Today, Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is one if the fastest growing recreation activities taking place on the public of the western United States. OHV includes, but is not limited to motorcycles designed for off road use, All terrain vehicles (ATVs), 4-wheel drive automobiles, and other vehicles such a sand rails or dune buggies (Cordell, Betz, Green, & Owens, 2005).
As the United States population grows, so does the necessity for outdoor recreation, and OHV use is no exception; between 1982 and 2001 OHV recreation participation increased an additional 100%. Between the years 1999 and 2005, OHV Users grew from 36 t0 51 million people. The challenge land managers face is addressing the conflicting needs and expectations of millions that use America’s federal lands (Cordell et al., 2005). This fast growth in recreation and increasing demands on resources leads to even greater concern with recreation capacities than in the past (Whittaker, Shelby, Manning, Cole, & Haas, 2011).
Defining Capacity
Concerning recreation, carrying capacities have been considered since the early 1930’s (Stankey & Manning, 1986). Since its introduction the concept or carrying capacities has evolved considerably. Capacity serves as a signal to managers indicating that additional action may be necessary to protect the visitor experiences and local resources (Haas, 2001). A more specific definition of visitor capacities is described as “the amount and type of use that is compatible with the management prescription for an area” (Whittaker, Shelby, Manning, Cole, & Haas, 2011; McCool & Lime, 2001). For example, the number of outfitters permitted per day at a particular entry point of a recreation area.
When defining carrying capacity it is important to ...
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...empting Fantasy or Useful Reality? Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(5), 372–388. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/394212/Tourism_Carrying_Capacity_Tempting_Fantasy_or_Useful_Reality
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At the dawn of the Twentieth century, cities, like Dayton, had factories being erected almost every day. The Industrialism period brought many people to cities looking for jobs. As cities became crowded and people overworked, a movement began to spend more time outside enjoying nature and all it has to offer. This created an opportunity that Charles W. Shaeffer saw, and jumped on (Dalton 11). He gave way for the idea of a club for those to spend time together, outdoors, to be involved with one another and to bring the community together as one. In the age of industrialism, in this city of 1000 factories, Dayton Canoe Club helped spark a new found love of outdoors for those in the city, and continues to do so today, 100 years later.
A point has to be made about hunting and outdoor life in Illinois, which is a common interest throughout Illinois. Though it may not interest everyone, the livelihood and a portion of income is g...
There should be no man made machinery operating in the park unless absolutely necessary. The creation of the National Park Service is to preserve wilderness in a way that gives people the opportunity to experience nature in all its wonder. It was never intended to create amusement parks where people never leave the safety of the modern age and look at the natural world through glass. Being completely enveloped in nature has many benefits, from physical such as lowering blood pressure, to psychological in boosting moods. According to Tyler Tapps in Parks & Recreation: “Recent research indicates that outdoor activity is associated with positive mental and physical benefits, including increased cardiovascular function, decreased stress levels, and reduced blood pressure” (Tapps). Abbey understood this, as did many Americans. Today however the number of people willing to immerse themselves in the nations parks is decreasing. In Desert Solitaire, abbey puts it this way: “A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourist can in a hundred miles” (Abbey). Today many members of the younger generation have lost that sense of joy and wonder in the outdoor setting. This change would bring back the love of nature in this
There are innumerable examples of Montana's good qualities, far too many to name all of them, but several of these examples are the recreation, history and beauty of Montana. Recreation in Montana includes sports like biking, skiing, hiking, and a many more outdoor recreational activities. The wide open areas create almost endless possibilities for outdoor recreation, and the relatively small population decreases the clutter along lakes, trails, streams, and other venues for recreation. Also, the small population and large open spaces have a preserving effect on Montana's historical buildings, monuments, and other objects of historical significance and interest. Montana is able to keep these historical sites safe because demand for these sites both for industrialization and by the general population is not too great. The small population and large open areas also allow for a broad range of wildlife habitation, which is excellent for both recreational activities like hunting and fishing and for wildlife viewing. Montana's beautiful and varied landscapes are also remarkable to view. The towering, craggy mountains; vast, spectacular forests; massive, grassy plains; and numerous lakes, rivers, and streams, many of which are very sparsely populated, are magnificent to behold. All these pleasurable aspects of Montana are direct results of its generally rural environment and would not be possible without this characteristic. It is evident that those who love Montana are most likely in love with its rural setting.
