ABSTRACT
This chapter presents results of pilot studies addressing effects of visual air quality on visitor enjoyment of National Park Service areas conducted by the National Park Service and Environmental Protection Agency in conjunction with visibility perception studies in Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde National Parks in 1980. The studies were designed to test two methodologies for measuring the value park visitors place on good visibility. It is important to note that all slides used in the willingness to pay studies were a subset of those used in the visibility perception studies. The chapter aims to compare the willingness to pay (WTP) and allocation of the time methodologies. Correlations between various WTP bids are generally high, suggesting that the survey participants were very consistent in their use of the bidding scale. Questions concerning WTP for improving visual air quality were structured in such a way as to give participants specific choices for their bids.
