Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons^™

People And Nature: Toward An Ecological Model Of Health Promotion, Daniel L. Dustin, Kelly S. Bricker, Keri Schwab

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Striving for a healthier relationship among individuals, families, communities, nations, and the environment is imperative at a time in history when humankind can change the face of the earth in monumental ways. This dynamic health relationship, with an emphasis on the contributions of parks, recreation, and tourism to health promotion, is the subject of this article. A broader conception of health that moves beyond human physical and mental health to include familial, communal, national, international, and global ecological health is called for, and a more comprehensive ecological model of health promotion, including consideration of health from a holistic ecological perspective, …

Managing Small-Medium Cities In A Time Of Globalization: Experiences And Evidence From Florida’S Public Managers, Nadine V. Wedderburn

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how public management practitioners in small and medium-sized Florida cities perceive globalization and its impact on public management practice. Using qualitative analysis, descriptive statistics and factor analysis methods, data obtained from a survey and semi-structured interviews were studied to comprehend how public managers view the management and control of their municipalities in a time of globalization. The study shows that the public managers’ perceptions of globalization and its impact on public management in Florida’s small-medium cities are nuanced. Whereas some public managers feel that globalization has significant impacts on municipalities’ viability, others opine that globalization has no …

A Comparison Of Recreation Therapy Intervention Using Nintendo Wiitm Bowling With Participation In A Tai Chi Program On Balance, Enjoyment, And Leisure Competence Of Older Adults In A Community Based Setting, Hollie Summey

All Theses

Many older adults experience a decrease in physical activity, which often leads to decreases in functioning. Older adults have been shown to have the lowest levels of physical activity for all age groups. This lack of physical activity has been shown to lead to decreases in performance of activities of daily living (ADLs), independence, quality of life, and increases in number of falls, chance of institutionalization, morbidity, and mortality. Physical activity programs in community settings help to restore or maintain physical function and lessen the level of dependence so that individuals will be able to reach the highest level of …

An Examination Of The Night Hiking Experience In Parks And Protected Areas, John Beeco

All Theses

Many protected areas offer night programs for visitors; however, night hours have not been fully recognized as a potential resource in these areas. Night hours in protected areas could provide visitors with experiences unique to these times of the day. Also, typically low levels of visitation during night hours could provide visitors with additional or better suited opportunities to fulfill motivations and benefits sought during daytime activities. Furthermore, night hours could be used by managers to increase or temporally disperse use. The National Park Service's Natural Sounds and Natural Lightscapes programs provide a direction for the protection of this resource; …

Exploring The Motivations Of Base Jumpers: Extreme Sport Enthusiasts, Tara L. Allman, Robin D. Mittelstaedt, Bruce Martin, Marni Goldenberg

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Little previous research has been conducted exploring the motivational factors that influence a person's desire to participate in extreme sports. The researchers used a means-end approach (e.g. semi-structured interviews) to explore motivations for participation in the extreme sport of BASE jumping. BASE jumping is the activity of parachuting from bridges, buildings, antennas, and cliffs, in which participants have been identified as voluntary-risk takers. The results indicated that BASE jumpers deliberately took risks as a means of becoming positively transformed, which was essential to their quality of life. The study findings hold important implications for researchers interested in further studies of …

High Plains Travel And Recreation Perception Survey Results , Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Western Montana and the Bismarck area of North Dakota were the target areas for the Montana Office of Tourism's summer, 2009 marketing campaign highlighting Montana's High Plains, including the attractions, activities and landscape found in eastern Montana. This study evaluated the awareness of the High Plains amongst residents of these two areas and, aditionally, assessed their perceptions of the High Plains as a place to visit.