Saveriades, A. 2000. Establishing the Social Tourism Carrying Capacity for the Tourist Resorts of the East Coast of the Republic of Cyprus, Tourism Management, Vol 21, Issue 2 pp. 147-156.
The creation of the computer and the Internet has significantly furthered and revolutionized Parks and Recreation Districts across the country. Parks and Recreation Management is a profession that has been able to prosper with the Internet and personal computers today. Recreation in the present day is becoming especially popular due to a general decrease in working hours because of the economy. With many people having more free time, more demands are put on the Parks and Recreation districts. Also with the many national, state, and private parks in the United States, it is crucial for the park systems to have a systematic approach to dealing with these new demands. The computer and Internet has become the answer to this problem.
People from all around the world travel to the U.S. only to experience the great American national parks. According to the NPS 2015 Annual Visitation Summary Report, a total of 480,307,933 people visited national parks in the United States during 2015 both for recreational and non-recreational purposes. Ecotourism, an economic model that combines tourism with commerce, contributes to the maintenance of national parks and allows isolated small towns surrounding national parks to thrive. According to Frye and Nuest, in addition to the views, “these wonders of the Earth provide ample opportunities for visitors to hike, bicycle, climb, swim, horseback ride, and paddle” (PAGE NUMBER). Such activities contribute to the visitors’ experience and have resulted in great customer satisfaction (Roemer and Vasek 46). All of these activities, along with other further services such as lodging and dining, create income for national parks and local businesses, as well, as more employment opportunities for the people, working for both local business and at the national parks. The NPS website claimed that they employed approximately 22,000 permanent, temporary, and seasonal professionals. However, when the idea of commerce comes into play with the preservation of natural and historic sites, the danger to lose
Every year, over nine million hikers and adventure seekers travel to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park making it the most visited national park in the United States. There are abundant reasons for this, but many popular reasons include over 150 hiking trails extending over 850 miles, a large portion of the Appalachian Trail, sightseeing, fishing, horseback riding, and bicycling. The park houses roughly ten thousand species of plants and animals with an estimated 90,000 undocumented species likely possible to be present. It is clear why there was a pressing interest in making all this land into a national park. My research was started by asking the question; how did the transformation of tourism due to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park affect surrounding cities such as Gatlinburg and Sevier County, and in return, its effect on the popularity of the park?
still needs to be addressed. This needs to happen at all parks and regardless if
Impacts of Tourism in Swanage Tourism has the potential to create impacts on the environment and communities that it relies on to accommodate visitors. Its impacts are mitigated by the long history of tourism activity. Communities have become used to tourism activity, and management measures to limit some areas of environmental damage have been implemented. Nevertheless, some impacts are far ranging, and they are set out below: * Inappropriate Development An increase in visitors can lead to pressure for new developments to serve and capitilise on their needs, eg. Caravan parks, visitor centres, cafes, signs, car parks, and additional accommodation.
Glenn, Stacia. "Youths Push for New Park." Student Research Center. N.p., 22 Aug. 2006. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
In this essay it will be argued that the concept of deindividuation theory is not always straight forward as they are many perspectives and beliefs that form such a theory. Various social psychologists like Gustave Le Bon, Festinger and Diener to name a few have explained deindividuation as a process whereby the individual ceases to identify with their selves but starts to act and think similar to one another. They all go on to further explain behaviour within crowds from different point of views but this is the starting point and for the sake of this essay I shall look at the different explanations surrounding deindividuation theory in relation to crowd behaviour as each of them have strengths and weaknesses and it is quite impossible to only
Repenshek, Kurt. "Opposition Mounts to Tourism Promotion of National Parks."National Parks Traveler. Nationalparkstraveler.com, 3 June 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2014.
The wilderness offers many opportunities for recreation (e.g. biking, camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, nature photography, riding horses, skiing, stargazing, and swimming ). Outdoor recreation fulfils an innate desire humans have to reconnect with nature and themselves. However, outdoor recreation contradicts the objective of wilderness protection. The most insignificant of human activity can extensively damage the natural balance of an area. Being able to strike a balance between the two is the responsibility of wilderness managers. By taking a realistic approach to stewardship and considering societal beliefs about wilderness, wilderness managers are able to support recreational activities while preserving the surrounding environment as best they can, keeping human impacts within tolerable levels.
Witt, Peter A. and Joni E. Baker. “Making A R.E.A.L. Difference,” Parks and Recreation. Mar 1999. General Reference Center Gold. Jan 2007