a chapter in the Special Population Report to be completed in "86.If you have any questions t please contact Dr.James Thrall of our staff. Very truly yours t ~~~A w.!.Larson Project Director tIlb Ene:as noted cc vI Ene:: w/o Enc:~..... P.Ber.anu,BE J.Thra 11,R! 426771/6 f \ r 1~ I." TABLE or COIfTlHTS 1.0 IBT.lODOCTIOB 2.0 APPllOACB AlID KlTBODOLOGt 2.1 DELINEATION OF THE RESOURCE USE AREA 2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF LICENSED BIG GAME GUIDES IN THE RESOURCE USE AREA 2e3 DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE AND SURVEY TYPE 2.4 DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE 2.5 INTERVIEWS WITH GUIDES 2.6 ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AND REPORT PREPARATION 3.0 DESCKIPTIOIf OV RESOLTS . 3.1 HISTORY OF ~IG GAME GUIDE OWNERSHIP 3.2 .FACILITIES AND SERVICES 3.3 EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME 3.4 ACTIVITIES 3.5 CLIENTELE 3.6 SUMMARY 1 2 2 5 5 6 7 .8 9 9 9 11 13 18 22 ,~ t ...-o N '¢ '¢ ooo LO LO I" ('t) ('t) URURas APPUDU A 424223 850621 SAMPLE GUIDE QUESTIONNAIRE i LIST or TABLES All])FIGUUS Title Page Number of Guide Businesses Using Each Subunit by Activity Guide Businesses Using Each Subunit Clientele by Activities Percent of Clientele by Residency and Activity .p, Figure 2-1 t"Figure 2-2..... ~Table 3-1\ ~Table 3-2 ~I Table 3-3 Table 3-4r.c.Table 3-5 !~ 1- !L 424223 850621 Susitna Hydroelectric Project,Resource Use Area 3 SusitnaHydroelectric Project,Subunits of Resource Use Area 4 Guide Business Activities in the Resource Use Area 14 16 17 20 21 --....... ii fi.•;,t'.. ; r ['....--...., : 1.0 Itrrl.ODUCTIO. Guides for hunting,fishing,and nonconsumptive recreational activities represent a special population/occupation group that may be affected,along with their clients,by the proposed Susitna Hydroelectric Project.This study,aimed at gathering information about guides who rely on the area in the vicinity of the proposed dams and access routes,their operations,and their clients,has three objectives.The first objective is to develop an inventory and profile of guides who rely on the study's resource use area. The second objective is to determine the economic importance of the guide operations to owners and guides.This provides a baseline for the numbers and character of the operations that lDight be affected by the Susitna Project.The final objective is to obtain information from the guides about hunting,fishing,and other recreation activities in the resource use area to supplement and corroborate terrestrial,aquatic,and recreation data for the area.To accomplish these Objectives,licensed big game guides who had active businesses within or intersecting the resource use area were contacted and interviewed face-to-face during a 20-day period in October 1984. -.... 424223 850621 1 1~ tf..;-."l,j , ¥ :'~ I' L· 2.0 APPROACH Al1D lmTRODOLOGY The study approach to surveying guides included a number of steps.These steps,outlined here and described in detail below,are: 1.Delineation of the resource use area 2.Identification of all licensed big game guides in the resource use area 3.Determination of a sample size and survey type 4.Development of the questionnaire 5.Interviews with guides 6.Analysis of results and report preparation 2.1 DELINEATION OF THE RESOURCE USE AREA The boundaries of the resource use area for the guide survey were drawn according to natural and man-made features and frOlll information pertaining to animal habitats,migratory routes,and fisb and game harvests provided by Harza-Ebasco r s terrestrial and aquatic study groups.As shown.in Figure 2-1,the Denali Highway frOlll Cantwell to the Susitna RiverfortDs the northern boundary.The eastern boundary is formed by the Susitna River turning northward to intersect the Denali Highway while the western and southern boundaries are formed by the Parks Highway and the Talkeetna Mountains,respectively.The Susitna River from the Cook Inlet to Gold Creek is also included because of an additional interest in guided activities aloug this portion of the river downstream of the proposed dams. Once boundaries were determined,the area was divided into 15 smaller subunits along topographic features and according to known concentrations of game and typical hunting patterns (see Figure 2-2).The purpose of subdividing the resource area was to identify the regions most frequently visited by guides and their clients without asking guides to identify the exact locations of favorite hunting and fishing sites. 424223 850621 2 SUSITNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT RESOURCE USE AREA GUIDE SURVEY 14e'W .-..--................. :'.'-- '148'w .--....-----_-....-.. l~O'W ,_..~.._.,,...... z 0",r----------------'"""'----~~"?---, CD z••co z•N CD p. f p.,. /'~. I r [,:,: f;'~ ", I .\ r- t, \k' r~.1; r;':; I...