Valuing state parks: Accounting for diverse visitor perspectives

Abstract

Current and estimated future changes in the United States population suggest that racial and ethnic minority groups are growing rapidly. Minority groups, however, continue to be underrepresented in visitation to state parks. It is also unclear how minority groups value natural settings, such as state parks. The lack of visitation and lack of information pertaining to minorities create a problem for park managers who are actively striving to meet the needs of all their constituents. To better understand these issues, a pilot study focusing mainly on minorities' use of state parks was conducted during the summer of 2009 at three parks in north Georgia.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Citation

Whiting, Jason W.; Larson, Lincoln R.; Green, Gary T. 2012. Valuing state parks: Accounting for diverse visitor perspectives. In: Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc; Watts, Clifton E., Jr., eds. Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-94. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 58-63.