SILVER CITY, NM; Aug. 31, 2015 - For Immediate Release - Over the next year, many visitors will have the opportunity to let the Forest Service know how their recreational expectations are being fulfilled on Forest Service lands. This opportunity for input is the result of the 2016 National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) survey which will be underway on the Gila National Forest beginning in October 2015. The purpose of this survey is to provide an estimate of forest recreation visits, the activities engaged in while visiting the forest, visitation trends and the economic impact of recreation visits on local communities.

Forest Service employees will be wearing bright orange vests and standing near "Traffic Survey Ahead" signs. The basic interview takes about eight minutes. Every other visitor is asked a few additional questions which may take another five minutes. About a third of the visitors will be asked to complete a confidential survey on recreation spending during their trip.

This will be the third time since 2006 that the Gila National Forest has conducted the NVUM survey. The Gila National Forest will manage surveys at various sites beginning with the Aeroplane Mesa Trail #705 in the Gila Wilderness on the Reserve Ranger District Saturday, Oct. 3. All information given by the public for these surveys is confidential and participation is voluntary. However, visitors to the forest are highly encouraged to participate in the survey because the more the Forest Service can learn about forest visitors, the better forest managers can meet their recreational needs.

The National Visitor Use Monitoring survey on the Gila National Forest is part of an ongoing process for measuring visitor use across all Forest Service lands. All Forest Service lands have participated in the NVUM process once already and are now on a cycle of participation every five years. The information from this nation-wide study will be used by the U.S. Forest Service, Congress, and the General Accounting Office for a variety of issues including forest planning and budget allocation.

The Gila National Forest appreciates your participation in this survey. For more information about the National Visitor Use Monitoring process, or for recreational opportunities on U.S. Forest Service lands, please visit http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum or call the Gila National Forest at 575-388-8201.