Welcome to the Delta Protection Commission

Right Column

The Delta: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Recreation Survey —Chapter III. Results of Boating Survey

Introduction

This boating survey provides information on how a random sample of boat owners used the Delta for recreation in 1996. The data was compiled from questionnaires completed and returned by the boat owners. The questionnaire asked the respondents about many aspects of their use of the Delta for recreation including both boating-related activities, such as fishing and water skiing, as well as non-boating recreation activities, such as picnicking, camping, and sightseeing. They were also asked to provide information regarding: (1) the adequacy of the existing recreation facilities; (2) how their use of the Delta for recreation has changed over the last five years; and (3) the amount of money spent on their last trip to the Delta.

The results of the survey, as provided below, are divided into two sections: boating recreation and other (non-boating) recreation.

Boating Recreation

Respondents provided specific information on the vessels used for recreation, boating activities and when and where these activities occurred.

  1. Boats used in the Delta for recreation
    • Type of Boat. Powerboats were the most common type of recreation vessel used in the Delta. Over 69% of respondents who answered this question owned one or more powerboats (on average, each respondent owned 1.3 powerboats). Personal watercraft were the second most common vessel (15.1%), followed by sailboats (6.2%), paddle boats (5.6%), and houseboats (4.0%).
    • Length of Boat. Powerboats, the most common recreation vessel used in the Delta, averaged 19.3 feet in length. Most (53.1%) powerboats were between 16 feet and 20 feet in length. Houseboats were the longest vessel, averaging slightly over 40 feet. About 78% of the houseboats were at least 30 feet in length. The average sailboat, at 27.2 feet, was the next longest vessel type. Paddle craft and personal watercraft averaged 11.2 feet and 8.1 feet, respectively.
    • Pump-out toilets. Only 15% of powerboat owners reported having pump-out toilets on their vessels. However, 86.6% of the houseboats had pump-out toilets. About two-thirds of sailboats (68.1%) had this type of toilet. Personal watercraft and paddle boats, because of their size, were excluded.
  2. Activities, group size, and participation days

    Respondents were asked if they participated in specific boating-related activities, how many people in their group typically participated in these activities, and how many days they participated in each activity in 1996.

    Fishing from a boat was the most popular boating related activity. A total of 77% of the respondents who answered the question participated in this activity. The average size of a group for this activity was 2.8 people. The typical group participated in this activity for a total of 14.5 days, annually. Cruising was the second most popular activity with 76% of respondents participating. The average group size for cruising was four people.

    Boaters who water-skied and went swimming from their boats had the largest average group size (4.3 people), while those who hunted from a boat had the smallest average group size (2.5 people).

    The average number of days all respondents spent using their boats ranged from ten days to 14.5 days, annually. Respondents who fished from a boat, slept overnight on a boat, or sailed a boat, spent the most time on their vessels, exceeding 14 days of activity annually. Hunters spent the fewest days in a boat, averaging only ten days per year.

    In terms of total annual participation days, cruising was the most common boating activity. This activity accounted for 8.1 million participation days. This number was calculated by multiplying the number of boaters using the Delta (197,000) by the percentage of boaters who indicated they participated in cruising (76%), by the average number of people per group (4), by the average number of days boaters participated in this activity in a year (13.6). Swimming from a boat, and fishing from a boat, ranked second and third, respectively. Hunting from a boat ranked last.

  3. Times when boating activities occurred

    Boaters were asked which months of the year, days of the week, and times of the day they boated.

    • Days of the week. The Delta receives about half of its recreation use on weekends and half during weekdays (51% vs. 49%). Saturday was the more popular (27.5%), while Thursday was the least popular (8%). Friday was the most popular weekday (14.5%).
    • Time of the day. The Delta received most of its boating use during daylight hours. A cumulative total of 76% of all responses were for times between 8 A.M. and 4 P.M. The peak use was equally divided between 8 A.M. - Noon and Noon - 4 P.M. Midnight to 8 A.M. was the least popular time period, representing only 4.2% of all responses.
    • Months of the year. The Delta received the most use by boaters during the summer months. July was the most popular month, averaging slightly more than four days of use. August received the second most use, followed by June. December was the least popular month to boat in the Delta.
  4. Locations where boating activities occurred, by zone

    Respondents were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of boating activity. Most boating recreation occurred in Zone D; Zone D was the most popular zone for every boating activity. Zone E was the second most popular, followed by Zones C, A, F, and B.

