Treesearch

A realistic model or framework for the analysis of recreation behavior must be both comprehensive and dynamic. Most attempts to explain recreation behavior are static in that they do not allow for changes in the character of an activity or the evolution of a participant's involvement. Even predictive models tend to assume that relationships remain constant over time. A dynamic model is especially critical in the analysis of new, rapidly evolving forms of recreation.

The purpose of this paper is to examine trends in the temporal distribution of park use. Plots of daily attendance data trace changes in temporal use distributions over time. A use concentration index quantifies and reduces to a single numerical indicator the degree of unevenness of recreation attendance data. The percent of total annual use accounted for by selected time periods is also examined.

As you probably know, tomorrow is Earth Day-80, the 10th anniversary of the original Earth Day, so it is certainly appropriate that we talk these next few days about environmental quality and the relationship of outdoor recreation to that quality. However, perhaps the title should be more of a question such as: Are recreation trends indicators of environmental quality? Or do recreation trends follow environmental quality trends?

I can't recall when I have attended a national conference with a more clearly defined objective than this one. We are here to document outdoor recreation trends and explore their meaning for the future. The word "trend" appears no less than 45 times in the conference brochure, and the symposium organizers are determined that the proceedings will be "the most comprehensive assessment of outdoor recreation trends ever compiled."

Today I would like to start this part of my program by generally describing the vehicles, the users, and the current problems. Later on I will break out specifically motorcycles and snowmobiles to discuss. When I was asked, approximately a year ago, to fill this assignment, I began by telephoning those I knew in public and private ORV management positions. I sent letters and made many personal contacts as I traveled around the United States. As material arrived at my desk, I realized that "surface trends" research information, separate from "in house", was grossly lacking for this form of...

The market for privately owned seasonal recreational properties, such as vacation homes, recreational lots, and resort condominiums has encountered many peaks and declines during the past 15 years. While demand for traditional types of recreational property has recently fallen off due to inflation and lack of financing, other alternatives such as resort timesharing are again beginning to stimulate the market.

This paper summarizes the results from industry sources and several regional and national camping market surveys conducted between 1960 and 1979. Growth of the industry, together with pricing practices, energy impacts and occupancy data was also examined. By 1978, the number of inactive campers outnumbered active campers nationwide with persons less than 30 showing the greatest tendency to become inactive. Growth of the industry slowed in the 1970's, but franchised campgrounds provided an increased share of sites. A decline in campground occupancy was noted in 1979 and appeared to be...

Pedestrian movement in backcountry settings has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. But the rate of increase seems to be levelling. Some indicators of this trend include the publishing business, the number of equipment manufacturers and outlets, the number of backcountry outfitters, and consultation with entrepreneurs

Newly emerging and high risk activities have increased markedly in the last generation, yet little is known about trends in participation. Factors such as technological innovation and creative experimentation with traditional activities appear to play a major role in the development of new activities. Christy's criteria for mass demand in recreation are used to examine the growth potential of different emerging activities. The participation histories of three characteristic activities - skydiving, sport ballooning, and hang gliding - are explored in detail. Trends in activity growth are...

Participation in river recreation has been expanding at a rapid rate. This paper reviews selected phenomenon associated with the growing popularity of rivers as recreational resources. The paper will: (1) describe the river recreation resource (the supply situation); (2) present selected indicators of increased river recreation use (the demand situation); (3) present demographic and experience profiles of selected river recreation users; (4) describe some of the environmental and social impacts occurring from increases in river recreation activity; (5) present selected management strategies...