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An excerpt from the concluding chapter of the 4th edition of this standard textbook.

Explored coping mechanisms in outdoor recreation in response to crowing and conflict, measuring perceived changes in amounts and types of recreation use occurring at one national park and the extent to which park visitors adopted coping mechanisms. People near the park adopted coping mechanisms at relatively high levels. Coping related to perceived changes in amount and type of outdoor recreation. (SM)

The demographic composition of the United States is increasingly diverse, but racial/ethnic minority groups are substantially underrepresented in visiting national parks. Transportation is needed to provide access to national parks but may not be equally accessible to all groups in society. This study uses a general population survey of New York City residents to examine the role of transportation in visiting national parks by three racial/ethnic groups (Hispanic, Black, and White). Principle study variables were perceived barriers to visiting national parks and the importance of transportation-related incentives in encouraging visits to national parks. Study results identified three categories of barriers: comfort and safety, expense, and accessibility; Hispanics perceive higher levels of barriers than do Whites and Blacks. Transportation incentives may increase national park visitation, especially by Hispanics. Survey findings partially support the marginality and discrimination hypotheses, and suggest potentially effective strategies to increase park visitation by minority racial/ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative transportation systems (ATS) have become increasingly important as a means to address issues of crowding, congestion, and environmental sustainability in national parks and related areas. In 2010, a shuttle bus system was implemented at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, a small unit of the national park system located on the outskirts of the historic village of Woodstock, Vermont. This ATS consists of one electric fuel vehicle known as the Full Circle Trolley (FCT). The FCT is powered by electricity generated from methane gas derived from decomposition of cow manure from local dairy farms. This ATS project, which was funded through a federal grant administered by the National Park Service, was designed to reduce congestion on area roads, encourage parking outside of Woodstock village, improve environmental sustainability, and establish a successful transportation partnership that could be a model for future collaboration. In 2012, we conducted interviews with shuttle partners (stakeholder groups such as local chamber of commerce) (n = 9) and administered a questionnaire to shuttle riders (n = 143) to assess the program's success in meeting its objectives. Our findings suggest that the objectives of the FCT program are being met, though some are being more fully and directly met than others. For example, the survey found that some shuttle bus riders would probably have driven into Woodstock (contributing to traffic congestion) and parked on the village streets if there had been no shuttle bus service (exacerbating parking shortages). However, given the small scale of the trolley system, some partners questioned the magnitude of the trolley's impact on traffic congestion and parking. Challenges to long-term shuttle service include availability of future funding, low ridership levels, and the limitations (e.g., battery charging time) of environmentally sustainable (in this case, electric) vehicles. Results from this study contribute to and corroborate findings from other studies of ATS in national parks and related areas. Based on this growing body of research, a number of principles or best management practices are offered for planning and managing ATS in parks and related areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to increased use of parks and outdoor recreation related areas, transportation legislation passed in 1998 required the Departments of Transportation and Interior to assess transportation needs and develop planning procedures for congestion management in parks and on public lands. One year later, the National Park Service responded by publishing its Transportation Planning Guidebook. This publication used a number of case studies to illustrate a range of park management strategies for addressing traffic congestion. A common theme throughout the guidebook was implementation of alternative transportation systems, including shuttle buses and bicycle/pedestrian facilities, in addition to roads. Together, this integrated infrastructure and the forms of transportation accommodated are known as multimodal transportation networks. These networks provide managers opportunities to disperse visitor use over space and time, a strategy for addressing congestion and crowding. As this strategy is more widely used, multimodal transportation is an increasingly important component of the experience of visitors to national parks and related areas. While conventional transportation planning uses a levels of service (LOS) framework to measure and manage many modes of transportation, it lacks measures of visitor experience critical in park and outdoor recreation contexts. Indicators and standards of quality, a framework widely used in the field of park and outdoor recreation management, give explicit consideration to visitor perspectives and incorporate them into management. Using Acadia National Park as a study site, this paper illustrates that LOS and indicators and standards of quality can be integrated to provide a more holistic approach to transportation management in park and outdoor recreation contexts. Furthermore it develops a series of potential standards for density of use on roads, in shuttle buses, and along shared-use paths. These standards provide a rational basis for informed planning and management of alternative transportation in parks and outdoor recreation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively identify the cultural heritage tourist to determine differences between other types of visitors and the cultural heritage tourist. Differences were measured on various dimensions of travel behavior and demographics, including activities participated in, expenditures, information sources used, and lodging preferences. Visitors to Vermont were surveyed between 1999 and 2000 to determine their visitation behavior and demographic profile. It was found that cultural heritage visitors were indeed different from other visitors on most measurements, implying that heritage planners and marketers should take these differences into consideration when planning and promoting cultural heritage tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crowding is a perennial and challenging issue in the management of parks and outdoor recreation. However, a substantial scientific literature has been developed on crowding and its application in parks and outdoor recreation. This paper begins by reviewing theoretical research on crowding, with special emphasis on normative theory. Normative theory makes an important distinction between use level and crowding, outlines variables that influence crowding judgements, and suggests that visitors to parks and outdoor recreation areas may have normative standards regarding appropriate use levels of such areas. A second section of die paper empirically applies this theoretical framework to the carriage roads of Acadia National Park, Maine. Normative standards of visitors for appropriate use levels are measured, and variables that influence crowding are illustrated, including type of visitor, type of visitor encountered, and section of the carriage roads. A final section of the paper explores the management implications of theoretical and empirical crowding research, and their application to the carriage roads. Managers must be careful to determine when increasing use of parks and related areas is judged by visitors as "crowding", and how crowding manifests itself in a variety of outdoor recreation contexts. Approaches to managing crowding include measurement of crowding norms; application of crowding and related carrying capacity frameworks, including Limits of Acceptable Change, Visitor Impact Management, and Visitor Experience and Resource Protection; formulation of crowding-related standards of quality and related restrictions on public use; zoning conflicting uses; educational programs designed to modify visitor behavior; and provision of a diversity of recreation opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]