    • Zone A. This zone is the Sacramento River corridor, from the City of Sacramento south to Courtland. The inventory of recreation facilities in the Delta developed by the DPC indicates that the large Sacramento Marina, as well as three medium size marinas (50-200 berths), and five small marinas under 50 berths are located in this zone. Five launch ramps are located in this zone.

      Those who launched and/or boated in more than one zone were asked to identify the other zones they used. A total of 249 survey responses identified other secondary locations where they launched their boats. Of these, 27, or 10.8%, launched in Zone A most often. In addition, 534 respondents operated their boats in other zones in the Delta. Of these, 48, or 9%, operated most often in Zone A.

      Survey respondents were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in specific boating activities. Zone A was used primarily for fishing from a boat, cruising, water-skiing, and swimming. These four activities account for 90% of all recreation participation in this zone. Sailing or hunting from a boat represented only 1% and .5%, respectively.

      Comparing the level of participation which occurred within Zone A with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta, of the 595 participants who reported fishing from a boat in all zones in the Delta, only 60 participants, or 10.1% of all participants, fished in Zone A. Use is low in all categories, with highest levels of use being cruising (10.2%) and fishing from a boat (10.1%).

    • Zone B. This zone includes the Yolo Bypass, Cache Slough, and the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel. Opportunities for recreational boating are very limited in this zone. There is only one marina.

      Survey respondents were asked to identify the zone where they launched and operated their boats. Of the 493 survey respondents who launched a boat in the Delta, only 3, or less than 1%, identified Zone B as the zone they used most often. More boaters used this zone as a secondary location for launching (5.6%). Only 1.5% of the respondents used this zone as their first choice for operating a boat.

      Zone B was used primarily for fishing from a boat and cruising. These two activities accounted for over half (58%) of all recreation participation in this zone. Swimming from a boat and water-skiing ranked third and fourth, respectively.

      Comparing the amount of recreation use which occurred within Zone B with recreation use which occurred in the entire Delta, except for hunting, this zone received very little use (4% or less). Slightly over 21% of all hunting from a boat occurred in this zone. However, because of the small number of responses received, the survey results for hunting from a boat may not be very reliable.

    • Zone C. Zone C is the north Delta. It includes the Sacramento River from Courtland south to State Route 12 and all stretches of the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers which lie within the Delta. The City of Isleton and Snodgrass Slough are included. This zone includes seven launch sites, two public fishing access sites, two large marinas, seven medium marinas, and six small marinas.

      Survey respondents were asked to identify the zones where they launched and operated their boats. The survey results indicate that out of the 493 survey respondents who launched a boat in the Delta, only 53, or 10.8% launched in this zone most often . This zone was also the choice of about 21% of the respondents for second choice for launching a boat. More respondents use this zone as a primary location for operating their boats (581). Over 25% of the respondents reported using this zone as a secondary location for operating a boat.

      Zone C was used primarily for cruising and fishing from a boat. These two activities accounted for over 51% of all recreation participation in this zone. Swimming and water-skiing ranked third and fourth, respectively.

      The survey compared the amount of recreation use which occurred within Zone C with recreation use which occurred in the entire Delta. Except for hunting, between 18%-23% of all boating activities occurred in Zone C. About 14.3% of the hunting occurred in Zone C.

    • Zone D. This is the west Delta, which includes the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Brannan Island State Recreation Area with its very large boat launch area is located here, along with two other public launch sites. Eleven large marinas are located here, as well as 15 medium marinas, and 26 small marinas.

      Survey respondents were asked to identify the zones where they launched and operated their boats. The survey results indicate, of the 493 survey respondents who launched a boat in the Delta, 214 or 43.3% launched in Zone D most often. This zone was also the choice of about 41% of the respondents as their other choice for launching a boat. This zone received about 28% of the responses as secondary location for launching and operating a boat.