\: {~,LEG-SND [,:<:::·>1 RESOURCE USE AREA O~~~~~4~Oiiiiiiiiiiii~80MILESSCALE1=!I 3 FIGURE 2-1 (-.,0- l' " ) ))'j 1\l .l -"l SUS!TNA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT SUBUNITS OF RESOURCE USE AREA ~) >-).I •, 14fi'W o .0 SCALE [F 8;MILES 148'W "I,-ANCHORAGE ......... ..iD.······..............•.....~ ••••••••J ...........I'...... •.." z•"., CD z •N CD - -Ollallt,IIT anll.,n ..nv z•.... ~52'W ~ ITJ RESOUllCE USE AREA.NUMBER DENOTES SUBUNIT ,f>. '-lr"lhr "'l If) r~ ~ 2.2 IDENTIFICATION OF LICENSED BIG GAME GUIDES IN THE RESOURCE USE AREA The 1984 Guide Register produced by the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development,Division of Occupational Licensing provided names and addresses of licensed big game guides in the state.Included in the register were the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)game management units (eMU)where the guides had hunting privileges.The middle Susitna River Basin portion of the resource use area was located totally within GMU 13.The Susitna River from Talkeetna to Cook Inlet formed the border of GMUs 14 and 16. A lIl&p of all guide areas in GMU 13 and along the Talkeetna to Cook Inlet stretch of the Susitna River was compared to a topographic map showing the resource use area.Twenty guides were found to have guiding privileges within or intersecting the resource use area. 2.3 DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE AND SURVEY TYPE All 20 licensed guides were contacted by telephone or in person to verify how lIl&ny actually operated guide businesses in the resource use area. Screening questions were used to determine whether a full interview was warranted since the focus of the study was on 1)guide businesses that derived economic benefits from customers or services that used the resource use area,and 2)guides who could describe project area activities pursued by their clients in the area.It was f.ound that only 12 guide businesses regularly operated in the resource use area.However,the 12 businesses involved IS guides because some worked as partners. -..-. A face-to-face interview approach was chosen because of the detailed nature of the information required to meet the objectives of the study.This technique was feasible because the total number of guides and guide businesses was small. 424223 850621 5 2.4 DEVELOPMENT OF !BE QUESTIONNAIRE A questionnaire (see Appendix A)was prepared to serve as a guide to the interviewer.Representatives of the Susitna Project's terrestrial,aquatic, recreation,aud socioeconomic subtasks determined that questions related to the following topics would address the data needs of this survey: f 1. 2. 3. 4. Demographic characteristics of guides. Description of guide business operations and activities. Numbers and characteristics of clients. Clients activities in the resource area. Specific questions were considered for each topic and internal review ensured that the collected data would be appropriate for future analysis. The questions were grouped into two categories:1)auide business and operations (including history and ownership information),and 2)clients and their activities in the resources use area.The draft questionnaire was also reviewed by representatives of ADF&G to ensure that this effort would not duplicate on-going survey research of professional hunting guides in southcentral Alaska. To aid guides in identifying ~esource use by their clients,they were shown a USGS topographic map of the Susitna River Basin.The map outlined the resource use area (see Figure 2-1)and divided it into smaller subunits along topographic features (see Figure 2-2).The number and location of the subunits were based on knowledge of big game movements,present use patterns,and the location of proposed project facilities.The subdivisions were made so tb"l't answers "to recreational activity/resource use questions could be linked to an area rather than an exact place or feature.This allowed guides to protect the exact location of their hunting or fishing "activities while still providing useful information for the study. 424223 850621 6 .",""'.~"""----'----------------~-----"'i''F''''''''''-'-----------''-'---........-------- ,..-1.'W- ! <' f. ?~ r~ V~ t i-- rr= I' " 2.5 INTERVIEWS WI11l GUIDES Interviews were conducted by a single interviewer over a 20-day period,from October 12 to 31,1984.Contacts were made by telephone and/or in person to the guides'residences as recorded in the 1984 Guide Register.Whenever possible,guides were contacted by telephone prior to being visited.At the end of the three-week study period,guides who had not been contacted were sent postcards that explained the reason for the study and requested them to call collect to establish a time for an interview. