THE RESTON (VIRGINIA) LAKE-USE SURVEY: PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT: A public attitude survey was developed by a citizen committee and mailed to all residences (14,747) in the planned, suburban community of Reston, Virginia, which is responsible for maintaining four small, recreational impoundments. Over 18 percent of survey forms were returned, and characteristics of the survey sample suggest that the suite of respondents was representative of the Reston community as a whole. Of those respondents indicating a preferred lake use, 48 percent chose walking or looking as most important; boating as second at 27 percent; and fishing was third, favored by only 8 percent. Citizens feel strongly (94 percent) that the lakes are valuable community assets. Appearance was the characteristic most valued by 62 percent of respondents, and 58 percent considered degradation of water quality either the first or second most important ecological issue affecting local lakes. These findings provide a decisive public mandate for lake management activities related to visual quality. In response to this survey, the Reston Association, a homeowners' organization responsible for the lakes, increased public access of visual enjoyment, intensified litter control, expanded activities in public education on lake management and ecology, and continued a long-term program of water quality monitoring.     

ENVIRONMENTAL THRESHOLD FUNCTIONS FOR USER ORIENTED RESOURCE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT1

ABSTRACT: Managers of water related outdoor recreation resources want to provide facilities and recreational opportunities of high quality that are attractive to recreationists. The reported research develops a relevant site quality assessment and measurement procedure called environmental threshold modeling. This modeling procedure is based upon the idea that individuals (i.e., recreationists) have specific, identifiable evaluative criteria which can be expressed as a mathematical function of various site characteristics. The function of interest is called a threshold function because it separates acceptable recreational settings from unacceptable settings. Individual specific threshold functions can be easily aggregated to form a population specific threshold function that estimates the proportion of a population that would find the recreational setting acceptable for some specific activity. Presented in this paper are illustrative calibration results based upon survey data collected from recreational canoeists using the Pine River in Michigan's Manistee National Forest.     

A METHODOLOGY FOR OUTDOOR RECREATION ANALYSIS IN A STATE WATER RESOURCES PLANNING STUDY1

ABSTRACT: The paper presents a methodology for outdoor recreation analysis in a comprehensive State water resources planning study. This methodology applies to determination of recreation participation desires among the population, allocation of those desires to areas of potential resources within which they must be satisfied, comparison of the areal potential resources against the allocated desires to identify areas having recreational resource deficits or needs, and exploration of alternative solutions to the identified needs. Major elements discussed are: market area, inflow-outflow, resource desire determination and projection, resource desire allocation, facility inventory, resource desire-resource analysis and alternative solutions to identified needs of water-oriented outdoor recreation.     

WATER QUALITY PERCEPTION BY USERS: CAN IT SUPPLEMENT OBJECTIVE WATER QUALITY MEASURES?1

ABSTRACT: Personal interviews were conducted with eighty campers in each of three Minnesota state parks to investigate the water quality perception of the recreationist. At the same time, water quality factors were measured or observed as an indication of conditions experienced by the interviewees. Most respondents perceived water pollution strictly on a visual basis. Sewage, public carelessness, industry, and farm fertilizers were “first choice selections” among major causes of water pollution in Minnesota. Seventy percent felt their recreational activities did not contribute to water pollution. Sixty-two percent said their life had not been affected by water pollution, while over two-thirds of the remaining thirty-eight percent listed curtailment of recreation as the primary result. Many mentioned an algal bloom at one park and the strong odor of rotten fish at a second park. On the basis of the senior author's observations, supported by the measurements taken, it was concluded that thèk were the only major problems in the three parks. Some incipient problems, such as nutrient enrichment and the presence of coliform bacteria, were indicated by the measurements. The type and degree of pollution identified by the recreationist could be important through its influence on user evaluations and space preferences. The establishment of relationships between water quality parameters and the perception of the recreationist will provide the manager with a tool to assist in evaluating participation in water-related outdoor recreation in terms of both user satisfaction and water quality.     

