Silver City, NM, Sept. 16, 2025—Beginning October 1, the public may encounter contract employees conducting public surveys on the Gila and Cibola national forests in developed and dispersed recreation sites and along forest service roads. Surveys will be conducted through September 30, 2026.
The National Visitor Use Monitoring survey is a Forest Service program designed to estimate how many people actually recreate on national forests and grasslands, what activities they engage in while there, and how satisfied people were with their visit. These surveys are conducted on a national forest every five years.
Contract employees will be out in all types of weather conditions, wearing bright orange vests and be near a sign that reads "Traffic Survey Ahead".
Surveys are voluntary and all responses are confidential; names are not included, and interviews last about 10 minutes.
Questions asked include where you recreated on the forest; how many people traveled with you; how long you were on the forest; what other recreation sites you visited while on the forest, and how satisfied you are with the facilities and services provided. About a third of survey participants will be asked to complete a confidential survey on recreation spending during their trip to measure the economic impact to local communities.
Information about the National Visitor Use Monitoring program can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/nvum.