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted using the questionnaire as an interview guide and a USGS 1:250,000 topographic map of the resource use area (with smaller subunits marked)for reference.After an introduction, guides were asked if they objected to having the interview taped in addition to having responses recorded on the questionnaires.The questionnaire and tape (when used)we~e ;eviewed after each interview to ensure accurate documentation of information. An acetate overlay (corresponding to the USGS topographic map of the resource use-area)of hunting areas assigned to guides was also used by the interviewer.The map and overlay helped the interviewer become familiar with each guide's area prior to conducting the interview and showed the relationship of the guide areas to the resource use area and subunits.This overlay was not used during interviews. A summarization of the contacts with guides follows: l o o o 424223 850621 Twel?e-Of the 20 guides were interviewed face-co-face. One guide was interviewed over the telephone. '!'wo questionnaires were completed by partners of Cwo guides who were not available for interviews. 7 ~ { o One guide was living outside Alaska (during the guides'off-season from October to April)and his address was unknown. o .One guide was retired. o o Three guides,who were not successfully contacted.were sent follow-up postcards.No responses were received. Since 3 of the 15 guides who were int"erviewed were partners in businesses shared with other guides ,the total number of guide businesses for which information was obtained was 12e t ~ f [f""-- i~ Each full interview took frou one to two bours to couplete depending on the extent of the information guides could provide about their clients. 2.6 ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AND REPORT PREPARATION The results of the interviews with 15 guides operating 12 guide businesses were coupiled and coupared.The analysis focused on the identification of qualitative similarities and differences among responses.The Description of Results chapter of tbis report presents ranges of responses where there was extensive variation among responses and tallies where similar responses could be grouped together.Unusual or isolated responses highlight the differences in the character of the guide businesses included in the study. The results provide baseline information about guide businesses that could potentially be affected by the Susitna Hydroelectric Project.Conclusions about the eXMU to which these businesses could be affected are not included here.Such information will be contained in a forthcoming report on special populations. 424223 850621 8 rt- ~fi 3.0 DISCaIPTIOB OF RESULTS 3.1 HISTORY OF BIG GAME GUIDE OWNERSHIP Seven of the 12 guide businesses were operated by the original owners, although one had become a partnership.Of these seven,five owners started their guide businesses prior to 1970.The remaining 5 of the 12 guide businesses had been previously owned.The original owners of these five businesses had also started operating prior to 1970;the earliest began in 1938.Two of the five businesses that had previous owners were purchased by their cur't'ent owners in the 1970s,and two passed from father to son in the 1970s.In addition,one guide business was being transferred from father to son at the time of the interview,and another was in the process of being sold.None of the businesses had changed han~s more than once •. Nine of the 12 businesses were each owned by a single guide.One of these employed another guide during the hunting season.Three of the 12 businesses were owned jointly;1 with another guide,1 with a former guide, and 1 was owned by a group of 6 people,which inc luded foreign investors.lI The one Alaskan owner in the group of six was the sale operator of the business and he hired another guide part-time. 3.2 FACILITIES AND SERVICES The facilities used by guides did not vary significantly among.the 12 businesses.All of the businesses used lodges,spike camps (temporary camps/tents),and/or cabins,and all of the operations provided meals for -....... j}Since the focus of this study was on guide businesses (as opposed to information about individual guides),the remainder of this discussion refers to guide businesses. 424223 850621 ----,-----------""I 9 9 r'" (-t r.::. l l rp" f , \. r-.,"~);t r r.'"'.•·,.'~t'~, r~ 1: r'~~ /' I, '-; their clients.Nine of the 12 owners had at least partial ownership in a lodge;5 were so le owners of lodges,and 1 guide operated and owned 2' lodges.One of the sole owners was in the process of selling his lodge,but he planned to continue using the facil ity in his guide operat ion,and one was affiliated with a lodge where he was not an owner.Only two of the operations did not provide lodge facilities for their clients.Both used spike camps and cabins in lieu of a lodge. The number of spike camps per guide service ranged from 1 to more than SO and the number of cabins used per guide service ranged from 0 to tllore than 8.All but two of the services used cabins.Some of the guides had joint usage of areas or permission to use another guide I s area,and often this included joint usage of cabina in the area. Lodges,cabins,and in one case,a spike camp,were used as base