      Zone D, was used primarily for cruising (23.3%) and fishing from a boat (29.4%). Swimming, water-skiing and sleeping overnight on a boat, received between 16% and 12.5% of use.

      Comparing the amount of recreation use which occurred within Zone D with recreation use which occurred in the entire Delta, a significant amount of all boating activities occurred in this zone. This includes almost one-half of all sailing (46.6%) and about one-third of all others, including hunting.

    • Zone E. This zone is the east Delta. It is bordered on the north by State Route 12, on the east by Interstate 5, and on the south by State Route 4. It includes portions of the City of Stockton, eleven boat launch ramps, six large, eight medium, and three small marinas.

      A moderate number of respondents reported using Zone E for boating recreation. About 18% of the respondents reported that Zone E was the zone they used most often for launching a boat, and almost 23% used it as their preferred location for operating a boat. A higher percentage of respondents used this zone as a second choice for launching and operating their boats, 25.3% and 23.2%, respectively.

    • Zone E, was used primarily for cruising (25%) and fishing from a boat (22.3%), with swimming from a boat (18.6%) and water-skiing (16.3%) ranked third and fourth, respectively.

      Comparing the amount of recreation use which occurred within Zone E with recreation use which occurred in the entire Delta, Zone E received an appreciable level of use for all boating activities, ranging from 20.2% for fishing, to 30.1% for sailing.

    • Zone F. This zone is the south Delta. State Route 4 forms its northern boundary, Interstate 5 its eastern border, and Interstate 205 its southern boundary. Discovery Bay and Clifton Court Forebay are located here, as well as three public and one private launch ramps.

      Survey respondents identified the zones they used to launch and operate their boats; Zone F received very little use. Only 12.4% of the respondents reported launching most often in this zone. Similarly, only 9.5% operated their boats here most often. Even fewer boaters used this zone as an alternate location for launching (8.8%) and operating (8.2%) their vessels.

      Within Zone F, water-skiing was the most common activity. Cruising was next (23.4%), while fishing (21.9%) and swimming from a boat (21.4%) virtually tied for third.

      Comparing amount of recreation within Zone F with recreation use in the entire Delta, very little of Delta-wide boating occurred in this zone. Water-skiing had the most significant impact, yet only 15.7% of this activity occurred in Zone F.

  5. Locations (zones) where boating activities occurred, by type of activity
    • Fishing from a boat. Zone D was the most popular location for this activity, with almost 40% of all fishing from a boat occurring here. Neighboring Zones C and E each accounted for 20% of this use. Zone B was used by only 4% of the respondents.
    • Water-skiing. Interestingly, boating anglers and the water-skiers recreate in the same zones. Almost 30% of the water-skiers preferred Zone D, while almost as many (24%) preferred Zone E.
    • Sailing. Almost half of the sailors prefer Zone D (46.6%). Zones E and C come in second and third, (30.1% and 17.8%), respectively. However, the number of total responses for each zone are very low, therefore, the results may not be reliable.
    • Cruising. The pattern of recreation use of the Delta for cruising is somewhat consistent with the other boating activities. About one-third (32%) prefer Zone D, while E and C almost tie for second place (23.4% and 21.5%, respectively). Zone B received very little use (4.1%).
    • Hunting from a boat. Zone D was also the most popular location for hunters as well (35.7%). However, a sizeable number also used Zones B (21.4%) and E (21.4%). For this activity, like sailing, the total number of responses was low, so the results may not be reliable.
    • Swimming from a boat. Zone D was also the most popular location for those who swam from a boat (32.2%), with Zones E and C coming in second and third, (24.9% and 20.9%), respectively. Since this activity typically occurs in conjunction with other boating activities, it is reasonable to expect them to occur in the same location(s).
    • Sleeping on board a boat. This activity, like most of the other boating activities, occurred in the same order: Zone D first (37.9%), followed by Zones E (27.2%) and C (23.0%).
    • Launching a boat. Most respondents launched their boats in the same zone where most of the boating recreation occurred. Zones D (43.2%), E (18.4%), and C (14.6%) retained the one, two, three rankings, with Zone F receiving a close fourth place (12.2%).

