What makes a place special? Interpretation of written survey responses in natural resource planning

Abstract

In an open-ended, written survey, I asked residents and visitors of the Black River area in northern Michigan to identify and describe places that were special to them. I conducted a thematic interpretation of the responses, using a set of indexing and cross-referencing marcos that I wrote in Word Perfect 5.1. The themes that emerged included the natural beauty ofthe area, its quiet and uncrowded character, the history of the harbor and fishing community, and the high quality of recreation facilities. The Ottawa National Forest used this information in developing a plan for future management of the Black River area.

Citation

Schroeder, Herbert W. 2000. What makes a place special? Interpretation of written survey responses in natural resource planning. In: Bengston, David N., ed. Application of computer-aided text analysis in natural resources. General Technical Reports NC-211. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station: 7-11