Recreation Management Research Articles

Sustainable development of forest recreation management as a basis for environmental safety

The article examines the determinants of the concept of forest recreation management. Based on a critical analysis of scientific works on the study of the component composition of recreational forest use, three components have been identified, namely: recreational resources, recreational facilities, recreational activities. Four key components of recreational forest use have been identified: resource, social, economic, innovation and investment. The main indicators of the development of forest recreation management taking into account the component distribution have been investigated. A model for determining the overall efficiency of recreational forest use by taking into account the efficiency of each selected component is proposed. Usage of Excel is suggested to predict the level of recreational forest use.

IMPERATIVES OF INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN RECREATIONAL NATURE MANAGEMENT

Topicality. The tourist and recreational sphere is one of the largest users of natural resources. Hence, there are urgent questions on how not only to increase the efficiency of their usage but also to ensure accessibility, preservation of qualitative and quantitative characteristics for future generations; also, the formation of recreational services for urgent recreational needs of all segments of the population. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the study is to form the conceptual basis for the development of inclusive recreational nature usage. The following tasks for achieving this goal: to define the conceptual provisions of inclusive development that are relevant to the recreational sphere and recreational nature management; to offer an interpretation of inclusive recreational nature usage; specifying its features, principles, goals, criteria. Research results. Based on the dominants of inclusive development, the basic provisions of inclusive recreational nature management have been developed: equal opportunities in access to recreational resources; equal opportunities for the right to rest, restoration of psycho-physical conditions; equal opportunities to ensure the harmonious development of personality; improving the quality of life of people through the availability of recreational services; ensuring socio-economic activity, well-being and employment opportunities in the field of tourism and recreation and related businesses and fair distribution of results; improving the efficiency of the use of publicly available natural resources and conditions. The essence of inclusive recreational nature is to provide equal opportunities for the usage of natural recreational resources and areas to meet socially significant and individual recreational needs that positively affect the well-being and quality of life. Conclusion. It is advisable to use an inclusive approach to equalize the opportunities for the use and consumption of valuable recreational resources and conditions for recreation, health, comprehensive human, and economic development. The formulated essence, features, principles, criteria, and goals of inclusive recreational nature usage have indicated the directions of transformation processes designed to ensure the necessary changes to guarantee equal opportunities for the population of the country.

By Students, for Students: Student-Created Open Educational Resources

Online textbooks or Open Educational Resources (OER) have become more popular in recent years due to the rising costs of textbooks. Unfortunately, few OER currently exist that address topics in recreation, sport, tourism, or leisure management. Most OER are written by faculty, but DeRosa argued that it could benefit students to write their own OER. When students write their own textbook, this has the potential to increase students’ understanding of course content and to improve their writing skills. This article provides a blueprint for pursuing this project with undergraduate students, while highlighting both the benefits and the pitfalls.

"Physical activity is beneficial to anyone, including those with ASD": Antecedents of nurses recommending physical activity for people with autism spectrum disorder.

Participation in regular physical activity is linked with physical, psychological, and social improvements. Nevertheless, persons with autism spectrum disorder participate at lower levels than do their peers. Nurses can play a key role in helping to promote such behaviors, but do so sparingly. The purpose of this study is to examine the degree to which nurses recommend physical activity to people with autism spectrum disorder. Even though a number of scholars have examined the role of health professionals in promoting physical activity, comparatively little research has examined nurses. Further, previous scholars have largely focused on the promotion of physical activity to patients in general. However, people with disabilities and people with autism spectrum disorder, specifically, are frequently overlooked when it comes to physical activity promotion. Data were collected from a representative sample of nurses (n = 180) working in the United States. Results indicate that nurses were only moderately likely to recommend physical activity. When perceived barriers were low, perceived benefits held a positive, significant association with recommendations. However, when perceived barriers were high, the relationship between perceived benefits and recommendations was no longer significant. Analysis of qualitative data showed the value nurses place on physical activity, how they interpret barriers and benefits, and strategies for making physical activity inclusive for people with autism spectrum disorder. In conclusion, nurses have an opportunity to more frequently promote physical activity to their patients with autism spectrum disorder and, in doing so, help mitigate some of the poor health outcomes people with autism spectrum disorder experience. The authors identified implications for nursing education and professional development, as well as for sport and recreation managers charged with delivering physical activity to people with autism spectrum disorder.