      Respondents who launched in more than one zone were asked to identify the zones of their secondary launch sites. These sites were fairly evenly split between Zones C (20.7%), D (28.5%), and E (24.8%).

      When the number of both primary and secondary sites are combined, the percentage of use by zone did change, however, the rank of each zone is still Zone D (38.5%), followed by Zone E (20.5%), then Zone C (16.6%).

    • Operating a boat. Respondents tended to operate their boats in the same zones where they launched them. As in launching, almost half (41%) used Zone D, with the same moderate use of Zones E (22.9%) and C (15.3%). The percentage and responses for each zone are very similar to those for launching a boat.

      Respondents who operated a boat in more than one zone were also asked to indicate the other zone(s) they used. Zone D (27.7%) ranked highest, followed by Zone C (25.8%), then Zone E (23.4%). When figures for location of operating a boat are combined, Zone D ranks highest (34.7%), followed by Zone E (23.1%), then Zone C (20.3%).

  6. Adequacy of boating facilities

    Respondents were asked if the number of existing facilities in the Delta which serve recreational boaters were adequate. The majority of respondents indicated that launch ramps, fuel docks, and marinas, were either adequate or more adequate. Conversely, about half of the respondents indicated that public restrooms, courtesy docks, and shoreline areas accessible from the water, were either less than adequate or very inadequate.

    Public restrooms seemed to be the most inadequate; 40% of the respondents indicated that restrooms were somewhat inadequate, while another 20% rated them very inadequate. Marinas were the most plentiful, with 72% respondents indicating that they were adequate and 11% indicating that they were more than adequate.

    Respondents were asked to check N/A if they were not sure about the availability of a particular type of facility; the majority of respondents checked N/A for sewage pump-out stations and dry boat storage.

Other Recreation (Non-Boating)
  1. Type of activities, group size, and participation days

    Respondents were asked to identify other (non-boating) recreation activities they participated in while in the Delta. The survey revealed that sightseeing was the most common non-boating recreation activity with 45% of the respondents indicating that they participated. Viewing wildlife and fishing from shore ranked second and third, respectively, while board sailing ranked last.

    While board sailing ranked low in terms of numbers of participants, it was ranked the highest in terms of average annual activity days, averaging 13.3 days annually. Viewing wildlife ranked second, while walking for pleasure ranked third.

    Tent camping had the highest number of participants per family or group with an average of 5.8 people. Picnicking ranked second, while swimming from shore was third.

    In terms of annual participation days, the survey indicated that sightseeing and viewing wildlife ranked the highest among non-boating activities. The total for each activity was 3.2 million activity days of both activities. The number of annual activity days was calculated by multiplying the number of registered boaters who used the Delta, by the percentage of survey respondents who participated in a specific activity, by the average group size for each activity, by the average number of days of participation for each activity. Swimming from shore and walking for pleasure came in second (2.9 million participation days) and third (2.6 million participation days), respectively.

  2. Locations where other (non-boating) activities occurred, by zone

    Boaters were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of non-boating activity. Zone D was the most popular zone for every type of non-boating activity. Zone C was the second most popular, followed by Zones E, A, F, and B.

    • Zone A. This zone is the Sacramento River corridor, from the City of Sacramento south to Courtland. The inventory of recreation facilities in the Delta developed by the DPC indicates that Zone A includes one private campground, two private picnic areas, two private and one public fishing access sites, one private historic site, and two hiking trails/paths.

      This zone was used primarily for sightseeing (20.4%), viewing wildlife (13.1%), and fishing from shore (12.1%). These three activities accounted for almost one-half of all recreation participation in this zone. Other activities which received moderate use were walking for pleasure (8.9%), picnicking (8.0%), and swimming from shore (7%).

      The survey compared the level of participation in non-boating recreation activities which occurred within Zone A with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. For example, 13.2% of all sightseeing in the Delta occurred in Zone A. In general, about 10%-13% of most activities occur in the zone. The exceptions are: bicycling (19.4%), tent camping (6.3%), RV camping (5.7%), and board sailing (0%).

