The PSL

The Park Studies Lab, of the University of Vermont, was commissioned by the National Park Service (NPS) to work within the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park to determine a better management policy. Since Skagway (the town nearest to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park) is a major port for cruise ships, it is a highly trafficked National Park. As a research team, we are trying to establish a better management plan to enhance the visitor experience in Klondike, while minimizing the natural destruction of the area. I am the "field technician" working under the "principle investigator," Prof. Bob Manning and am thus responsible for carrying out the actual ground work of this study. We are using a multi-media survey to establish indicators and standards of quality within the park, which can be used as benchmarks for how the park is managed. Ultimately, we hope to learn the crowding threshold at which the visitor's experience is negatively impacted. In other words, when does seeing too many other people ruin an individual's trip to the park. This is a two year study that will present its findings to the park and, while it will not create the management plan itself, will help guide the park to craft new management policies (for example, how many concessionaires/operators will be granted permits, how many tours can go out on a given day, how many individuals can be in each tour group, etc.).