camps.lI The base camps were used seasonally (April to'October)by 7 of the 12 guiding operations.Five guides tl18intained their base camps year-round for clients,storage,and/or periodic personal use.Two of these guides also used their base camps as permanent residences,while others employed caretakers to oversee the facilities. Nine of the 12 guides owned their own air taxi operations.Six operated air taxis year-round as an additional source of income.One guide was affi liated wi th an air taxi service where he was not an owner.The ,remaining guides chartered airplanes.In addition,2 also used pack horses (50 to 60 animals each)to transport clients and supplies.The air taxi services owned by guides were operated with one to five airplanes each.All of the planes ~were PAl8 Superclubs and/or Cessna 185s. 1/Base camps were used as a starting and ending point for guided trips, for storage,and often for serving meals. 424223 850621 10 [:- I \ [i::.. Ii 1~ i: (.~ ,~,Ir Ten of the 12 guide businesses provided boats for their clientele,although 4 of these only had 1 boat each.The number of boats per service ranged from 0 to 15,averaging about 5.One guide claimed to use a 40 ft.boat, but most were from 10 to 15 ft.in length.Boats were used mainly for lake fishing,rafting,or sightseeing,and included canoes,lake boats,and rubber rafts.Four of the businesses provided river rafts for float trips and four supplied canoes.One business supplied river rafts whenever there were clients interested in a float trip.Additionally,one of the three guide businesses had an airboat,one had a kayak,and one had a riverboat. Three guide businesses provided all-terrain-vehicles (occasionally using four-wheelers or track vehicles)to clients. Guides were asked if their operations provided services such as taxidermy, skinning,field packing (transporting the kill from the field to the base camp),meat lockers,and/or shipping.All of the guides provided skinning and field packing as a regular service.None provided taxidermy,though over half felt that their clients made use of taxidermists within the state. According to the guides interviewed,clients often did not take the meat from their bunts.which may explain why there was little use made of meat lockers,packers,or processors in the resource use·area,and why only one guide provided shipping of meat,skins or trophies,and those th"at did not felt that the clients used sh~pper8 from southcentral Alaska. Guides were also asked if they knew of other,related services that clients used while they were in southcentral Alaska.Air and boat charter services (other than those provided by the guide service),as well as motels and car rentals,vere the additional services mentioned by the guides. 3.3 EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME .The number of guide business employees ranged from 0 to 6 full-time and from o to 14 part-time.The total number of people employed full-time in 1984 by 424223 850621 11 --i i rr r f~ ,.,...., ~:~t r all 12 guide businessess was 29,including the owner/operator of each service.On the average,2.4 people were employed full-time by each guide business.Two guiding operations had no full-time employees j the owner/operators did not cOQsider guiding to be a full-time occupation.One of these guides was the only employee in his guide bus iness.Two of the guide operators relied solely on full-time employees.hiring no part-time staff.The total number of people employed part-time in 1984 by all 12 guide businesses was 47;the average number of part-time employees per guide service was 3.9. Te·n of the 12 guides stated that at least 50 percent of their time was devoted to the businesses annually J and 6 of these said that the business took 100 percent of their time.The remaining 2 guides indicated that the business took 40 and 10 percent of their time,respectively. To ascertain what portiqn of the guidets total employment this business represented,guides were also asked what percentage of their total employment was from guid~ng.Six of 12 guides considered their businesses to be full-time operations J constituting their total employment,but not necessarily their total incomes.Five guides felt their businesses constituted 40 to 50 percent of their employment·and only 1 guide·felt that the business constituted only 10 percent of his/her total employment. According to the survey results,the amount of time a guide spent at the business was not always directly proportional to the percent of his/her total income from the business.Some guides spent le8s than one-half of their time in the guiding business annually,yet it comprised 85 percent of their income,~others·spent all of their time in the business,yet it was only 60 percent of their total income.Eight of the 12 guides also held other jobs in addition to guiding.Such additional sources of income came from construc.tion work;air taxis and fishing lodge operatioQs;work as meChanics;and,for one guide,work as a politician.Others relied on investments as a additional source of income. 