    • Zone B. This zone includes the Yolo Bypass, Cache Slough, and the Sacramento River Deep Water Channel. Opportunities for recreational boating are very limited in this zone. There is only one picnic area and no campgrounds, nor any designated fishing access sites, historic sites, trails or wind surfing areas. Zone B received the most use for sightseeing (18.9%), viewing wildlife (14.7%), and fishing from shore (11.2%). This zone received limited use for picnicking, photography of nature, and walking for pleasure.

      The survey compared the level of participation in other recreation activities which occurred within Zone B with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. This zone received very little use for recreation. Less than 10% of all non-boating recreation occurred here. In fact, for most activities, less than 5% occurred here. The only exceptions were hunting on land (9.1%) and photography of nature (6.9%).

    • Zone C. The north Delta includes the Sacramento River from Courtland south to State Route 12 and all stretches of the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers which lie within the Delta. The City of Isleton and Snodgrass Slough are included. It includes 12 public and private campgrounds, five private and three public fishing access sites, four public historic sites, two hiking trails/paths, and one private windsurfing area.

      Zone C received the most use for sightseeing (18.1%), viewing wildlife (13.4%), and fishing from shore (10.1%). All other activities were less than 10% of the total.

      The survey compared the level of participation in other recreation activities which occurred within Zone C with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. Zone C received considerably more use than Zones A and B. Between 18%-24% of almost all activities occurred in this zone. The exceptions were attending special events (32.1%) and board sailing (8.6%).

    • Zone D. The west Delta includes the lower Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Brannan Island State Recreation Area, with its large picnicking and camping facilities, is located here. One other public campground and 18 private campgrounds are also in this zone. There are four private and 12 public fishing access points, four hiking trails/paths, and eight windsurfing areas.

      Sightseeing is the most popular non-boating activity (15.2%). Viewing wildlife is a close second (12.7%), followed by fishing from shore (11.9%). All other activities are less than 10% of the total.

      The survey compared the level of participation in other recreation activities which occurred within Zone D with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. A significant percentage of non-boating activities occurred in this zone, ranging from a low of 24.5% for bicycling to a high of 65.7% for board sailing. In general, about one-third of most activities occurred in this zone.

    • Zone E. Zone E is the east Delta, bordered on the north by State Route 12, on the east by Interstate 5, and on the south by State Route 4. It includes portions of the City of Stockton, four public boat launch ramps, six large, eight medium, and three small marinas.

      Sightseeing, viewing wildlife, and fishing from shore were the most popular activities in this zone. However, even the most common activity, sightseeing, represented only 15% of all use. Participation in swimming, walking, photography, and attending special events ranged between 6% and 9%.

      The survey compared the level of participation in other recreation activities which occurred within Zone E with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. In general, Zone E did not receive as much as Zone D, but about 20% of most activities occurred here. The biggest exception was hunting on land; almost 31% of hunting on land occurred in Zone E.

    • Zone F. Zone F is the south Delta. State Route 4 forms its northern boundary, Interstate 5 its eastern border, and Interstate 205 its southern boundary. Discovery Bay and Clifton Court Forebay are located in this zone. Recreation facilities are limited to two campgrounds and one trail.

      Sightseeing was the most common activity (14.2%), followed closely by fishing from shore (13.8%) and viewing wildlife (13.4%). However, almost as many respondents participated in picnicking (10.8%) and swimming (10.4%).

      The survey compared the level of participation in other recreation activities which occurred within Zone F with the level of participation which occurred in all zones in the Delta. Zone F received very little use for recreation. However, about 14% of all bicycling occurred in this zone, which was the highest percentage for any activity. Most other activities had participation levels of less than 10%.

  1. Locations where other recreation (non-boating) occurred, by type of activity

    Boaters were asked to identify the zone or zones where they participated in each type of non-boating activity. Their responses have been analyzed in terms of where respondents who participated in specific type of recreation activities recreated in the Delta.

    Zone D was the most popular zone for every type of non-boating activity. Zone C was the second most popular, followed by Zones E, A, F, and B. These are the same rankings as the zones received for boating recreation.