Involvement Of Park And Recreation Professionals In Pedestrian Plans, Kelly R. Evenson, Semra Aytur, Daniel A. Rodriguez, David Salveson

Health Management & Policy

Professionals from many different disciplines are finding innovative ways to work together to increase physical activity to help create healthier communities. One process that can provide a focal point for promoting physical activity by park and recreation professionals, land use and transportation planners, public health practitioners, and other stakeholders is the development and implementation of pedestrian plans. A pedestrian plan is a public document that lays out a community’s vision for future pedestrian activity, identifies the actions required to realize that vision, ties actions to funding sources, and describes implementation and use. The purpose of this study was to explore …

Planning For Pedestrians And Bicyclists In North Carolina., Kelly R. Evenson, Semra Aytur, Daniel A. Rodriguez, Sara B. Satinsky

Health Management & Policy

Over the past decade, as obesity has continued to rise among both youth and adults, interest has grown in developing policies to promote community environments that support healthy lifestyles.1 A broad range of local, regional, state, and federal policies under the rubrics of active living, smart growth, and sustainable development share the underlying assumption that they can help people make healthier choices. From a transportation planning perspective, the benefits of pedestrian and bicycle plans resulting from the building of infrastructure to support pedestrian and bicycle travel include improved health (for example, through increased levels of physical activity and reduced obesity), …

Park Visitors: A Summary, Christine Oschell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report is the last in a series of three reports which detail results from a study conducted in 2008 and 2009 of visitors to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. The report briefly summarizes results from the whole sample of visitors to both parks.

Yellowstone National Park Visitors: A Seasonal Analysis, Christine Oschell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report is part of a series that examines visitors in gateway communities of both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks with the purpose of understanding the lifestyle, habits, values, demographics and travel characteristics of visitors to the parks. This report details only the results of Yellowstone visitors and presents the results by the season in which the visitors were intercepted (spring, summer and fall, 2008). The findings suggest that visitors to Yellowstone do not differ significantly, regardless of season of visitation, in their lifestyles, habits, preferred experiences or values.

Florida Boating Access Facilities Inventory And Economic Study, Including A Pilot Study For Lee County: A Report To The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Bordner Research, Inc., Recreational Marine Research Center Of Michigan State University, Center For Urban And Environmental Solutions Of Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Economics, Inc., Planning And Zoning Center Of Michigan State University, Resource Economics Research, Llc

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This report describes the work program and results of the "Statewide Boating Access Facilities Inventory and Economic Study Including a Pilot Study for Lee County, Florida" commissioned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 2005. The study was funded in part by a grant to the FWC from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by Lee County. The scope and objectives of the study are summarized in the introduction, and the subsequent sections report on the various components of the study.

For many years, Florida has been among the fastest growing states in the nation, which …

An Examination Of The Leave No Trace Visitor Education Program In Two Us National Park Service Units, Wade Vagias

All Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine overnight National Park Service (NPS) backcountry visitors' behavioral intentions to comply with promoted LNT principles as well as their opinions regarding the efficacy of various LNT education delivery strategies. Leave No Trace is the most pervasive outdoor skills and ethics training program addressing human powered recreationists in existence however, empirical investigations into the efficacy and diffusion of the program have been scant to nonexistent.
The study sample was obtained by intercepting visitors at backcountry permit issuing stations in Glacier National Park (GNP) in northwest Montana and Olympic National Park (ONP) in northwest …

The Impact Of Transition Out Of Intercollegiate Athletics, Leslie Moreland-Bishop

All Dissertations

The college years are formative in adolescents' identity development, for intercollegiate athletes, the identity is 'athlete'. The extent an athlete relates to an athletic identity may play a role in behaviors, attitudes, and ultimately the transition from athlete to non-athlete. In this study, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Exhausted Eligibility Retirement Scale, and a demographic instrument were administered to student-athletes from a mid-sized public, land-grant university who had exhausted their athletic eligibility in the 2007-2008 academic year (N=53). Results indicated that athletes with a stronger athletic identity scored higher on the exhausted eligibility transition scale, suggesting the transition to …

Benefits Of Hiking: A Means-End Approach On The Appalachian Trail, Eddie Hill, Marni Goldenberg, Barbara Freidt