424223 850621 12 {~ V ?_i On a yearly basis the 12 guides all worked as guides during the spring and fall hunting seasons.They took hunters out from April through October,and fishermen,sightseers,photographers,rock hounds,hikers,floaters,and trail riders out from May through September.During the off-season, bookkeeping,advertising,and lodge and cabin maintenance were noted as activities that all guides were engaged in to prepare for the following season. 3.4 ACTIVITIES Activities provided by the 12 guiding operations and species sought by.their clients varied aDlong businesses.Eleven businesses offered both hunting and fishing trips,and seven of these also offered sOlDe of the following activities:guided trail rides,float trips,mining trips,sightseeiong, bird watching,photography,and hiking trips.Species hunted included black bear,brown bear,caribou,moose,and sheep.Fished species included salmon,graying,lake trout,rainbow trout,whitefish,and Dolly Varden. One business offered only hunting excursions.Over one-half of the guide operations offered both single-species and multi-species hunts,but each guide business did not necessarily hunt all the species named above.One business specialized in sheep hunts and another offered only guided moose hunts or fishing trips.Six guide businesses offered sheep hunts,and seven offered caribou hunts.Over one-half of the guides said that while on guided trips,hunters often fished,but fishermen se Idom hunted.Guided hunts and fishing trips were taken from April through October.Other activities provided by the businesses were concentrated during the summer months,June througb Septeaber. --..-.., Guides were asked to identify places used for hunting,fishing or float trips.AU but 1 of the 12 guide businesses took clients to the resource use area,and .1 of these used only that area.The boundaries and subunits of the resource use area are shown in Figure 2-1.Percentage of use of the area,as shown in Table 3-1,varied among guide businesses and by activity. Guides used the resource use area mainly for hunting.The percent of each 424223 850621 13 !,...,;- \ ( Table 3-1 GUIDE BUSINESS ACTIVITES IN THE RESOURCE USE AREA~ Percent~/of Each Acivity Pursued in the Resource Area for Each Guide Business Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hunting 100 50 95 75 40 12 10 20 70 9 27 O' Fishing a 100 95 a 15 2 a a 70 2 27 a Floating 0 a 95 a 0 2 a a a a a a Other a a 100 0 a 2 0 0 70 0 a a -- - SouTce: Note:Y 424223 850621 Harza-Ebasco 1985.Compiled from Guide Survey Data. Each percentage shown is a portion of a business I possible 100 percent use.of the resource use area for that activity. 14 r rr f~ fr b (f'"" Iilfi rr-' t' r~ L rr' '_·"if business'clients taken into the resource area area for hunting ranged from 9 to 100 percent,averaging 46 percent.Seven of the 12 guide bus inesses took clients into the resource use area to fish.The percent of each business I clients who fished ranged from 2 to 100 percent,averaging 44 percent.Only three businesses took clients into the resource use area for float trips or other activities identified above. Table 3-2 shows where in the resource use area (by subunits)guide businesses took clients to hunt particular species,to fish,and to float. For hunting,subunit 12 was used by the most businesses (7)and subunit 7 wasn't used by any businesses.Subunit 11 was used by 6 businesses for fishing and ewo for floating.Hunting was broken down by species to include black bear,broW'll bear,-caribou,moose,and sheep.Again,subunit 12 was used by the most guide businesses hunting sheep,black bear,brown bear,·and caribou and was used by as many businesses hunting moose as were subunits 10 and 11.As shown in Table )-3,subunits 8,10,11,and 12 were used by.the greatest number of guide businesses:5 to 7 businesses used each area.In subunits 2,3,10,11,and 12,at least 4 species were hunted and the areas were also used for fiShing and/or for float trips.All of the subunits were used by at least one guide bus iness • Seven of the 12 services used the Susitna River.Of those 7,6 used it to land float planes and 2 used it for float trips in subunits,10 and 11.The main area used was frOlll Watana Creek to the gauging station near Tsusena Creek in subunit 11.Many of the guides used the.tributaries and the area around the Susitna River for both hunting (mainly bear,moose,and caribou), and fisbing but did not use the river itself.None of the guides using the Susitna River i~icated that they had encountered navigational problems. Guides were also asked if they were aware of any winter river use. Snowmobiling,trapping,cross-country skiing,and dog mushing were among the activities mentioned.One guide said that in the winter the Susitna River became a major transportation route from Sherman to Talkeetna,and another guide mentioned that ski planes used the river during winter months. 