Defining acceptable conditions in wilderness

The limits of acceptable change (LAC) planning framework recognizes that forest managers must decide what indicators of wilderness conditions best represent resource naturalness and high-quality visitor experiences and how much change from the pristine is acceptable for each indicator. Visitor opinions on the aspects of the wilderness that have great impact on their experience can provide valuable input to selection of indicators. Cohutta, Georgia; Caney Creek, Arkansas; Upland Island, Texas; and Rattlesnake, Montana, wilderness visitors have high shared agreement that littering and damage to trees in campsites, noise, and seeing wildlife are very important influences on wilderness experiences. Camping within sight or sound of other people influences experience quality more than do encounters on the trails. Visitors’ standards of acceptable conditions within wilderness vary considerably, suggesting a potential need to manage different zones within wilderness for different clientele groups and experiences. Standards across wildernesses, however, are remarkably similar.     

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PLANNING MODEL FOR WATER AND FISHERY MANAGEMENT1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes the development of an interdisciplinary model that analyzes the effects of resource management decisions on New Mexico fishery production, yield, sportfishing effort, and economic benefit to anglers. The model recreates river flows and materials transported through reservoirs and their tailwaters from 1974 through 1987. Solar radiation, water temperature, phosphorus, nitrogen, suspended solids, and water exchange rates determine primary production. Organic loads from watershed sources, added to primary production, form a trophic base for sportfish forage. Fish production is partitioned into biomass and growth of each age class in sportfish and forage fish groups by differential responses to food type, light, water-level fluctuation and predation. Fish biomass, with angler population distribution and site condition, contributes to determining angler effort and economic benefits. Model users can vary and analyze water level and quality, stocking, fishing regulations, site access, site facilities, and site entry fees. The model (on floppy disks with a user manual) is available for operation on MS DOS compatible computers with a hard disk. Contact R. M. Wilson, NMGF, State Capitol, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87503.     

The indicator performance estimate approach to determining acceptable wilderness conditions

Using data from a study conducted in the Cranberry Wilderness Area of West Virginia, United States, this paper describes how a modified importance—performance approach can be used to prioritize wilderness indicators and determine how much change from the pristine is acceptable. The approach uses two key types of information: (1) indicator importance, or visitor opinion as to which wilderness indicators have the greatest influence on their experience, and (2) management performance, or the extent to which actual indicator conditions exceed or are within visitor expectations. Performance was represented by calculating indicator performance estimates (IPEs), as defined by standardized differences between actual conditions and visitor preferences for each indicator. The results for each indicator are then presented graphically on a four-quadrant matrix for objective interpretation. Each quadrant represents a management response: keep up the good work, concentrate here, low priority, or possible overkill. The technique allows managers to more systematically and effectively utilize information routinely collected during the limits of acceptable change wilderness planning process. This paper is submitted with the approval of the Director of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station as Scientific Article No. 541. The study was funded in part, through a grant from the USDA Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest.     

RIVER RECREATION EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES IN TWO RECREATION OPPORTUNITY SPECTRUM (ROS) CLASSES1

The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) system is used by the USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management for inventorying, classifying, and managing wildlands for recreation. Different ROS classes from the Colorado and Arkansas Rivers in Colorado were compared, using visitor survey data collected in 1979 and 1981, to see if the different classes offered different recreational experience opportunities. No difference between classes was found. Six possible reasons for not finding a difference are discussed. The usefulness of ROS at the broader levels of planning and the needs at more detailed levels of planning are noted.     

大都市郊区游憩开发与规划研究综述

从大都市区和大都市郊区的定义与特征、开发与规划研究的原则与方法、方向与模式、策略等方面总结了近年来国内的研究进展，评析了研究现状，指出未来重点要在理论建设、居民行为、市场营销、规划管理、规划影响等方面加深研究。     

RECREATION AT THE MC CLELLAN-KERR ARKANSAS RIVER NAVIGATION SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: Recreation has produced substantial employment, incomes, economic development, and migration impacts since completion of the McCle-lan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. These impacts support the influence of navigation, hydropower, flood control, and channel stabilization outputs on regional development. The marked success is not without substantial costs in public resources, including manpower which are devoted to recreational management. Increasing the share of financial resources obtained from recreational users and transfer of management responsibilities to nonfederal agencies, including private concessionaires is recommended.