    • Fishing from shore. About one-third of all fishing from shore in the Delta occurred in Zone D. Zones E and C were the second most popular, each with slightly less than 20%. Zones D (34.4%), E (19.9%), and C (19.6%) combined represent 74% of all fishing from shore.
    • Swimming from shore. Zone D was also the most popular location for swimming (32.8%). This is not surprising since most of the swimming beaches are located in this zone. Zone E was second with 23.1%, and then Zone C with 19.1%.
    • Tent camping. This activity was also concentrated in Zones D (38%), E (24.1%), and C (21.5%). These zones represent over 83 % of all tent camping in the Delta.
    • RV camping. RV camping was more popular than tent camping in the Delta (124 respondents vs. 79 respondents). RV campers were more concentrated in Zone D than tent campers (43.9% vs. 38%). However, RV campers did not use Zone E as much as tent campers (18.7% vs. 24.1%).
    • Hunting on land. Although Zone D was the most popular zone for hunting (36.4%), Zone E was also very popular, attracting 30.9% of those who hunt. Most of the responses were evenly split between Zones A (10.9%), B (9.1%), and C (9.1%).
    • Viewing wildlife. Those who viewed wildlife also preferred Zone D (31.9%). However, almost as many preferred Zones C (22.5%) and E (21.4%).
    • Photography of nature. Photographers preferred Zone D (28.7%), followed by Zone C (24.3%), then Zone E (20.8%).
    • Sightseeing. Although this activity requires the participants to be mobile, respondents continued to prefer Zones D (30%), C (23.9%), and E (18.5%). Zone A, however, did receive a larger than usual percentage of responses (13.4%).
    • Bicycling. With virtually no bicycle trails or bike lanes in the Delta, the opportunities for this activity are limited to use of roadways. Although Zone D is again the most popular (24.5%), Zone A was the second most popular (19.4%), followed by Zone E (19.1%), and C (18.2%).
    • Attending special events. Zone C (32.1%) received almost as much for this activity as Zone D (35.8%). The City of Isleton and the town of Walnut Grove, which have host annual special events, are both located in Zone C.
    • Visiting cultural or historical sites. About one-third of all survey respondents who visited cultural/historical sites, did so in Zone D (33.7%). Almost as many respondents visited sites in Zone C (27.9%), followed by Zone E (16.9%).
    • Walking for pleasure. One-third of all walking for pleasure occurred in the popular Zone D (33.5%), followed by Zone C (20.9%), then Zone E (20.1%). With few hiking trails available in the Delta, most walking for pleasure probably occurs along levees, in camp and picnic grounds, and similar informal settings.
    • Picnicking. Slightly over one-third of all picnickers use Zone D (34.2%). An almost equal percentage of respondents used Zones E (21%) and C (19.8%).
    • Board sailing or wind surfing. Almost two-thirds of all board sailors use Zone D (65.7%). The locations where this activity is possible are limited due to the need for strong, consistent winds, and a suitable beach for launching and landing. Windy Cove, a popular wind surfing location next to Brannan Island State Recreation Area, is located in Zone D. Zone E received 17%, followed by Zone C (8.6%).
  2. Adequacy of other (non-boating) facilities

    Respondents indicated that, in terms of numbers of the existing facilities, most types of other facilities were either adequate or more than adequate. These included tent campsites, RV campsites, picnic sites, public parking, places to buy food, scenic vista/overlooks, hiking trails, wildlife vistas, hunting areas, and board sailing access. Facilities which most respondents viewed as somewhat or very inadequate included public restrooms, swimming beaches, fishing piers, other fishing access sites, and bicycle trails.

    The shortage of public restrooms was cited by the largest number of respondents, with 61% indicating that they were either somewhat or very inadequate. Restrooms ranked number one in both categories.

    Respondents were asked to check "N/A" if they were unfamiliar with the availability of certain types of facilities. Most respondents checked "N/A" for tent campsites, RV campsites, bicycle trails, scenic vistas/outlooks, hiking trails, and wildlife viewing areas. Board sailing and hunting areas received the highest numbers of "N/A" checks.

    Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the respondents evaluating existing swimming beaches indicated that they were either "inadequate" or "very inadequate." Conversely, only 32% felt that public beaches were adequate or more than adequate.

    Fishing piers were the third most inadequate facility with 59% of the respondents indicating that fishing piers were either somewhat inadequate or very inadequate. On the other hand, a significant number (65%) felt that places to buy food were adequate or more than adequate.

