Treesearch

Between now and 1993, more than 200 existing hydroelectric projects will come up for relicensing before FERC, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. This provides a rare opportunity for agencies and individuals to markedly influence the ecological and recreational balance of these projects. This paper presents an overview of the relicensing process, describes some of the types of river recreation issues that can be addressed through the process, and explains how you can become involved.

Black/white comparisons of outdoor recreation preferences and behavior from a statewide survey identify a significantly greater black orientation to “developed sites” and “social interaction.” Strategies are recommended to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities for blacks, and long-term research needs are identified.

The depth psychology of C. G. Jung provides a set of concepts for exploring the spiritual aspect of nature. According to this view, spiritual experiences occur when basic patterns or archetypes within the psyche are projected onto natural environments. Implications of this viewpoint for natural resource management and research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and types of recreational opportunities within the slate of Maine that were available to people with disabilities. The major findings were that people with disabilities participated in recreational opportunities on a limited basis, that the majority of activities offered were stereotypical of people with disabilities and that the majority of activities were integrated into regular recreation programs.

Resource managers can apply group-specific rather than generic communications and management strategies to different public land user groups. This study compares use patterns of one user group, Boy Scout troops, from two regions of the United States. It identifies their public land use patterns, activities, needs, and motivations. Results can be used by resource managers to develop communications and management strategies to guide this group's appropriate behavior, enhance their experience, and solicit their help in protecting the resource.

The purpose of this study was to determine if recreational programming within family campgrounds was a valid approach to deal with management problems found in public outdoor recreation areas. A survey of 399 respondents at Lieber State Recreation Area (Indiana) showed that programs offered tended to add to overall levels of camper satisfaction. Seventy-two percent of the campers have camped there before an average of 9.6 times in the past five years and 96% of the respondents intend to return.

Using the Situational Fear Inventory, outdoor course participants identified the degree to which they experienced social-based and physical-based anxieties at the beginning, middle, end of their course. Levels of social-based fears were higher and more resistant to modification. Females expressed higher levels of fears. Most fears were reduced significantly through program participation.

This paper examines relationships between visitor density levels and perceptions of crowding at a Caribbean coral reef. Reef visitors were more likely to report that the quality of their experience was enhanced, rather than reduced, by their encounters with other visitors. Perceived crowding was related to visitors' previous experience and the location of encounters with other visitors as well as various density-related measures.

This paper integrates social and ecological impact data from a barrier beach to demonstrate the value of an inter-disciplinary approach to resource allocation and visitor management. The ecological data included observations of shorebird distributions and causes of human disturbance. The social data were obtained from on-site surveys of boaters and pedestrian visitors. The ecological findings indicated that shorebird habitat preference was limited to two of the four areas where boaters were present. The social data indicated that some boaters engaged in activities that caused shorebird...

In 1988 the director of the National Park Service requested that a social science program be established. Since that time a number of new research initiatives have been developed to address this need. This paper describes seven major steps taken thus far to meet social science needs of park superintendents, program managers, and park planners. Specific examples are presented.