Public Parks and Sno-Parks Help Diverse Populations in California’s Central Valley Negotiate Constraints to Winter Recreation

As current racial and ethnic minority groups make up increasingly larger percentages of the U.S. population, recreation managers seek to understand their recreational needs and preferences. One area has received little attention: the winter recreation participation of non-White individuals (especially Latinxs). In this study, we sought to (1) examine demographic differences in constraints to visiting a conventional winter recreation destination, China Peak Mountain Resort (CPMR); and (2) explore winter recreation site use among demographically diverse populations in various types of public parks around CPMR in Fresno County, CA, including sno-parks (sites that provide snow-cleared parking lots with sanitation facilities and access to snow play areas, cross-country ski and snowmobile trails). Data were gathered “onsite” (n=491) at sno-parks along Highway 168 and “offsite” (n=1318) in communities across the Central Valley. Data from the two sites revealed significant differences in winter recreation constraints and site use patterns among different racial/ethnic and income groups. Racial and ethnic minorities and respondents with lower household income reported high levels of constraints to participation in winter recreation at CPMR. Overall, structural constraints were the most prominent barriers affecting visitation to CPMR. Our findings showed that all respondents were more likely to visit public lands (e.g., sno-parks) for winter recreation than CPMR. Public parks and sno-parks may provide particularly unique and valuable opportunities for Latinx residents and individuals from low-income groups who are historically underrepresented with respect to winter recreation in California’s Central Valley. Overall, our results yield two key conclusions regarding winter recreation: (1) commercial resort managers (e.g., CPMR) should seek ways to minimize existing structural and cultural barriers to visitation, thereby attracting a more diverse clientele; and (2) providers should consider public lands such as sno-parks as key alternatives for diverse residents seeking winter recreation experiences—especially non-White and lowincome populations who rarely visit private mountain resorts.

Forest Tourism and Recreation Management in the Polish Bieszczady Mountains in the Opinion of Tourist Guides

This article presents results of research carried out in 2018 that aimed to determine the opinions of Bieszczady mountain guides on the scope of development of tourism and recreational infrastructure in the Bieszczady forests, Poland. The online survey included questions regarding nature protection in the Bieszczady region, factors limiting opportunities for tourism and recreation development in the Bieszczady forests, and the needs regarding new elements of tourism and recreation management of the area. Our research results indicate that the greatest impediments to the recreational use of the forest result from temporary restrictions on forest access, which are related to hunting or forest-management works. Most the interviewed guides were against further development of the tourist and recreational infrastructure in the Bieszczady forests. They were also in favor of extending the nature protection area in Bieszczady. Statistical analyses using the Kruskal–Wallis test showed that persons who are against, in favor of and neutral on extending the nature protection area in the Bieszczady forests varied significantly in their views on issues such as hunting or restrictions on forest access related to forest-management works. Compared to the other respondents, the supporters of extending the range of protected areas were more frequently against designating new recreation spaces or bonfire places in the Bieszczady forests.

Mitigating hypothetical bias by defaulting to opt-out in an online choice

ABSTRACT Hypothetical Bias (HB) is an ongoing concern for welfare estimates generated from stated preference approaches. Employing a default option has been shown to affect decision-making and outcomes in a variety of settings. We implement a split-sample design to study the effect of setting the opt-out alternative as a default choice in a Choice Experiment. Our results show that making the opt-out a default significantly decreases the willingness to pay for attributes, indicative of the presence and mitigation of potential HB. Defaulting to the opt-out alternative also causes considerable shifts in the rank of value among the attributes. This study is conducted in the context of proactive protection against bed bugs, an understudied but vexing issue to resource and recreation management as well as to the broader hospitality industry.

