Visitation Survey for The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, Mississippi

In Fall 2012 a need was determined to survey residents of Mississippi and Louisiana regarding visitation of The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, MS. Frequently residents of both states, and particularly in Pearl River County and the City of Picayune, respond that they have never heard of The Crosby Arboretum, have never been and/or have no idea what an Arboretum is. To better gauge how to reach the public and what the public perceptions are in order to make positive changes, particularly within the local Gulf Coast community, a survey instrument was designed to reach an audience with a brief online survey.  Because of the Arboretum’s close proximity to the state of Louisiana (about fifteen minutes) and New Orleans communities, Louisiana and Mississippi were both included in the target audience. The objective was to determine possible causes for reasons affecting visitation to The Crosby Arboretum by residents in Pearl River County, MS and nearby. Survey questions, directed at those 18 years of age and older from either state, included: 1) I have visited The Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, MS (select one); 2) I am currently classified as a (select all that apply); 3) my main reasons for visiting The Crosby Arboretum are (select all that apply); 4) the following are the reasons I do NOT visit more often or have never visited The Crosby Arboretum (select all that apply); and  5) I was already aware of the following information about The Crosby Arboretum before this survey (select all that apply). Methods used to reach a diverse target population included the Arboretum website, social media, email listservs, the local newspaper and radio station. To increase participation, a randomly selected winner from qualified entries of submitted email addresses was chosen to receive a 2014 Crosby Arboretum Family Membership. Challenges included lack of funding to subscribe to an online survey service level that would offer unlimited survey responses. Results will be used to improve the Arboretum message, image, accessibility, interaction with the local community, and to increase visitor attendance.  In addition to helping the Arboretum staff gauge the best ways to reach the public, the results will help improve outreach since the Arboretum is owned and operated by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

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