Outdoor Recreation

Question 1

OUTDOOR RECREATION

Answer 1

OR includes activities that take place in, and are
dependent on, the natural environment

Question 2

Consumptive OR

Answer 2

activities use up the resources those
activities depend on

Question 3

Non-consumptive OR

Answer 3

activities leave resources intact

Question 4

The OR experience is a product of both activity & setting

Answer 4

Cannot understand one without the other
 Settings are not always interchangeable
Activities
 Hiking, backpacking, skiing, biking, hunting…
Settings
 Local parks, national parks, forests, wildernes

Question 5

OUTDOOR RECREATION INDUSTRY

Answer 5

788 billion in annual consumer spending
5.2 million American jobs
For the conservation of approximately 700
million acres in the US (about 1/3 of the total US
landmass)
NY: 291,000 jobs, $29 billion in economic impact

Question 6

Research in OR is necessarily multidisciplinary

Answer 6

Sociology, biology, ecology, math…
 Application of other disciplines to applied problems
1. To better protect our natural resources
2. To ensure a satisfying user experience

Question 7

OR is dependent on the natural environment

Answer 7

Effective management of these resources allows for
quality experiences now/in the future

Question 8

Most OR takes place

Answer 8

place on public land
 (Your land)
Managed by-
 National Park Service
 Bureau of Land Management
 Forest Service
 Fish and Wildlife Service
 Army Corps of Engineers

Question 9

Increasing pressure on public land for a variety of uses

Answer 9

Recreation
 Agriculture (ranching, farming, etc.)
 Human development (residential, infrastructure, etc.)
 Resource extraction (timber, oil, minerals, etc.)
 Climate change (fire, drought, severe weather, etc.)

Question 10

Wildland-urban interface

Answer 10

Area where wilderness and
human development meet

Question 11

Second major goal is a high quality experience

Answer 11

 Autonomy/freedom of choice
 Range of opportunities
A satisfied user is more likely to revisit, and act
appropriately

Question 12

Expectancy disconfirmation

Answer 12

How well does the
experience match the expectations we came in with?

Question 13

Mandate of the National Park Service

Answer 13

“…to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic
objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the
enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as
will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future
generations”

Question 14

Interpersonal conflict

Answer 14

Direct interactions with other
recreationists and/or their impacts
 Litter
 Running into other users on the trail
 Loud music in the campground

Question 15

Social values conflict

Answer 15

Different value systems
 Knowing hunters are in the woods hurting animals
 Knowing mountain bikers are out there scaring off the deer

Question 16

Conflict is often asymmetrical

Answer 16

One side is more impacted
Examples?
 Mountain bikers and hikers
 Skiers and snowboarders
 Motorized and non-motorized users

Question 17

Positive crowding (“Functional density”)

Answer 17

More users
have a positive impact on the experience

Question 18

Negative crowding:

Answer 18

More users have a negative impact
on the experience

Question 19

Indirect management

Answer 19

Influence individual decision making
 Education about impacts
 Encouragement of different behaviors

Question 20

Direct management:

Answer 20

Removes individual decision making
 Rules and regulations prohibiting the behavior