424223 850621 15 i i Table 3-2 NUMBER OF GUIDE BUSINESSES USING EACH SUBUNIT BY ACTIVITY r l,' rr !~ \.. j Study Area Subunit$!/ Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 HUNTING 2 2 3 2 1 1 0 5 1 5 5 7 4 1 1 (Breakdown of hunting (by species)~/ :-...._------.......--------------------------- Moose 2 1 2 2 0 1 0 4 1 5 5 5 4 1 ·1 Sheep 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 Black Bear 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 4 2 6 3 1 1 Brown Bear 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 3 5 7 2 0 0 .Caribou 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 5 0 0 0 -------------------------------------- FISKING 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 6 3 2 0 0 FLOATING 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 (..- " L_ Source:Harza-Ebasco 1985.COmpiled from Guide Survey Data. species in a of bus inesses can hunt more i' Note: !/ bl 424223 850621 Guide businesses which conduct hunting,fishing,and/or floating trips in different subunits cannot be totalled for each subunit because businesses may conduct more than one iA..15 subunits were drawn on acetate to overlay a USGS 1:250,000 topographic ID&p of the study area as shown in Figure 2-1. The number of guide businesses hunting all specific subunit does not total the number "HUNTING"in that subunit because a bus iness than one specie in a given subunit. 16 ________________1_ wv 4,_.,..,..--r-__------- Table 3-3 GUIDE BUSINESSES USING EACH SUBUNIT r~ I f~, r~ E Study Area Subunit&!/ Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Total Number of Guide Services 2 2 3 2 1 1 1 5 2 5 6 7 3 1 1 Usinl Each Area Total Number of Activi- tie~/4 6 5 4 4 4 1 3 2 6 7 6 4 2 2 Pursued in Each Area {r' L., (;;- l it Source: Note:!! bl 424223 850621 Harza-Ebasco 1985.Compiled fra-Guide Survey Data., The 15 subunits were drawn on acetate to overlay a USGS 1:250,000 topographic map of the study area as shown in Figure 2-1. Activities included fishinl,floating,and hunting.Hunting was broken down by species and included black bear,brown bear,caribou,moose,and sheep.The maximum number of activities possible in anyone area is seven. -......... 17 ,~,'_---_"'--'i""i"1",------------------------ '.,,: r...·'() ,1 r 3.5 CLIENTELE The total number of customers guided by 11 of the guide services during 1984 was 308'(l service was unable to provide information for 1984).The range was from 4 to 80 persons,with an average of 28 persons per guide service. Nine of the guide services also gave statistics on clientele for 1983.The number of clients taken out in 1983 by the 9 services totalled about 230 people,averaging 25.5 people per guide business. Eight of the 11 guide services felt that the number of clients they had in 1984 represented a typical number guided per year.Three of these typically guided over 50 clients per year.One of the 8,which regularly guided about 80 clients per year,was expecting a substantial increase in the number of clients because he was beginning a large advertising campaign.Three of ·the 11 guide services felt that the number of clients guided in 1984 was le88 than in .previol1s years.However,only one guide ci ted a reason for the decrease in the number of clients;that was,personal financial difficulties. Some guide services limited the number of clients due to the big game fee (head tax)charged by the Alslta Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)for harvests taken by the guide service that exceeded five of each species.No tax is imposed on the first five kills of each species (including.black bear,brown bear,caribou,moose,and sheep).The 6th through the 10th kill of each species cost $20 each;the 11th through 25th kill cost $190 each; and any animal over 25 of each species that is harvested cost $500 each. The length of ~ded trips -depended on the activity pursued.Hunting trips ranged from 5 to 20 days in length,averaging 11 days.FiShing trips ranged from 1 to 14 days in length,averaging 4.5 days.Trip length for other activities such as sightseeing,rock hounding,hiking,trail riding,or float trips also ranged from 1 to 14 days. 424223 850621 18 f r-.r ["..-.r. [ [ Guides were asked to categorize their clients as hunters,fishermen, floaters,photographers.,bird watchers,miners,or sightseers (see Table 3-4).The majority of clients were either hunters or fishermen.Seven of the businesses had over 60 percent hunters.One guide service relied solely on hunters.!he percent of clients per business taken on hunts ranged from 10 to 100 percent with an average of 56 percent.Three services relied on fishermen as their main clientele (greater than 80 percent).!he percent of fishermen per business ranged frOID 0 to 90 percent,averaging 36 percent. Other activities,such as float trips,photography excursions,bird watching,sightseeing,and mining attracted few clients,averaging only seven percent per business.None of the activities were mutually