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

The purpose of this research was to examine the outcomes prompting hiking along the Appalachian Trail (AT). By using means-end theory, linkages between attributes, consequences, and values of the AT hiking experience were made. The researchers conducted forty-three interviews of AT hikers. Self-fulfillment, self-reliance, fun and enjoyment of life, and warm relationships with others were some of the values that emerged. Specifically, strong links existed between hiking and exercise, exercise and health, health and fun and enjoyment of life. While this area of research on the AT is new, results of this study can be used by recreational professionals that …

Green Pond Harbor Management Plan (Draft), Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Green Pond is one of a number of coastal ponds in Falmouth. It covers over 135 acres and is an important natural and recreational resource for the people of Falmouth and visitors. Most of the area around the pond is private residential property interspersed with a few commercial businesses and open space. As with other areas of Massachusetts, the tidelands around the pond fall within the jurisdiction of Chapter 91 (the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act). Through Chapter 91, the Commonwealth seeks to preserve and protect the rights of the public, and to guarantee that private uses of tidelands and waterways …

Consistency Of Developmental Outcomes Of 4-H Camp Experiences Over Time And Across Sites, Sarah Baughman, Barry A. Garst, Nicholas Fuhrman

Publications

The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental outcomes of 4-H camp experiences as identified by parents and guardians. The authors examined (1) the changes in youth life skill behaviors that parents/guardians attribute to a 5-day residential 4-H camping experience, (2) their perceptions of consistency in the life skills gained across multiple camps and years, and (3) differences in life skill development between male and female youth participants. Parents of campers ages 9-13 were randomly sampled in 2001 (n=363), 2004 (n=326), and 2007 (n=326) and asked to report changes in their child's behavior following camp. Results indicate an …

Montana Nonresident Quarterly Travel Comparisons-Vacationers: 2008, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report shows the 2008 quarterly visitation and length of stay data for nonresident vacationers to Montana. It also displays average daily spending for various expenditure categories, as well as total expenditures for those categories.

Science Tools To Implement Ecosystem Based Management In Massachusetts (Draft), Mrag Americas, Incorporated, Massachusetts Ocean Partnership, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

In this report we provide a framework for implementing ecosystem based management (EBM) and suggest a range of science information tools and their appropriate application to the decision making process. These tools can be broadly classified as modeling tools, decision analysis tools, and indicators. Modeling tools allow the user to organize data, communicate scientific findings to management and stakeholder audiences, and test alternative management scenarios. When used unwisely, however, models can preclude options, present unusable scenarios, generate results in scales that differ from management needs, and impose huge time, data, and technical requirements (Manno et al., 2008). Decision analysis tools …

South Burlington, Vt: Mixed-Use Comes To O’Dell Parkway, Ryan Neale, Brett Richardson, Richard Barringer

Planning

The proposed redevelopment of an underutilized property along major travel routes in South Burlington presents possibilities for infill development. The City of South Burlington, the developer, neighbors, and a variety of public and nonprofit financial partners work together to create a mixed-use residential/commercial development to meet a variety of housing and community needs. The case study describes the obstacles overcome to make redevelopment possible through zoning and regulatory changes, negotiation with local residents over traffic and other concerns, support from state and local housing advocates, and political leadership; as well as the development’s application of smart growth principles.

Montana Nonresident Visitation Trends: 1999-2009, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report displays the total number of individual nonresidents visiting Montana from 1999-2009. It also shows the total number of groups visiting Montana during the same time period.

Consumer Show Visitors: A Case Study , Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Tourism marketers often have a difficult time trying to weigh the costs and benefits of exhibiting at consumer shows. What defines success at a consumer show is different for each exhibitor, so a show that has great potential for one exhibitor may not be worth the effort and expense for another. In light of this, this case study was undertaken in an effort to answer several questions about attendees of the Washington Sportsmen’s Show, held in Puyallup, Washington in January, 2009.