Биоклиматические ресурсы рекреационного природопользования Алтае-Саянской горной страны в летний период

Биоклиматические ресурсы рекреационного природопользования Алтае-Саянской горной страны в летний период

Applying LiDAR for Parks and Protected Area Management

Many parks and protected areas around the globe lack basic resource inventories needed for the creation of effective sustainable management plans. Despite the absence of comprehensive resource inventories, outdoor recreation planners still have to address existing problems and threatened resources on protected lands as best as they can. The challenge for parks and protected areas managers is to establish this priority, given the lack of much-needed resources and data. To address this gap, remote sensing technologies such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) can be used by recreation managers to create cost-effective resource inventories for large areas of land in national and local parks. This research note demonstrates how the use of LIDAR technology and historical archives can be used to create a resource inventory of a variety of historic features in the Bear Hole Watershed of West Springfield, Massachusetts, an area that encompasses over 1,293 acres of protected park lands. Subscribt to JPRA

TOURIST PERCEPTION TOWARDS RECREATION CENTRE IN MALAYSIA

Recreation centre become one of the centres for a family to bring their children for recreation and leisure activity. Moreover, the recreation centre is the place for education, research, and awareness to the public. The main objective of this study is to investigate factors that relate to tourist perception in their reference to their interest, expectations, satisfaction, and a general understanding of the recreation centre. The antecedent factors are awareness of the surrounding environment, visitor experiences, and destination image. This research using a quantitative method via a survey questionnaire and a domestic tourist as a sample. A sample is consist of 384 respondent of domestic tourists who visited the recreation centre in Malaysia. This survey has been done in Zoo Negara, Aquaria KLCC, and FRIM, Kepong. The results show the majority of respondents are female, age below 26 years old, single, obtained higher education, working, and had an income below RM1000. The respondents are mostly from Selangor and their purpose of visit to the recreation centre is for leisure and recreation. The major source of information to visit the recreation centre was from the internet. There were have a significant relationship between an antecedent factor with tourist perception towards the recreation centre in Malaysia. The result of this study will help marketers and management of recreation centres to understand the perceptions of their future visitors. Based on the study, it is should be used as an initial benchmark for the future study, however, they may execute a depth analysis on the tourism that related to the recreation centre in Malaysia.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CYCLING ACROSS VARIOUS NATIONS

The purpose of this paper was to find the impact of cycling in five nations, namely Canada, Europe, New Zealand, UK and USA. Bicycle tourism and trail tourism contribute significantly to local, state, national and international economies (Handy et al., 2014). Research papers for the mentioned five Nations were analysed about the volume of their economic impact, and which were most benefitted. Analysis is based on behaviours (satisfaction) of cyclists, development of local communities and small scale businesses, management and governance of cycling, tourism, environment, recreation, health benefits, tourists and commuters, which saved the state and national governments' funds as well as increased fuel and moneysaving. Six broad factors, i.e., area's topography, its climate, the cycling infrastructure, presence of accessible bicycle resources, business support and community support were analysed to examine their affect on cycling. Characteristics of Indian market were also examined, based on which few suggestions are given.

�INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY� � WELLNESS AND RECREATION: FROM PRODUCTION TO CONTEMPLATIVE NATURE MANAGEMENT

Topicality. At the practical level of economic support for social and environmental policies of the state, there is a need to combine the approach of the experience industry with the accessibility and involvement of as many people and businesses as possible in this service industry, above all, in the field of wellness and recreation. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate the factors of wellness and recreation that meet the concepts of sustainable inclusive development and experience economy in recreational nature management. Research results. The inclusive experience economy is defined as a system of social relations in which for the maximum number of agents their economic opportunities related to experience (impressions, emotions, feelings, memories) are maximized as a specific especially valuable (in psycho-emotional, aesthetic and other sense) service. The development of the inclusive experience economy is conceptualized in recreational nature management based on behavioral, environmental, socio-natural, eco-friendly and social-market approaches, in order to regulate ecological and economic relations in the conditions of transformation of extractive economic as well as political and social institutions into inclusive ones for ensuring human well-being. Conclusion. The methodological approach to substantiation of the essential component of well-being is proposed, which is mediated by the contradiction of �experience / impression � inclusion� and allows, subject to systematic state support and environmental quality assurance, to create a basis for attracting long-term investment in those economic sectors whose impact on well-being is, above all, wellness and recreational. Methodological principles of environmental research are improved, namely: the principle of genetic unity (inclusiveness) of nature and society, the principle of indirectness (comprehensiveness) of the role of social production in the interconnection �society � nature�, the principle of reproduction (responsibility) of nature.

