Treesearch

The goal of this study is to examine the efforts by one state government (West Virginia) to facilitate collaborative, watershed-based planning. This paper provides an overview of the state watershed planning process and includes a summary of a baseline study of rural watershed partnerships operating within West Virginia. Implication of the study for state policies and programs, community-based support, and future research are presented. Three main lessons learned from experience with the WVWAP include: (1) the need to assist local communities with the principles of inclusiveness and...

This project examines attitudes towards management strategies of four Allegany State Park recreational user groups: cabin users, recreational vehicle users, tent users, and day users. It investigates recreational user group attitude differences, and attitude change over a ten year time period, in regard to the following park management strategy categories: park attributes, recreation issues, forest management and diversity issues, preservation issues, oil and gas development issues, and nuisance wildlife control issues. Data analysis of the study results indicate that there is a statistical...

This exploratory study involved identifying the dimensions of a wilderness experience sought by users based on the available literature and on input from wilderness users. Input was collected using focus group interviews with members of four groups that were primarily involved in wilderness use and preservation in recent years. Positive and negative dimensions are proposed for further research.

As public leisure and recreation services become more accountable for their service's fiscal independence, service providers dependence on user fees continues to be a contentious issue. Annually, service managers are required to recommend price changes for services offered the following year in order to maintain existing service quality. Despite the emergent role of price, reactions of consumers to price changes in publicly funded leisure and recreation services are not well understood.

In the fall of 1996, technical rock climbing was introduced as a regulated outdoor recreation activity in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, situated in the Shawangunk Mountain region of New York State. It is the first instance in which rock climbing has been sanctioned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This paper identifies key issues and associated environmental, legal and operational measures incorporated into a climbing plan, offering one model for including this type of activity in protected area management.

The management relationship between the Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) and various land management agencies such as the National Park Service (NPS) is a prime example of the Partnerships prescribed by the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors. The Appalachian Trail is one success story of bringing public and private resources together to help plan and manage public protected areas. The monitoring program initiated by the ATC has saved taxpayers many thousands of dollars by enlisting the help of volunteers to serve as the eyes and ears of the National Park Service and other...

Kiosks have traditionally been non-electronic, but today kiosks are being developed as interactive, electronic information centers to transmit information about government services, commercial products and recreational experiences. This project's objective was to develop and evaluate the usefulness of a user-friendly information interface for kiosks in the Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center in Newcomb, NY.

Cohort-component projection models have been used to explore the implications of increased aging and growth of racial/ethnic minority groups on number of participants in outdoor recreation activities in the years ahead. Projections usually assume that participation rates by age and race/ethnicity remain constant over time. This study looks at trends in activity participation rates by age and race/ethnicity and explores their implications for projections made by cohort-component projection models.

The purpose of this study was to examine activity markets within three major geographic areas in the Northeast for the period of 1994-1996. The activity markets examined included travel activities; recreation/sport activities; outdoor activities; interest in fitness activities and cultural/historic interests. The geographic markets of each activity group were examined by primary, secondary and tertiary markets of Central New England. Findings here indicated that the activity markets with potential to travel to New England show signs of growing; however, there exists considerable variation...

The Wilderness Act of 1964 recognizes the value of Cultural Resources yet we often struggle with how to address these values in the management of specific Wilderness Areas. This paper will discuss how Heritage Resource Values compliment and enhance the wilderness experience. It strives to provide a broader understanding and appreciation of the role of land use history in developing management plans for designated Wilderness Areas.