The Mississippi River:

A Significant Recreation Resource for Illinois

by Dwight R. McCurdy and John H. Burde

Impressions of the Mississippi River usually include images of Mark Twain, towboats, and muddy water. Indeed, the river has been a highway of commerce for over a century, but it is much more than that. The Mississippi is a significant recreation resource, capable of providing innumerable water-based recreation opportunities to residents of adjoining states.

The extent of the use of the Mississippi River for recreation has never been documented nor have the user groups been described. In order to acquire such information the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has commissioned a series of studies to examine recreation demand and supply segmentally from Minneapolis-St. Paul southward. Recently completed was the Great III segment, the area of greatest concern to Illinois. This 301-mile segment includes the flood plain and bluffs (up to 1 mile in width) from Lock and Dam 22 at Saverton, Missouri south to Cairo, Illinois (Southern Segment).

To obtain the needed information, 2928 groups visiting the access areas adjacent to the Mississippi River were interviewed during 1981. The interviews were conducted during four-hour sampling periods at sites, times, and dates randomly selected from the existing 88 areas identified along the Mississippi between Saverton and Cairo. The discussions that follow are based on an analysis of the 2,929 interview schedules (Table 1).

Table 1 Survey Data
River Segment	Number of Access Points	Number of Groups Interviewed
Pool 24 Saverton to Clarksville, MO	12	490
Pool 25 Clarksville, MO to Batchtown, IL	18	659
Pool 26 Batchtown to Alton, IL	37	1,259
Southern Alton to Cairo, IL	21	520
TOTALS	88	2,928

The characteristics of users of the river between Saverton and Cairo were obtained from the survey.

A timeless way to spend a peaceful day along the Mississippi.

Following are descriptions of some of the parameters measured (Table 2).

Group Size

Recreation parties visiting the river were not generally large. More than three-fourths contained two to five individuals. These data suggest primary use is by families or groups of friends. Group size was consistent in all subsegments as well.

Visits per Year

Most of the groups interviewed have used the river before and have used it frequently. Over three-fourths

Dr. McCurdy received his B.S. and M.S. in Forestry from Purdue University and Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from Ohio State University. Since 1965 he has taught and conducted research in Outdoor Recreation at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. In addition, he has placed more than 50 articles in professional journals.

Dr. John Burde is assistant professor in Forestry at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale having received a B.S. in Forestry and an M.S. in Forest Recreation from Michigan State University and the Ph.D. in Resource Economics from the University of Arizona. He currently teaches courses in outdoor recreation management, resource policy, and wilderness management. Dr. Burde also served as an outdoor recreation planner with the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 10 July/August 1983

of those surveyed stated they visit the river more than six times per year.

Length of Stay

Use of the Mississippi is primarily day use. Less than 20 percent of the users remained overnight. Nearly half remained only four hours or less. Distance Traveled Users are primarily local. More than one-half of the visitors came from within 25 miles of the access point where they were interviewed. Another one-fourth live within 50 miles.

Recreation Activities

Boating was the most popular recreational activity, followed by relaxing and fishing. The most popular watercraft used were runabouts, fishing boats and cabin cruisers. Fishing was equally divided between bank and boat fishing. Nearly one-fourth of the groups picnicked. However, only 6 percent of the groups said they had or were going to camp in an organized area. Finally, 5 percent of the groups either own or used a cottage on the River.

Conclusions

The Mississippi River is used primarily by residents living near the river. These local residents make frequent, short day trips to the river for boating, fishing, and picnicking. Therefore, the groups basically require access to the river via boat ramps, parking lots, sanitary facilities and picnic areas. Additional facilities such as camping areas and marinas are demanded by special interest groups and are generally best provided by private concessionaires.

This initial look at the Mississippi River recreationist will help managers and planners of the agencies involved in the management of the Mississippi to provide facilities and access to meet the needs of future recreation users.

Table 2 Survey Data
River Segment
	Pool 24	Pool 25	Pool 26	Southern	Total
Size of Group:	........ Percent of Groups. ........
One Person	23	17	15	16	17
Two-Five People	72	77	79	77	77
Six or more People	5	6	6	7	6
Number of Visits:
First
Yes	6	5	7	9	7
No	94	95	93	91	93
Less than Six per year	25	19	26	44	24
Greater than Six per year	75	81	74	56	76
Length of Stay:
Less than 4 Hours	52	41	41	65	47
Less than 1 Day	33	37	41	28	36
More than 1 Day	15	22	18	7	17
Distance Traveled:
1-25	60	41	59	58	55
26-50	11	33	33	20	27
51-100	22	23	5	9	12
100 +	7	3	3	13	6
Activity:
Boating	34	46	65	29	49
Canoe	(<1)	(<1)	(<1)	(<1)	(<1)
Fish Boat	(6)	(22)	(8)	(7)	(11)
Sail	(<1)	(<1)	(2)	(1)	(1)
Runabout	(14)	(18)	(32)	(12)	(23)
Pontoon	(2)	(1)	(<1)	(1)	(1)
Cabin Cruiser	(6)	(2)	(13)	(3)	(9)
Houseboat	(3)	(1)	(6)	(2)	(3)
Other	(1)	(1)	(3)	(2)	(2)
Fishing	34	49	30	21	33
Bank	(19)	(23)	(12)	(9)	(15)
Boat	(14)	(24)	(16)	(11)	(17)
Set Line	(<1)	(2)	(1)	(1)	(1)
Loafing	41	44	(37)	32	38
Picknicking	15	19	(26)	20	22
Camping	4	6	(6)	7	6
Cottage	2	10	(4)	1	5

Illinois Parks and Recreation 11

July/August 1982