User Preferences for TVA Recreation Areas on Watts Bar and Chickamauga Reservoirs

An onsite personal interview was used to examine the responses of "day-users," "formal" campers and "informal" campers concerning management actions at TVA's Watts Bar and Chickamauga Reservoirs. Specifically investigated were the preferences of the three user types towards the new intensified management program implemented at Watts Bar Reservoir. The questionnaire contained user background information and 57 variables classified into six general categories which included: activity preferences, present management operations, management actions being implemented, items influencing area use and additional fee items. The results indicated lower than expected support by "day-users" and "formal" campers for the newly implemented intensified management program, while "informal" campers showed greater support than was expected for the same program. Other findings showed that "informal" campers were consistently lower in their ratings for five of the six general categories, and that "day-users" and "formal" campers' ratings were very similar and exhibited a more favorable response towards the six general categories than "informal" campers. Conclusions suggest incorporation of the existing and new management programs into one combined management program and expressed the need for using a water oriented user classification system along with other suggestions for management and further studies.