Economic Considerations
  1. Expenditures by boaters

    Survey respondents were asked how much their group spent for specific goods and services during their last trip to the Delta. Respondents indicated that on their last trip the group spent an average of $24.07 for lodging inside the Delta. If they stayed outside the Delta, the average amount spent by the group dropped to $12.67. Respondent groups spent an average of $38.20 for food and drink purchases in the Delta and $24.05 outside the Delta.

    Group expenses for supplies, gasoline, groceries, repairs, parking, public transportation, souvenirs, and gifts, averaged $52.01 inside the Delta and $40.14 outside the Delta.

    Expenses for recreation activities such as equipment purchases and rentals, launch fees, admission and permit fees, tours, guides and lessons, averaged $25.01 per group inside the Delta and $18.29 per group outside the Delta.

    The survey estimated the expenditures per group for their last trip to the Delta. To estimate the average daily expenditures per person, the group expenditures were divided by the average number of people per group (3.0) and by the average number of days per trip (2.7). The estimates per person spent inside the Delta are: $2.97 for lodging; $4.72 for food and drinks; $6.42 for supplies and $3.09 for recreational activities. The estimates per person spent outside the Delta are: $1.56 for lodging; $2.97 for food and drinks; $4.96 for supplies; and $2.26 for recreation activities.

  2. County of origin - Survey respondents

    Survey respondents who received the postcard questionnaire were asked if they used the Delta for boating or other recreation in 1995. The county of residence for those respondents who returned the questionnaire revealed the greatest number of recreationists were from Contra Costa County, with 181 (12.5%) of the total 1,448 respondents. Sacramento County had the second most recreationists (143, 9.9%), followed by Alameda County (125, 8.6%), Santa Clara County (115, 7.9%), Los Angeles County (105, 7.3%), and San Joaquin County (100, 6.9%).

  3. Distances traveled to get to the Delta

    Survey respondents were asked how far their group traveled to get to the Delta on their last trip. Half of the respondents (49.2%) traveled less than 50 miles. The average distance traveled, one-way, was 74.0 miles.

  4. Size of groups

    Survey respondents were asked how many people traveled in their vehicles on their last trip to the Delta. The most common group was two people per vehicle (43.2%). Four people per vehicle was next most common (23.8%). Almost 90% of all groups had four or fewer people. The average number for all vehicles was three people.

  5. Lengths of stay in the Delta

    Survey respondents were asked how many days and nights they spent on their last trip to the Delta, including travel time. The survey total revealed that slightly over half (53%) of the respondents stayed in the Delta only one day. This is not surprising considering that almost half of the respondents lived within 50 miles of the Delta. The survey indicates 17% stayed two days, 12% stayed three days, and 7% stayed four days.

    Survey respondents were asked if they stayed overnight in the Delta and 43% of the respondents indicated that they did stay overnight, while 56% indicated that they did not. Over half of the respondents stayed one night (28%) or two nights (33%), while 31% stay between three and seven nights. Only 8% stayed eight days or longer.

Other Issues
  1. Participation in night fishing

    Survey respondents were asked if they fished at night; 26% indicated that they did, while 74% did not.

  2. Observation of law enforcement patrol boats

    Survey respondents were asked if they observed law enforcement boats while in the Delta; 79% reported that they did, while 21% did not.

  3. How boaters use of the Delta for recreation has changed during the last five years

    Survey respondents were asked to indicate how their participation in specific recreation activities in the Delta had changed over the last five years. In general, participation in most recreation activities remained fairly even over the last five years. Boating and camping did show a slight decline, while hunting declined more significantly. Other activities, like bicycling, showed a slight increase.

