Treesearch

Parts of the Appalachian Trail (and nearly half of Vermont's Long Trail) are located on New England National Forests, and managed in partnership with the Appalachian Trail Conference, Green Mountain Club, and other volunteers. Since the Trail corridor is a linear, if serpentine, sample of northern Appalachian highland environments it's not surprising that it often runs on, over, along and/or through a variety of Heritage Resource sites reflecting the rich land-use history of the region. These sites range from Native American quarries and early Euro-American toll roads, to 19th century...

In this paper, we investigate the behavioral and socio-demographic profile of individuals attending the 1992 Karmeh arts festival, and explore the perceived impact of the festival on promoting harmony between Muslims and Christians as an alternative to traditional political mechanisms for facilitating peace. The methodology used was intended to be widely applicable for studies of short- term events among Muslims and Christians in the country of Lebanon. Data were collected via personal contacts with a random sample of subjects at the only pedestrian crossing point into the festival....

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between festival attributes and perceived crowding at a festival site. Visitors to the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle, Washington, were chosen by a systematic sampling method to complete an on-site and follow-up survey. These surveys included questions which addressed the determinate attributes in choosing to come to the Festival, including programmed and social/experiential attributes. Additional items included on the follow-up survey included service quality and environmental attributes, as well as questions...

Cultural and heritage tourism have gained increasing attention as a type of tourism in recent years. Through a telephone survey of Midwest residents (six states and one Canadian province), respondents were asked about their image of Michigan as a destination for heritage and cultural tourism experiences, about their visits to museums, halls of fame, historic and other heritage sites. Michigan, traditionally a natural resource tourism destination and maintaining a strong image as such, receives far fewer visits to heritage and cultural sites than do other states or regions. If Michigan...

Impromptu roping, riding, and racing affairs and western pageantries whetted public appetites for a competitive cowboy sport. Despite its increasing popularity and types, American rodeo has received little attention from social scientists. This paper discusses seven different types of contemporary rodeo-professional, women's, collegiate, high school, senior, gay, and military-and their common historical origin. The popularity of rodeo in contemporary society is attributed to prevalent agrarian beliefs and the rural mystique among the public and to a long line of promoters and organizers...

Working with National Forest planners can raise many questions for social scientists regarding their role in planning or plan revision. Social scientists from the North Central Forest Experiment Station and the National Forest System Eastern Region debate 3 questions that continue to surface in their work with Forest Service managers on plan revision: first, what is the role of social scientists in the critical venue of public involvement? Second, the costly and time consuming task of social assessment is considered: what are the merits of full versus partial social assessments? And third,...

Since the establishment of the National Trails System in 1968, 822 trails have been designated as National Recreation Trails (NRT). These trails support a wide range of activities, including but not limited to hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing and horseback riding. In short, NRTs can be found across a diversity of geographic settings and are frequent destinations for a wide variety of people looking for natural resource-based recreation experiences. Most NRTs are federally managed with the balance managed by state, municipal, or private entities. To date, NRT management...

With ever tightening resources to address an increased number of diverse and complex issues, it has become common for scientists and managers to be called upon to demonstrate the value of their programs. In the spring of 1995, social scientists at the USDA Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station we so called upon. This paper discusses an effort to demonstrate the value of a social science research program for the Agency and the Station. We describe our experiences to share our perspectives on the value of a social science research to public land management, and as an aid to...

Interviews were conducted with canoeists and kayakers to identify key socialization experiences that led to involvement in these activities. Nonparticipants were also interviewed as a comparison group. Family involvement, both direct and through delegation to institutions such as summer camps and scouting, were key factors. While there was tremendous variation in socialization experiences, canoeists and kayakers had "accumulated" large numbers of outdoor experiences by the time they had reached their teens. This "outdoor capital" provides a solid experiential foundation for adopting...

The statute creating the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in 1966 specified several outdoor activities traditionally participated in along the watercourse. Additionally, there are other outdoor activities traditional to the watercourse. The identification and provision of opportunities for these activities, consistent with maintaining wilderness character, is central to long-term protection and management of the Waterway. An Advisory Committee has been created by the Bureau of Parks and Lands to assist the Bureau in identification of suitable opportunities for traditional outdoor activities...