exclusive. For eXaJllple,quite often hunters and those on float trips or photography trip.also fished. Guides were asked to estimate the percent of their clientele that were Alaska residents'veriJus non-Alaska residents.The percent varied significantly among businesses (see Table 3-5).Non-residents made up the total clientele for 3 of 12 guide se~vices,and Alaska residents made up the main clientele for 2 guide services.Non-resident clients were from all over the United States.Foreigners included residents from Germany, Rolland,Austria,Mexico,Norway,Sveden,Finland,France,Italy,Canada, Brazil,Switzerland,Japan,Spaiu,and Iran. All 12 of the guide services kept records of their success rates or harvest. ,Most reported a 100 percent success rate at fishing,and an 80.to 100 percent success rate on huntiug excursions.One guide said that his success rate va.very low due to non-guided resident hunters,air taxi services,and all-terrain veh1elea using the area.Another guide complained about resident bunters usiug the area,and another was having difficulty booking hunts due to the Intertie transmission line construction,mining,and airplanes flying over the area.Neither of the latter two guides,however, mentioned a lower success rate due to the condieions they described. 424223 850621 19 -----_..~~ r~ tl Lr ri - Table 3-4 CLIENTELE BY ACTIVITIES Percent of Clientele of Each Guide Business Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hunters 100 70 70 15 40 10 35 20 10 95 80 60 Fishermen 0 10 30 25 15 90 40 80 90 1 20 30 Other Activi- ities!l 0 20 o!I 0 4S 0 25 oS.I 0 4 10 TOTAL 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Source:Harza-Ebasco 1985.Comp1iled from Guide Survey Data. Note:!!Data includes sightseers,floaters,photographers,bird watchers,miners,and rock bounds. ~Zero percent recorded here because the air taxi certification wa.t_porarU,.suspended. c l ;;,I Ze'!'G'-percent'recorded although respondent indicated that fishing trips sometimes included float trips. 424223 850621 20 'F"f r"-·· f~ \' t fF-, J'~ r fr' [ Table 3-5 PERCENT OF CLIENTELE BY RESIDENCY AND ACTIVITY Guide Non-Resident Business Alaska Resident Lower 48 Foreigner Total HUNTERS 1 1 99 a 100 2 10 60 30 100 3 5 90 5 100 4 80 20 a 100 5 2 a 98 100 6 a 97 3 100 7 10 9o!l a 100 8 a 90 10 100 9 100 a a 100 10 a 100 a 100 11 60 40 a 100 12 2 49 49 100 FISHEBMEN 1 a a a 0 2 70 15 15 100 3 50 45 5 100 4 80 20 a 100 5 45 a 55 100 6 a 97 3 100 7 60 40 a 100 8 a 98 2 100 9 a 90 10 100--10 a 10()!!a 100 11 100 0 a 100 12 2 49 49 100 Source: Note:!/ 424223 850621-------- Harza-Ebasco 1985.Compiled from Guide Survey Daya. Mainly Lower 48,but includes a small percentage of foreigners. 21 1'-t r StlMMARY Twelve guide businesses were surveyed.Most were owned by a single guide and were started prior to 1970.One was owned by a group of six people that included foreign investors.All of the businesses used lodges,cabins, and/or spike camps,and all provided meals for their cUentele.Many also owned air taxi services for transporting their clients,which they often operated year-round as an additional source of income.All of the operations provided skinning and field packing as a regular service.Many services also provided boats for their clientele and a few provided all- terrain vehicles or pack horses.Guide services were operated generally from April through October each year. Inl984,twenty-nine persons were employed full-time by the l2 guide services,and 47 were employed part-time.Six guides spent 100 percent.of their time operating their businesses while four others spent at least SO percent of their time operating their businesses.The remaining two guides spent less then SO percent of their time operating their businesses.Income from guiding businesses comprised from 10 to lOa percent of each guide I 8 total income.Most guides relied on their businesses for at least 85 percent of their total income and had other jobs providing additional income. Eleven of the 12 businesses offered both hunting and fishing trips and many also offered trail rides,float trips,mining,sightseeing,bird watching, or hiking trips.Over one-half of the services offered both single-and multi-species hunts.Species hunted included black bear,brown bear, caribou,moose,and sheep.Guides used the proposed project area mainly for hunting trips.Over one-half of the guides also used the proposed project area for fisbing.Subqnits 8,la,11,and l2 were used by the greatest .~..,.,.. number of guides and subunits 2,3,lO,11,and l2 were used for the greatest number of activities.Over one-half of the clientele hunted and most of the remaining fished.The average number of clients guided in 1984 was 28 perSOQsper guide service.Most guides stated that this number was typical of the number guided in other years.Some guides limited the number of clients due to a big game fee charged for harvests exceeding five of each species.The length of guided hunting trips averaged 11 days and fishing trips averaged 4.5 days.The majority of the services reported a lOa percent success rate on fishing trips and an 80 to lOa percent success rate on hunting trips. 