An assessment of public engagement for access management planning in southwestern Alberta,Canada

This paper describes efforts to bridge the gap between the existing research and proposed recreation access management for public lands in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Recreation access management has been identified as a complex problem and public consultation is one element in addressing the complexity. An Internet-based survey (n = 945) examined the acceptability and desirability of public consultation processes to assist with access management planning. Non-parametric tests indicate significant differences in desirability of public consultation types existed for all variables except gender. Respondents expressed the desire for a diversity of public consultation approaches with a strong preference for face-to-face field visits. Mechanisms for engagement in access management planning should be based on public consultation preferences to ensure broad, on going engagement and subsequent user acceptance and compliance.     

The effect of experience on choosing where to go: an application to a choice experiment on forest recreation

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of experience on the choice of visits to forests in a stated discrete choice experiment. Recent literature has indicated that experiences with the environmental services valuated may increase the respondents' certainty in their choice of hypothetical alternatives. We apply two indicators of experiences: the number of visits and the number of different forests visited during the last year. Applying the generalized multinomial logit model, we find that an increase in the number of visits to forests makes respondents' choices more predictable. However, the number of different forests visited reduces the predictability of choices. Furthermore, we investigate the relationship between respondents' experience of forest recreation and the self-reported choice certainty, controlling for respondents' social-demographics and other design characteristics. Finally, we show that self-reported choice certainty is positive correlated with the scale factor, as expected.     

游憩价值评价方法探讨——以凤阳山自然保护区为例

风景区游憩价值的评估对景区经营管理及开发保护等工作具有重要意义。本文基于笔者对条件价值法的创新,通过问卷设计和抽样调查,对凤阳山保护区游憩价值进行评估,计算出其2010年的总游憩价值2 031万元人民币。此项研究丰富了我国的环境价值评估理论研究和应用实践。     

大型游乐设施运行状态测试系统及关键技术研究

系统分析游乐设施当前的测试水平,指出游乐设施运行状态测试是当前迫切需要解决的问题,并确定了加速度测试、速度测试、应力应变测试作为游乐设施运行状态测试系统的核心。结合游乐设施运行的特点,分别对以上3种核心测试技术从理论分析、设备选择、测试方法上进行了深入的研究。测试案例表明:基于以上技术测试的游乐设施运行状态测试系统是可行的,并为游乐设施检测提供了有力的技术支持。     

The nitrate leached below maize root zone is available for deep-rooted wheat in winter wheat-summer maize rotation in the North China Plain

In winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-summer maize (Zea mays L.) rotation system in the North China Plain, maize roots do not extend beyond 1.2 m in the vertical soil profile, but wheat roots can reach up to 2.0 m. Increases in soil nitrate content at maize harvest and significant reductions after winter wheat harvest were observed in the 1.4-2.0 m depth under field conditions. The recovery of 15N isotope (calcium nitrate) from various (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 m) soil depths showed that deep-rooting winter wheat could use soil nitrate up to the 2.0 m depth. This accounted partially, for the reduced nitrate in the 1.4-2.0 m depth of the soil after harvest of wheat in the rotation system.     

Seed bank composition of open and overgrown calcareous grassland soils--a case study from Southern Belgium

The success of calcareous grassland recreation following abandonment depends to a large extent on the composition of the soil seed bank. We studied the species richness and composition of the seed bank along a chronosequence from well-developed calcareous grassland to scrub and forest vegetation, which had developed on calcareous grassland over the last 225 years. The seed bank density was highest in the calcareous grassland soils (930 seeds/m(2)). However, the seed bank was mainly composed of rather common species of nutrient poor grassland, which were poorly represented in the surface vegetation. There were no significant differences in soil seed bank density and species composition between the calcareous grassland and scrub vegetation that was less than 15 years old, largely because several grassland species had persisted in the scrub vegetation and were therefore able to replenish the soil seed bank. In contrast seed density and species richness declined significantly after 40 years of grassland abandonment. Indeed, forest soils had the lowest seed densities (214 seeds/m(2)) with only a few grassland species represented. This reflects the lack of grassland species in the field layer of the forest, and, therefore, the lack of seed production and seed bank replenishment. It is clear that recreation of calcareous grassland on long abandoned sites cannot rely on germination of target species from the seed bank alone. Even in the calcareous grassland soil, seeds of target species are not abundant as the majority produces transient seeds, which decay rapidly if they do not germinate immediately. Successful grassland recreation on such sites therefore may require seeds of target species to be introduced artificially (e.g. as seed mixtures, green hay, etc.). Alternatively, reinstatement of traditional practices, such as grazing or mowing, will increase the natural dispersal potential of these species, allowing population reestablishment in the long term.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL USE OF NAVIGATION LOCKS ON THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER1

ABSTRACT Navigation locks on the Upper Mississippi River currently receive heavy use from both commercial barge traffic and recreational craft. Multiple regression analysis of lockage statistics suggests a critical level may exist, below which barge traffic volume has little impact on recreational lock use, but above which it physically constrains recreational lockage. The capacity of the Upper Mississippi River for lock chambers at Alton, Illinois. This may adversely impact recreational use of locks by raising commercial traffic levels above the critical level at several other locks on the river.     

华北冬小麦生长期旱情指标探讨

选用降水、无雨日因子,参考作物生长与供水关系,拟用模糊数学方法评定旱情,结果令人满意。笔者认为,研究农业干旱,无雨日数和无雨日发生时机的重要性等同。     

VIEWS OF WESTERN WHITEWATER FLOATERS TOWARD POSSIBLE SAFETY MEASURES1

For a risk recreation activity like whitewater boating, a manager's goal of providing for the health and safety of the visitor may conflict with the goal of providing the opportunity for a satisfying recreation experience. As whitewater river managers face the problem of safety and risks, they should consider what users think about safety programs. The views of whitewater boaters toward (1) first aid equipment requirements, (2) signs warning of hazards, (3) aggressive enforcement of the rules, and (4) patrols to assist and regulate users were determined on 13 river segments in the western United States. A test was made of the relation between views toward safety measures and the level of risk and thrills sought by floaters. Conclusions of the study are: (1) river floaters' views toward possible management safety measures are not related to the amount of risk they desire; and (2) floaters, in general, prefer some safety measures to others. If safety measures mean that managers will be more visible on the river, floaters tend to dislike them. Therefore, a manager's approach to safety management should parallel the approach to recreation management in general, and regulation of use should be the minimum necessary to achieve safety objectives.