Managing the St. Anthony Sand Dunes: Rural resident support for off-road vehicle recreation development

Abstract

Increased participation in recreational activities on public lands challenges land managers to maintain the integrity of landscapes and meet the needs of recreationists. Off-road vehicle (ORV) recreation is an increasingly-popular recreational activity that can offer social and economic benefits, but can also negatively impact the environment. As popularity of ORVs continues to grow, many land management agencies are pursuing strategies to mitigate associated conflicts. However, ORV studies have been scant in recent years. The research presented here addresses the lack of knowledge on ORV area management by exploring local resident and recreationist perspectives about future development in a popular Idaho ORV recreation area. Results indicate that support was influenced by three primary factors: 1) views that increased visitation might change local Dunes culture, 2) concerns that developments might allow government agencies to eventually over-regulate the Dunes, and 3) a desire to ensure that Dunes management decision-making is transparent and inclusive of local residents. We conclude by discussing management actions that land managers could implement to advance management of ORV recreation areas. Management implicationsOur results suggest that local community member perspectives about future development of ORV areas are influenced by the ways that management actions may affect existing recreation culture, concerns about future regulation, and how well local perspectives are reflected in the management process. Findings suggest that managers could:●Organize local stakeholder advisory groups that would allow stakeholders to help evaluate new safety or crowding regulations, develop alternatives for travel management plans and outline resource values.●Utilize a Limits of Acceptable Change process to improve trust in and transparency surrounding recreation management decisions. That process could develop indicators and standards for site-specific elements of crowding, safety concerns, and degradation that may be particularly salient in ORV areas.●Explore the power of local recreation culture to motivate development or enforcement of recreation regulations ensuring rider safety or reducing crowding. This includes initiating new riders to area norms through orientation rides.