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In 2044 the United States is expected to be a majority-minority nation. Promoting participation in outdoor recreation among racial and ethnic minority populations has long been a challenge facing the contemporary recreation manager. In this article, we compare data from the US Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring program from 2010–2014 to US Census data from 2010 in order to examine whether there is disproportionate utilization of recreation resources on US Forest Service lands across the entire US Forest Service system. Our findings suggest an inequity gapwherein racial minorities are still not utilizing Forest Service recreation opportunities at the same rate as their white counterparts. Racial and ethnic minority demographic data for US counties located within fifty-miles of a national forest boundary were compared to overall national forest visitation estimates to calculate an inequity indexthat was then compared across each national forest and region in the contiguous United States. Results from this analysis show an average inequity gap of -23.8%. We present these findings in light of a recent January 12, 2017 Presidential Memorandum calling for diversity and inclusion across public lands and the agencies that manage them.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate the experience of underserved fourth-grade students participating in the National Park Service's Every Kid in a Park (EKIP) initiative through the Into the Redwood Forest (IRF) education program at Muir Woods National Monument. The project's aim was to understand the experience of underserved diverse students (i.e., race and ethnicity, gender, and Title I schools) participating during the 2015–2016 school year. The study included six teacher interviews and document review procedure of 60 student journals. The findings reveal that the EKIP exposed students to parks, the inquiry-based learning proved effective for outdoor learning, and the impact of the nature experience encouraged environmental stewardship. Implications and recommendations for further implementation of both the EKIP initiative and IRF at Muir Woods are discussed.

AbstractThe recruitment and retention of faculty and students of color is a long-standing challenge in academic programs focusing on leisure studies, parks, recreation, and tourism. However, when confronting the predominantly white composition of educational programs, many evade or, at most, acknowledge the situation as a “deficit.” Few offer specific strategies for reversing this pattern, if that is the desired outcome. The purpose of this essay is to extend the discourse beyond traditional diversity initiatives by undertaking a field-wide initiative focused on the disparities in faculty and student representation. First, the essay examines systems that have created and supported the persistence of “white” as privileged in academia. Next, a summary and critique of institutional faculty demographic data over the 5-year period from 2006–2011 from four diverse institutions are presented. This analysis illustrates patterns that have resulted in presumably less than desirable numbers of faculty and students of color. Concrete suggestions for recruiting, retaining, and promoting people of color in academic leisure studies programs are included. Increasingly, today's students are attracted to academic programs in which they will be exposed to faculty representing the diversity they will encounter as professionals. This essay offers a call to bridge the perceived gap between practitioners and academia by recommending systemic changes informed by the lived experiences of communities of color that are effectively served by various leisure service providers.

Outdoor experiential education has often been critiqued for its White, male, middle/upper-class, able-bodied history, thereby causing professionals and programs to consider issues of social justice. This state of knowledge paper will review the literature on social and environmental justice, identify gaps in current social justice literature and practice, and offer recommendations for creating a new history.

AbstractThis paper is a response to the keynote address by Mary McDonald delivered at the 2008 NRPA Butler Lecture. Her paper on “Dialogues on Whiteness, Leisure, and (Anti)Racism” was subsequently published in the Journal of Leisure Researchin the first quarter of 2009. While there are several areas of congruence and historical accuracy regarding McDonald's work, this present article includes a distinctive line of reasoning for how whiteness influences the leisure experiences of ethnic minorities. A different perspective on understanding racism in relation to recreation and use of parks as leisure spaces is offered and some competing viewpoints provided. This response paper provides a contribution towards the discussion of power, privilege and the continued existence of oppression and discrimination in this field. It suggests we continue to explore critical race theory in recreation and leisure studies yet this must begin with perceptions of “justice,” coupled with a fundamental belief in the mere existence of injustice, if change is truly to occur. The intention of this paper is to support key components of McDonald's premise while also challenging conventional thinking. Additionally, assorted questions are asked to counteract some of those noted by McDonald, relationships between social and environmental justice and leisure are explored from a different lens, and suggestions for research directions are offered.

Understanding outdoor recreation participation and national park visitation by members of ethnic minority groups has been a particular focus of outdoor recreation researchers for the past twenty years. Attracting ethnic minorities, and understanding their recreation needs and interests, demands a multi-faceted approach and sustained commitment not only by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) but by other resource management agencies as well.

Discusses the importance of cultural considerations for camp programming. Definition of culture; Societal changes and challenges; Significance of culture in risk management.