Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. What are the major deadlines I need to be aware of?


• You can begin surveys in recreation areas as early as April 2006.
• The latest date to begin surveys in the FY06/07 survey cycle is March 2007.
• All data collected during the FY06/07 survey cycle must be entered NLT 30 June 2007.

2. Can I use my leftover supply of comment cards for this year’s survey?
No. OMB approval for the comment card used last year expired in March 2006. A new Visitor Comment Card has been approved by OMB for use through March 2009. The new card contains some changes, that while relatively modest, render the old card obsolete.

3. Where can I obtain a supply of the new comment card?
A commercial source for volume printing of comment cards will not be offered this year. Instead project offices should print a supply of comment cards from an office computer that has access to a LaserJet printer. Instructions are provided in the survey documentation section on Printing Instructions.

4. Why do we ask for demographic information about the person filling out the comment card?
Studies conducted by the Corps of Engineers and other federal recreation providers have shown that the demographic makeup of outdoor recreation visitors can greatly affect visitor expectations and perceptions about the recreation facilities and services they encounter. By knowing the demographic identify of survey respondents, we will be able to assess how well we are serving our changing population of visitors.

5. Why does the comment card ask Hispanics to identify themselves separately from other ethnic groups?
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the approving agency for CE visitor satisfaction surveys, regards ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic) and race (Asian, black, white, etc) as separate demographic attributes. In an effort to promote consistency within the Federal Government, OMB requires all U.S. Government agencies that collect demographic data from the public to ask for ethnic and racial identify in separate questions.

6. Where can I get assistance with comment card surveys?
For assistance with any aspect of the comment card surveys please contact Christine Wibowo (ERDC) at the Comment Card HelpDesk. She can be reached by E-mail at Christine.Wibowo@erdc.usace.army.mil or telephone at 601-634-4397.

Technical Questions - Survey Planning

7. Why did I get an error message saying “Macro’s in this workbook are disabled.....” when I opened the Survey Schedule Generator?
The Excel file uses macro’s that will not execute because your Excel macro security feature is set too high. Fix by opening the Tools toolbar at the top of the Excel program, then open Macro, and then Security. Inside the Security dialog box, reset the macro security level to “medium.” You will need to close and then reopen the Excel file for the new setting to take effect.

8. Why is my Project not listed in the Survey Schedule Generator?
Projects with no Corps-managed recreation areas are not found in the Survey Schedule Generator. These Projects should not conduct the comment card survey. Contact the HelpDesk if you believe that your Project has been omitted by mistake.

9. I got the message “Runtime error ‘13’” when I tried to execute Step 5 of the Survey Schedule Generator. How do I fix this problem?
The Microsoft Excel program you are using was originally installed without the optional “Analysis ToolPack.” This add-in contains the random number that is needed to produce the survey schedule. Install this add-in, then try again.

10. I still cannot get the Survey Schedule Generator to run. What now?
ERDC will generate your survey schedule for you. Follow the instructions given on the “Intro” worksheet of the Survey Schedule Generator and E-mail the requested information to the POC listed there. ERDC will generate your survey schedule and return it to you by E-mail. Please contact the ERDC Help Desk, Christine.Wibowo@erdc.usace.army.mil for questions pertaining to this.

11. Is it possible to ensure that I don’t have to survey at the low-visitation access point located several hours drive from the Project Office?
Yes. When you run the Survey Schedule Generator, you will have the opportunity to omit from the survey any recreation area that contributes little to overall project visitation or would be administratively difficult to survey. You can omit a recreation area from the survey by replacing the default annual visitation for that area with a value of “0” (i.e., zero). That area will then be ignored when generating the survey schedule.

12. Can I substitute one area for another in my survey schedule?
No. Recreation areas should appear in the sample approximately in proportion to their contribution to project visitation. This will help ensure that survey results accurately reflect visitor perceptions across the entire project rather than just those areas of special interest to project management. Substitutions intended to better address local project concerns regarding particular areas may produce results that are not representative of overall project visitation. Therefore substitutions should not be made.