    • Boating. In general, the respondents indicated that their use of boats in the Delta had remained about the same during the last five years. The largest percentage of respondents showed a slight decrease in participation (19.4%), yet almost as many showed a slight increase (16.3%). However, more respondents showed a significant decrease (15.3%) than a significant increase (11.3%).
    • Camping. This activity decreased significantly. While over one-third of respondents who camped indicated that this activity had remained about the same (39.1%), a significant number indicated that their participation had decreased significantly (21.5%). About the same number of respondents indicated camping had either slightly increased or slightly decreased, 18.3% vs. 15.5%.
    • Picnicking. Picnicking was similar to boating in that the level of participation remained about the same. A majority of the respondents indicated no change in this activity (57.9%). Slight increases and decreases were almost identical, 13.6% vs. 11.3%, while significant increases and decreases were close, 7% vs. 10.3%. About half of the respondents checked N/A, which indicates that they did not picnic in the Delta.
    • Sightseeing. This activity was similar to boating and camping, as most respondents indicated no change in participation (59.5%). Slightly more respondents indicated an increase (22.8%), than indicated a decrease (17.8%).
    • Swimming. As an activity, swimming showed a decrease in participation. While almost half of the respondents indicated that swimming had remained about the same (45.3%), many more reported a significant decrease (22%) than significant increase (5.2%).
    • Fishing. Participation in fishing also showed a slight decrease. Less than half of the respondents (41.7%) indicated that their fishing had stayed about the same, while 15.9% indicated a significant decrease had occurred. Only 8.3% indicated a significant increase.
    • Bicycling. This activity showed a slight increase. While almost half (46.4%) of the respondents reported their participation remained about the same, more respondents reported an increase than a decrease.
    • Walking for Pleasure. Participation in this activity remained about the same. Over half of the respondents reported that this activity remained about the same (55.1%). The remaining respondents were equally divided, with 22.3% reporting an increase in participation and 22.7% reporting a decrease in participation.
    • Hunting. This activity showed a significant decrease in participation. While 38.8% of those responding indicated that their hunting had remained about the same, almost as many (32.6%) indicated that it had decreased significantly. Only 4.7% reported a significant increase. However, it should be noted that only about 25% of all survey respondents answered this question, and they were recreational boaters who also hunted. Therefore, these results may not be a reliable indicator of participation trends for all hunters using the Delta.
    • Viewing wildlife. Participation in this activity remained unchanged. Almost 60% of the respondents indicated that this activity remained about the same. A few more respondents reported an increase (22.3%) than reported a decrease (18.0%)
    • Photography of nature. Participation in this activity remained unchanged. Almost 60% of the respondents indicated that this activity remained about the same. A significant number of respondents, however, reported that their participation had decreased significantly (11.6%).
    • Attending special events. Participation in this activity also remained stable (58.8%). However, a significant number of respondents indicated a slight increase in use (19.8%).
    • Visiting cultural and historical sites. This activity showed a slight drop in participation. Although the majority of respondents showed no change (62.2%), more respondents reported a decrease (21.3%) than an increase (16.5%).
    • Board sailing. Participation in this activity decreased significantly. Slightly over half of the respondents who answered this question indicated that their use of the Delta for board sailing had stayed the same (51.6%). However, a significant number of respondents indicated their participation had decreased significantly (20.4%). Since the numbers of respondents who answered this question was small (only 93 out of 637), the results should be viewed with caution.
  4. Reasons given by respondents for not recreating in the Delta

    The results of the postcard questionnaires indicated that approximately 76.5% of all registered pleasure craft owners in California did not use the Delta. Over half (56%) indicated that the Delta was "too far from home." The second and third most common answers were "not familiar with recreation opportunities" (42%) and "not enough time" (29%).

    Respondents who lived close to the Delta (within a one-hour drive), but did not recreate in the Delta, were analyzed as a sub-group. The survey indicates, "not familiar with recreation opportunities" (31%) was the most common reason for not recreating in the Delta. "Not enough time" was indicated by 24%.

  5. Age and sex respondents

    Respondents were asked to provide limited information regarding their age and sex. This was needed to establish basic demographic profile of the survey respondents. The vast majority of the respondents were male (92%), and between the ages of 35 and 65 (72%).

  6. Number of Respondents Who Purchased a California Fishing License in 1996.

    Respondents were asked if they purchased a California fishing license in 1996. This question was asked to determine the percentage of respondents who were anglers. More than two-thirds of respondents (69%) indicated that they had purchased a fishing license, while 31% of the responses indicated that they did not purchase a fishing license.