Responsible Recreation in the Catskill Forest Preserve

Photo Credit

Forest Service photo by Julie Hernandez.

Staff from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation receive training in social science methods and data collection to help better understand visitor use of the Catskill Forest Preserve.

Within the Catskill Park in southeastern New York is the Catskill Forest Preserve, which includes state-owned property designated as wilderness, wild forest, and intensive use areas (i.e., campgrounds and day-use areas). The Catskill Forest Preserve is open for recreation and is also protected as “forever wild.” A recent increase in visitors recreating in the Catskill Forest Preserve presents both opportunities and challenges for managing the area.

To better understand visitor use of the Catskill Forest Preserve, scientists at the Northern Research Station and staff at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) developed and piloted a social assessment combining direct field observation with randomized interviews of visitors. The assessment captured information about the preserve's visitors, including where they were going, how they were enjoying the area, and its meaning to them as evidenced by the distance traveled, frequency of visits, and expressed connections to particular parts of the forest preserve.  

The shared goals and objectives of this project were to: 

• conduct a systematic study of the use, values, and meaning of forested parks,  
• gather data on recreational experience, overuse, and visitor impacts,  
• introduce NYC DEC's summer workforce to social science methods and data collection, and
• develop a method for NYS DEC staff to track, monitor, and assess recreational use and experience into the future.  

The information captured by the assessment can be used to improve communication with visitors about safety, preparedness, and forest stewardship.  The assessment also provides baseline data about site users that can be used to signal ways to improve visitor use, site design, and programming across the preserve.  

Photo Credit

Forest Service photo by Julie Hernandez.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation staff receive training from Northern Research Station scientists on social science methods and data collection to help better understand visitor use of the Catskill Forest Preserve.

Approach

The social assessment used to evaluate recreation combined direct field observations with randomized interviews to better understand the purpose and meaning of visitor use to the Catskill Park Preserve. Sites for this pilot study in the Catskill Forest Preserve were selected by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) as either high-use areas or special-use areas that include hiking and, in some cases, swimming and fishing. Data were collected by field crews from the Catskill Mountainkeeper and Catskill Center during peak summer usage in 2023 and 2024 on weekdays and weekends. 

The assessment characterized the uses and users of these sites and explored methods of obtaining information to make recreational choices, levels of preparedness for outdoor recreation, experiences during the recreational visit, and meaning and drivers of visitation. The interviews included questions to help visualize local and regional visitation patterns. This assessment, which built on approaches from social science and recreation research, including assessments of parks in New York City created by the U.S. Forest Service in collaboration with New York City Parks, was designed to better understand preferences and behaviors of locals, frequent users, and newer visitors.

Outcomes

• This social assessment provided NYS DEC forest preserve managers with a deeper understanding of visitor behavior. 
• Field staff who focus on visitor engagement and Leave No Trace principles were successfully trained in social science research methods.
• Following these pilot studies, NYS DEC Region 5 staff have continued to use information from the field data collection to inform their hiker education program. 
• Region 5 staff plan to continue this data collection and analysis annually, and DEC is considering an expansion to other regions.