DEVELOPMENT OF INCLUSIVITY IN THE FIELD OF RECREATIONAL NATURE MANAGEMENT ON THE EXAMPLE OF BEACH TERRITORIES

Topicality. Ensuring inclusiveness in the field of recreational nature management plays a special role in the system of economic development of the country and further integration into the European Union.The modern institutional base is rather fragmentary in terms of administrative regulation of beach areas - the environment of a set of valuable natural resources that are attractive for business development.This leads to the impossibility of effective economic assessment of territories, preservation of their ecological status, and as a consequence prevents the pursuit of global economic trends.Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to reveal the characteristics of an inclusive approach and outline the components of the organization and development of beach areas. Formulation of criteria for creating an inclusive beach. Substantiation of introduction of principles of the organization of inclusiveness of recreational natural resources on an example of the beaches which have received the Blue Flag status.Research results. The authors consider the legislative basis, strategies and action plans for the protection of the marine environment of Ukraine and its use. The rules of use of shore protection structures, which are places of mass recreation, are presented and contradictions are revealed in them. The principles of inclusive use of beach areas are declared. The state of pollution of beach areas, methods of assessing the impact of economic activities on marine ecosystems, the state of tourist flows and proposals are analyzed.Conclusion. It is substantiated that there is no scientific theoretical basis, and in the legislative field there is no single legal act that regulates the issues of beach areas, their pollution, the relevant economic relations. It is substantiated that there is no zoning of beach areas and their ecological condition is not taken into account when calculating the cost of rent. At an insufficient level - compliance with the social needs of different segments of the population and ensuring the care, use and protection of the contact area as a whole. The necessity of using tax policy, rent payments based on economic assessment of natural recreational resources taking into account the ecological component is substantiated.

ECOLOGICAL-PHYTOCENOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE FIELD LAYER OF URBAN RECREATIONAL FORESTS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF KALUGA AND OBNINSK)

The aim of this study is to study the diversity of the ecological-coenotic structure of the field layer of the residual urban forests, using as an example the cities Kaluga and Obninsk, which have different approaches to the conservation of residual forest communities in the city. Obninsk practices the conservation of forest zones that have entered the urban environment as recreational objects, while in Kaluga, such forest communities are in a state of interrupted succession and have experienced forestry activities. The objectives of the study are to study the ecological-coenotic and ecological-biological spectra of the field layer of forest ecosystems, and to identify adventive and protected plant species. The study took place in 2014-2015. In the forest communities under study, 30 sites were selected for geobotanical descriptions by the Braun-Blanquet method at different periods of the growing season (in June and August) to fully cover floristic diversity. A total during the observation period were made 240 floristic descriptions. Kaluga city forests turned out to be more susceptible to negative changes occurring in conditions of recreational forest management. The field layer of the Kaluga forest recreational zones turned out to be more susceptible to negative changes occurring under the influence of anthropogenic pressure, in comparing with the Obninsk forest recreational zones. This is expressed in the proportion of ecological-coenotic and ecological-biological groups, the presence of a greater number of alien species in the studied communities of Kaluga, which indicates greater resistance to the recreational load of the city forests of Obninsk. For example, the share of the group of forest habitats is much higher in Obninsk, where forest species make up more than half of all types of grass layer (54,2%). In the Kaluga forests, the share of forest habitats is lower and amounted to 47,5%. The discovered difference in the stability of the field layer of the Obninsk forests is presumably due to the strategy of their conservation in the urban area in a state of natural succession. The practical significance of the results obtained can be the possibility of using them to determine the degree of negative changes in recreational forests. The direction of further research can be directed at organizing monitoring of the urban forests of Kaluga and Obninsk according to the state of the field layer.