Estimating The Private Consumption Benefits Derived From The College Football Game Experience, Anthony Dixon

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to estimate the private consumption benefits derived from the college football game experience and determine whether these benefits would justify the utilization of public subsidies for construction projects of university sports facilities. A systematic sampling strategy was used to collect email addresses from individuals visiting Clemson, South Carolina to participate in the Clemson University home football game experience. The study's response rate was 56.9% with a sample size of n=769. Results reveal South Carolina residents participating in the Clemson home football game experience derive $168.80 per person per game in private consumption benefits (i.e., …

Incentives And Disincentives For Day Visitors To Park And Ride Public Transportation At Acadia National Park, Frank Holly

All Theses

Acadia National Park, located on Maine's Mount Desert Island, attracts over 2 million visitors each year (National Park Service, 2009). To protect the park's natural resources and provide for superior visitor experiences, the National Park Service established the fare-free Island Explorer bus service in 1999 to transport visitors around the park and to surrounding destinations on Mount Desert Island. This service has seen a steady increase in annual ridership, and will further expand in the future with the completion of an off-island park-and-ride transit hub called the Acadia Gateway Center. The facility would serve as a place for day visitors …

Montana Nonresident Visitation Trends: 1998-2008, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report displays the total number of individual nonresidents visiting Montana from 1998-2008. It also shows the total number of groups visiting Montana during the same time period.

Montana Nonresident Traveler Expenditure Profiles: 2008, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report examines spending profiles of nonresident travelers to Montana. It displays the average daily expenditures by purpose of trip for different spending categories during 2008.

"Growing Without Limitations:" Transformation Among Young Adult Camp Staff, Barry A. Garst, Nancy K. Franz, Sarah Baughman, Chris Smith, Brian Peters

Publications

A strong body of research has developed over the last decade regarding the developmental outcomes of camp experiences of children and adolescents. However, few formal studies have been conducted to determine how camp experiences lead to deep personal change in young adult staff. In this study, the authors used focus groups and an online survey to explore transformation among young adult camp staff. Specifically, they examined (a) how camp involvement promotes transformation in young adults, and (b) what conditions in the camp environment promote personal change. Staff reported that personal change at camp was related to the developmental outcomes they …

Glacier National Park Visitors: A Seasonal Analysis, Christine Oschell, Megan Tanner, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report is part of a series that examines visitors in gateway communities of both Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks with the purpose of understanding the lifestyle, habits, values, demographics and travel characteristics of visitors to the parks. This report details only the results of Glacier visitors and presents the results by the season in which the visitors were intercepted (spring, summer and fall, 2008). The findings suggest that visitors to Glacier do not differ significantly, regardless of season of visitation, in their lifestyles, habits, preferred experiences or values.

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Study, Bynum Boley, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report provides information on attendees of Missoula's Big Sky Documentary Film Festival including where they were from, group aize, number of films attended, satisfaction with the event and basic demographics. In addition, spending by individual attendees from outside Missoula County is estimated.

First And Subsequent Visits To Montana: A Behavioral Analysis , Norma Nickerson, Dylan Boyle

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Interviews of nonresident repeat vacationers to Montana told the story of their very first visit to Montana. Seventy percent came to Montana and visited either Yellowstone or Glacier National Park. Thirty percent came originally for business, VFR, or passing through. All of these visitors felt the need to return to Montana. This report discusses the first and subsequent visits to Montana. Marketing implications of this study suggest that Yellowstone, specifically, and Glacier secondly, should be used to draw first time visitors to Montana. Other first time visitors are drawn to Montana for specific activities such as fishing, skiing, hunting, backpacking, …

Montana Poll: Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism, 1992-2008 , Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

In each of the past three strategic plans for Montana’s Travel and Tourism Industry, one goal has been to understand and then facilitate improved attitudes toward tourism in the state. Specifically, Montana's 2008-2012 Strategic Plan for Tourism and Recreation, Objective 10.5.c. says: “Continue regular monitoring of Montanans’ opinions about tourism and recreation.” This objective has a high priority designation. The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research (ITRR) has contributed to the understanding of resident attitudes by polling Montana residents about their attitudes and opinions regarding tourism since 1991.