424223 850621 22 ~~,I, I'~', [ ....., " URUJlClS Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development,Division of Occupational Licensing.1984.Guide Register.Anchorage,Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game.1984.Map of Alaska Game Management Units.Anchorage,Alaska.July 1. 424223 850621 23 Ff ~ .t r L ,r-- t. APPENDIX A Questionnaire /I: C01lDUDity: Interviewer: Dat.: SUSITNA BtDIOELECTlUC PROJEct GUIDE SURVEY !fa-:_ Acidra ••(Location 1£no addrass available) Telephone Number: Owuer's Nama: MaDager's NAma: First Contact Contact Made:Yes No COIIIID8nts: -..-. Se~oDcl Contact Contact Made:Yes No ea..-nta: ,' •.,~~~--,"-...>~._c".~.c....;'._··' ...-. ~~•._:.""~--~:"'-.'-- ,..,. r I I l ,'. ""'"rI I, [ \ [ [ 0'~ ! fJ l) .-[' r GUIDI SURVEY I.DISCKI~IOH or BUSIHISS AID OPERATIO.S 1.WIleD va.the bu.in••••tarted?_ By vb~t _ Sol.OVIIership'l _ Affiliated with lads.,air taxi,outfitter,other1 _ 3.Bow ....ny employe••are th.re workinl for the bu.ine••?_ Bow ....ny of th•••are full-ti.,••a.01Ial Part-time?-----..;------- 4.Whac p.rcentas.of the own.r/op.racor l •time i ••p.nt on th.bU.in•••in a year? What perc.nc of th.ova.r/operator l •total -.plo,..nc i.this bu.1n•••1 Whac p.rc.nc of the operatorls tocal income come.fre.this bu.in•••?" I.guidinl the total .ource of 1ncome?Ye.~No __ What och.r job.do..the auid.hav.?_ What type of guide s.rvic••(activiti••)do••th.bu.in.s.provid.?What monch.con.titut.the saiD ....oa.for the activitie./s.rvic••of the bu.- in•••? ff.....r I L-I' L ['" --" Activity/S.rvic•• .-...... Month. ,.... r" \, ·s.What facilities do..th.bu.in•••provid.? Lodge,Spike C~.Cabin._ M.ala Ba••C..-p.Oth.r (.p.cify)_ If th.re i.a ba••camp,wh.r.is it?(Locac.in area on sap) What DOnth.i.the ba••camp u••d?(5••chart n.zt pal.) For hunting and fishing,which .pecie.are sought in each area? What purpose/activities i.the ba••camp u••d for during those months? 7.~at transportatiou doe.the auide use to get to operating areas? __________other(specify) SJ)!cie. ___-.;Arv Purposes/activities Area. chartered aircraft---- ___horse. Activiti.. -Month. ___b,oat. --"':'P'ft"sou 11;-OWIled aircraft What kind?Capacity--------------------------- Doe.the guide hunt other spect••outside the study area1 _ Which speci..?---_ How 1II&11y plan••does the guide u••?_ Do ••air transportation operate in all .ea.on.1--------------------- Guide Survey Pa.e Z 6.What particular area.doe.the bu.ine••operate iu,by activity?De.illtate on map.(Activitie.already li.t.d fro.Que.tion 4) .-,...... ) ! \.'J ,.,... (- i . ~ r~ t r' L .r-e.. n F', \ r~! r-f I ,-.r \ 1l-._ ~ r ,,-.'l-·-. ILJ F' L .• r- l , L r·~i \ ..- ..... - If boats are u.ed,doe.the guide own the boats?Ye.NO'-------'------ How uny?What kinds?_ Capacitie.?_ Guide Survey Pal.3 Do••the picle ••rvice u••the SUlitna liver?Yes No _ For what purpo•••? r;:, ~'- Ft If huntiDI &fi.hinl, what specie.? Acce..point. C'.-tf"11Ii \..;t',; rr n, 8. 9. What ace•••point.are u ••d?Show on lIIAp. What route.are taken?Show on lIIAp. Ar.the.e u.ual route.1 Ye.~No _ What type.of boat.are u.ed1 ___ Do they encounter navil_tional problema?__ Where?_ WbeD,_ What Idnd.of winter river u...is the guide aware of?_ Durinl aDy particular 1IIODtha'l _ t ••t------------------- .lo.cacious'l _ I.the saide aware of other guid••oper_ciDI in the study area?Ye.No _ Where 1 _ De.ianate on lIIAp. What .peciea1 _ r\~ .l' Guide Su:rvey Pale 4 r-'II.CLIDTSI~ 1.Row caD the bUlln.II',c1ie~ts b.categorized according to the activity th.y purlue? Hu~ters ~of Total in this catesory Mo~ths les.of Alaska No~-aes. frOID where ~guided in Study area F1aherme~ rloaters Plllotographers Bird Watchers Sit••••rs 2.'What perceatage of clientl fall into the categoriel in 1 year?_ During what months do they pursue each activity? 3.By category,where do the cli~ts cc.e froa?(Alaska,Lover 48,International) rr L 4.How many clie~ts did the guide have lalt year?_ Is this a typical aumber?_ What is the average length of a guided tour?_ 5.What perce~t of clients are usually guided in the study area?__ How ma~y of thel.are hunters._ fi.herm.~:-------------------------------------- 6.Doee the guide keep record.of succe.sel,harvests?Yes'No----------------i- LL -....... floaterl,-__ Otber _ L __ What kind of hunting or fishing lucces.does this businels have? (Number by species) r- 1--, I Guide S'lrvey Page 5 j I- I'L f f~II; rr-l - ,- 1.WhAt rel:atecl .ervice.does the guide provide? ______.taxidenay __________--skinning,field packing __________shippinl ____________other <specify) WhAt rela~ed service.in the area do clients make use of? taxider1a1.~. _______..at lockers _________~pAckers,processors ___________~Ihipp.rs _____________other air transport service. _____________other boaC char~er. ____________other <specify) ........ F ,.