Combating Heightened Social Isolation of Nursing Home Elders: The Telephone Outreach in the COVID-19 Outbreak Program

Social isolation and loneliness-common concerns in older adults-are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address social isolation in nursing home residents, the Yale School of Medicine Geriatrics Student Interest Group initiated a Telephone Outreach in the COVID-19 Outbreak (TOCO) Program that implements weekly phone calls with student volunteers. Local nursing homes were contacted; recreation directors identified appropriate and interested elderly residents. Student volunteers were paired with elderly residents and provided phone call instructions. Three nursing homes opted to participate in the program. Thirty elderly residents were paired with student volunteers. Initial reports from recreation directors and student volunteers were positive: elderly residents look forward to weekly phone calls and express gratitude for social connectedness. The TOCO program achieved initial success and promotes the social wellbeing of nursing home residents. We hope to continue this program beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in order to address this persistent need in a notably vulnerable patient population.

Implications of setting preference differences by race and gender on the applicability of a benefits-based management approach to recreational planning

Individuals recreate to realize desired experiences or benefits. When used for recreational planning, benefits-based management (BBM) is an approach that focuses on understanding and managing for the beneficial outcomes of recreational experiences. Outcome focused management (OFM) builds on this to understand the larger system of recreation facilitation and the wider range of outcomes beyond the individual recreational experience. The challenge for outdoor recreation managers is to determine which outcomes are desired by visitors and work to provide appropriate setting and activity opportunities to help them realize those outcomes. Linking setting characteristics to benefits is complicated by the fact that recreationists are not a homogeneous group. Research has been conducted on different activity and setting preferences, motivations, and constraints to outdoor recreation, comparing and contrasting race and gender differences. However, how desired benefits are linked to specific recreation setting characteristics remains poorly understood. Furthermore, studies of recreation opportunity settings often involve a generalized spectrum without addressing many setting characteristics that are important for an increasingly diverse public. Our study addresses these research needs by investigating the urban demand for private land recreation and the differences in this demand between race and gender groups within the southeastern U.S. Variables of race (African American/Caucasian) and gender (male/female) were analyzed by motivations (beneficial outcome sought), activity preference, preferred setting characteristics, and constraints. Results show that both females and African Americans place greater importance on the more developed setting aspects of the outdoor recreation experience. Furthermore, while the motivations (beneficial outcomes sought) for the different groups were largely consistent, many of the setting characteristics needed to achieve those same benefits were found to be significantly different across gender and race. This study indicates that management should consider an enlarged conception of important setting characteristics to better understand diverse audiences. More investigation is needed regarding how desired benefits are linked to specific recreation settings across user groups. Subscribe to JPRA

Pictures of polar bears: Using visitor employed photography to identify experience indicators in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The purpose of this research is to apply visitor employed photography (VEP) to recreation management to develop indicators of the wildlife viewing experience. VEP and semi-structured interviews were used at a popular polar bear viewing destination in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge). Visitors to the Arctic Refuge who participated in an on-site semi-structured interview were asked to participate in a VEP procedure after their visit. A sample of 24 semi-structured interviews, and 17 VEP responses were collected and compared to test the utility of VEP to develop indicators of the wildlife viewing experience. Results indicate that VEP offers additional and unique types of information from semi-structured interviews for identifying indicators of the wildlife viewing experience. Potential indicators that emerged from VEP include ‘time spent on the water viewing polar bears’, and the ‘number of vessels in view.’ Indicators emerged exclusively from the VEP procedure, demonstrating the utility of VEP for recreation management and scientific inquiry.

