Treesearch

The purpose of this study was to ascertain visitor perceptions of a fee program and preferences for management utilization of the fee dollars. Differences in program perceptions were examined both by activity and activity style. Wilderness visitors in the American Southwest were surveyed on-site during the 1997–1998 season. Overall, respondents moderately agreed that they knew about and understood the program. Respondents disagreed that the fee would effect their visitation, but they agreed that the program would limit access for others. Visitors most frequently wanted the fees fused or...

The new conservation movement—uniting scientists and activists—seeks to relook at the role of protected land. The result is a redefining of terms, the encompassing of the concept of ecosystems, incorporating both scientific and nonscientific approaches to conservation, and reconsidering management. This philosophical essay speculates on the future of wilderness and conservation biology.

Previous conceptual efforts suggest that response to recreational conflict should be framed within an adapted stresscoping response model. An important element in understanding response to conflict is the context of the experience. A basic underlying component of the wilderness experience is privacy, which indicates wilderness visitors are interested in releasing—rather than creating—stress and avoiding distractions; therefore, they are likely to utilize distancing and emotion-focused processes in response to conflict. To explore this idea, over 1,000 visitors to an urban-proximate...

Can researchers use the traditional scientific method in studying wilderness without violating the concept and wilderness law concerning “untrammeled” land? This philosophical essay seeks to answer that question through historical review and literature overview, suggesting how science and the study of wilderness can be compatible.

Results of research in Shenandoah National Park Wilderness on the differences between day and overnight visitors to the park’s wilderness showed that the two user groups are not as different as originally thought. While the two groups differed somewhat in their level of support for traditional wilderness values, these differences are largely a matter of degree. Promotion of traditional wilderness values through education and regulations may help to strengthen the support and understanding of legally defined Wilderness.

This paper summarizes findings from a detailed study of the processes employed by four leading wilderness therapy programs focusing on how wilderness therapy works, the kinds of behavioral problems to which it is commonly applied, expected outcomes and the role of wilderness in the intervention and treatment process (Russell, 1999). Wilderness therapy is an emerging intervention to help adolescents overcome emotional, adjustment, addiction, and psychological problems. Thirty-eight known programs serve an estimated 12,000 clients annually, generating 350,000 visitor days of wilderness use...

Previous research on place attachment has tended to focus on attachment formation, with relatively little attention given to factors that disrupt or interfere with formed place attachments. Interferences to attachments are a worthy research area for two reasons: 1) The factors of place attachment are often more salient when being disrupted, and 2) place attachment interference often leads to great uproar, making it more salient to managers and decision-makers. Expansion of the place attachment concept that considers disruptions to attachments provides a more robust framework for examining...

This paper describes what we call “the primal hypotheses,” which assert positive relationships between the legislated wilderness attributes of naturalness and solitude and three broad constructs that embrace human benefits from wilderness experience reported in the literature—“development of self” (DOS), “development of community” (DOC) and “spiritual development” (SD). These hypotheses support the notion that managing wilderness for naturalness and solitude will generate wilderness experience benefits for people, in addition to meeting a legal mandate for wilderness protection. We find...

Little empirical research has been conducted on what “wilderness” means to the general public. This paper compares the definitions of wilderness held by four groups of outdoor recreationists at three very different sites—Grand Canyon National Park, Shenandoah National Park, and Pandapas Pond, a day-use area in the Jefferson National Forest. These groups had different demographics, setting preferences and activity preferences. Although few respondents believed they knew about the legal definition of wilderness, they expressed very high agreement within and across groups about the appropriate...

A case study of conflict between outfitter/guides and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service was conducted in the summer of 1996. This research found variations in wilderness values among outfitter/guides operating in the Sierra Nevada region. Results from the interviews conducted in this study show divergence between two types of guides. The stock-based guides (also known as packers) had a more utilitarian view of wilderness, disregarding some ecological considerations and emphasizing the wilderness experience, as the most valuable asset to wilderness. The mountaineering guides focused on the...