Treesearch

A mail-back survey of overnight hikers at the John Muir Wilderness suggests that place of residence contributes slightly to our understanding of general desirability of encounters with horses, but not to our understanding of evaluations of specific encounters or of evaluations of potentially conflicting behaviors.

Mountain bicycling is a rapidly growing sport exerting substantial pressure on recreation areas in the urban-wildland interface. In 1983 there were under a million mountain bike users, today there are 15 million. Little is known about the bicyclists, but hikers and equestrians have complained about encounters with cyclists speeding down trails with little regard for others. Despite the few negative reports, greater value may accrue from benefits to bicyclists, increased income for resorts from summer bicycling, and potential income for rural communities. A study is planned to describe the...

The more than I million acre New York-New Jersey Highlands Region is a unique forested and rural landscape at the urban/ wildland interface with the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan area where over 18 million people reside. Conversion of land to residential and urban uses, parcellation of lands, fragmentation of forest cover, and increasing demand for recreational activities threaten to significantly alter the open space and forest-wildland landscape. Projections of changes to the year 2010 suggest that more comprehensive planning strategies are needed.

An area of public land called the Red Hills was being so abused by the public that it was often called the "Dred" Hills. Some staff work had been accomplished to protect sensitive areas within the 7,200-acre site, but depreciative behavior continued. Primary destructive activities included off-road vehicle use and indiscriminate shooting and dumping. This paper discusses a bold approach to management. Instead of talking about the problem, decisions were made and actions quickly taken. The results were dramatic, and public reaction was remarkably supportive. Methods of combining public...

This study investigated the social interaction of white water kayakers and attempted to predict the level of enduring involvement of participants. It was hypothesized that social interaction would shift from classes and programs to peers of similar interests as level of involvement increased. The results did show that social interaction is a primary reason for participation and varies by skill level, gender and age. Using multiple regression analysis the hypothesis was not supported; however, ANOVAS showed significant main effects and interaction effects for gender, age and skill level for...

Filevision IV is a multilayer imaging and data-base management system that combines drawing, filing and extensive report-writing capabilities (Filevision IV, 1988). Filevision IV users access data by attaching graphics to text-oriented data-base records. Tourist attractions, support services, and geo-graphic features can be located on a base map of an area or region. Record-keeping and customized responses to visitors' inquiries are accomplished with powerful report generating and mail merge capabilities. These features provide the agency with a cost-effective tool to interpret the...

The Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office, identified a need for a tool to communicate with wilderness visitors, managers, and decisionmakers regarding wilderness values and existing resource information in 87 wilderness study areas. An interactive computer program was developed using a portable Macintosh computer, a touch screen monitor, and laser disk player. The program allows the user to randomly and instantaneously access and review descriptive text, color slide and video tape files, and numerous maps and graphic displays. The program has been used successfully in a variety...

Papua New Guinea, with an area of about 46.7 million ha and population of 3.7 million, is blessed with a large natural forest resource. Over 80 percent of the land is covered with forests of various types, ranging from swamp and lowland rain forests in coastal plains to alpine vegetation and moss forests in the highlands, most of which are owned by the people. About 15 million ha are considered commercial, with about 400-500 million cubic meters of high value timber. Current logging concessions are spread over 3.1 million ha. All the projects except one are based on selective cutting with...

The Simulated Field Trips offered resource managers an opportunity to "show" Symposium attendees their resource areas. The emphasis was on recreational activities in the wildland-urban interface and on management techniques for these areas. The six presentations were in the form of slide shows and videotapes. The session was moderated by Robert Laidlaw of the Bureau of Land Management.

BLM wildlands are extensive areas which offer opportunities for increased backcountry use. Many BLM wildland areas are not currently receiving much backcountry use due to their unfamiliarity by the public and lack of facilities. Increased urban/BLM wildland interfacing can produce important benefits for both individuals and our society. Using various informational techniques, signing and field facility development, use of BLM wildlands by our urban population could be greatly increased.