The Fulfillment of Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation and Related Professions Standards Through a Youth-Adult Partnership

The Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) outlines standards for recreation programs to ensure a quality educational experience. The current case study presents findings from a youth-adult partnership in support of various COAPRT standards to assist in the development of aspiring recreation professionals. Observation and reflection data from two consecutive partnerships between youth in a high school Physical Education course and collegiate students from a Historically Black College University’s Health, Physical Education, and Recreation program are presented based on the four dimensions of Wu, Kornbluh, Weiss, and Roddy’s (2016) youth-adult partnership (Y-AP) rubric. The results are presented based on the Y-AP rubric’s dimensions: authentic decision making, natural mentors, reciprocity, and community connectedness to illustrate how they support COAPRT standards 7.01(a) (b), 7.02, and 7.03 (COAPRT, 2014). Implications are provided to support the value a Y-AP implementation can provide recreation management programs as they seek and maintain COAPRT accreditation in the development of their students.

Older Men’s Coffee Hour: A look at Social Interactions, Social Support and Well-Being

Social support and social resources acquired in the context of leisure experiences is also essential to individuals’ health (Cho, Martin, & Poon, 2015). House (1981) asserted that social relationships, social networks, and social support have important causal effects on health, stress, and their relationships. Evidence also indicates interpersonal relationships (e.g., friendships, companions, people who one can rely on) are important to maintain health and longevity (Cherry et al., 2013; House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988). One area less explored is older men’s leisure patterns, social support and health. It is common to observe older men sharing breakfast, coffee and conversation in various public places in the United States. Participating in a coffee group can facilitate a sense of belonging and provide a way to engage socially and stay connected (Broughton, Payne, & Liechty, 2017). However, social relationships and their connections to health among men are less understood aspects of their aging experiences. Thus, we aimed to understand the ways in which participation in a coffee group facilitates social support and the types of social support evident within the men’s coffee group experience. One-on-one interviews were conducted and field notes created from observations made during the coffee group meetings. Interviews were audio recorded and data were analyzed thematically using open and axial coding (Merriam, 2009). The coffee group men exchanged significant and meaningful social support regularly. In themes that emerged from their stories, these men articulated how they exchanged different forms of social support including instrumental, informational, emotional, and appraisal support. Support received from family and friends is an important component of health and well-being (VonDras & Madey, 2004). In these groups, social support was apparent and seemed to contribute positively to the men’s experience and well-being. Importantly, these findings, suggest that social relationships and engagement help older adults flourish in later life (Steptoe & Fancourt, 2019). One way recreation managers could utilize this information is by facilitating more ways for older adults to socialize casually with each other, including casual drop-in spaces, pick-up card and board games, and other informal gatherings at local recreation centers. Subscribe to JPRA

Recreation-related disturbance to wildlife in California—better planning for and management of recreation are vital to conserve wildlife in protected areas where recreation occurs

Expanding levels of authorized and unauthorized non-consumptive recreation increasingly threaten sensitive biological resources in areas protected primarily or solely to conserve them. As California’s human population grows, recreational use in protected areas grows commensurately. The majority of the documented effects on wildlife from non-consumptive recreation are negative; they include detrimental changes in behavior, reproduction, growth, immune system function, levels of stress hormones, and finally, to the survival of individual animals and persistence of wildlife populations and communities. This paper provides insights from the recreation ecology literature into these recreation-related disturbances to insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals from hiking, jogging, biking, horseback riding, boating, and off-highway/ all-terrain vehicles. The documented evidence of these disturbances to wildlife reveals the flaw in the prevalent assumption that recreation is compatible with biological conservation, the dual-role protected areas’ core function. This assumption usually rests on the expectations of (1) allowing only ecologically sound siting of recreational areas and ecologically acceptable types, levels, and timing of recreation, and (2) providing sufficient monitoring, management, and enforcement of recreation to ensure the perpetuation of viable populations of focal sensitive species. However, it is rare that these expectations are met. The ultimate essential outcome of the information provided in this paper is the cessation of the extant recreation-related exploitation of dual-role protected areas. This calls for a societal course change involving: widespread, long-term, and continual multimedia dissemination of the science-based information about recreation-related disturbance to wildlife; application of a science-based approach to siting recreational areas and allowing only ecologically acceptable types, levels, and timing of recreation; and, perpetual personnel and funding explicitly for management at levels commensurate with recreational pressure. These measures would also improve the often cited economic, educational, and recreational/health benefits of dual-role protected areas.