Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons^™

Biodiversity Loss & Urban Heat: A Nature- Based Wildlife Policy For The Las Vegas Metro, Zachary Billot

Student Research

As the population of the Las Vegas Metro continues to grow, new developments expand on the periphery. As Las Vegas continues to increase in size and develop further into wildlife habitat, not only are native animals and plants endangered, but residents are at risk of increasingly dangerous urban heat given the increase in impervious cover that makes Las Vegas the 2nd fastest warming metro in the U.S. This policy brief examines current policy and practice in place to highlight the need for positive human-wildlife interaction that will address the growing threat of biodiversity loss and heat vulnerability. This policy brief …

Park Access And Quality In Mountain West Cities, 2023, Maryam Raja, Julia Salangsang, Vanessa M. Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet presents data from a 2023 publication from The Trust for Public Land ParkScore® Index1 which provides data on public parks for the 100 largest cities in the United States. The fact sheet includes park scores for the cities in the Mountain West states of Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. This fact sheet expands upon a previously published fact sheet on park access and quality from 2020.

The Outdoor Recreation Economy In The Mountain West, 2020, Miguel Soriano Ralston, Joshua Padilla, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet provides select data from the State Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) on the 2020 outdoor recreation economy in the Mountain West region, including Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.

Strengthening The Southern Nevada Workforce Pipeline, Katie M. Gilbertson

Student Research

Workforce development has been a keystone in the discussion of economic diversification of Las Vegas for decades. The leisure and hospitality industry is the lifeline for the Southern Nevada economy due to the reliance on tourism as the city’s main economic driver. The leisure and hospitality industry requires physical labor and more face-to-face customer interaction than other employment sectors. Thus, these jobs often do not require high educational attainment, but rather sharp soft skills like effective listening, nonverbal communication, and negotiation strategies. While these are valuable traits, the lack of educational attainment within the leisure and hospitality workforce suppresses employees’ …

Land Use In Nevada: Counties And The Bureau Of Land Management (Blm), Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Kelliann Beavers, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This Fact Sheet compares land ownership in the State of Nevada, and its 17 counties. Drawn from an original report by Headwaters Economics, the figures and tables that follow provide each jurisdiction’s total land acreage, 2019 population estimates, and a breakdown of land ownership categories, including: private lands, federal lands, state lands, tribal lands, and land owned by cities, counties, or other jurisdictions.

Diversifying The National Parks, Amalia Sommer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Flower Blooms In The Desert: Managing For Collaboration, Josphine Gatti Schafer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is a dissertation about local, regional and federal agencies charged with the development of parks, trails and natural areas in Southern Nevada. The context for the delivery of this service is a network. Networks are an increasingly common context for service delivery in the United States; however, their value for constituents has been questioned. Some suggest that the advantages of capacity building and social capital that are expected when organizations work across their typical boundaries are not as significant as expected. This dissertation provides knowledge to add to this debate.

The dissertation is an in-depth case study that evaluates …

School Program Planning To Increase Active Transport To School, Brenda Aguilar

McNair Poster Presentations

Studies have shown that active transport is known to increase physical activity of children, decrease traffic congestion and the production of greenhouse gasses. This study examines active transport to school (ATS) [walking, biking, or other self-powered wheels to school] among elementary students. Through the Nevada Moves Day program an increase proportion of elementary students who use ATS was expected.

This study was done at two elementary schools, one being the intervention school that participated in the Nevada Moves Day, and a control school, which did not participate. Data was collected over a three week period. Students using active transport and …

Management Research In The Hospitality And Tourism Industry, Xu Cheng

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify the current research trends and clarify the changing direction of scholarly studies on knowledge management. The context of this study is hospitality and tourism research with a focus on research publications between 2006 and 2010. Published scholarly studies within this period are examined through content analysis, using such keywords as knowledge management, organizational learning, hospitality, tourism, tourist destinations, travel industry, hotels, lodging, motels, hotel industry, gaming, casino hotel and convention to search scholarly research journals. All contributions found are then screened for a hospitality and tourism theme and KM as the main …

Centennial Hills Active Adult Center Business Plan, K. C. Brekken, Jeff Buchanan, David Gordon, Doug Guild

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The economic indicators for the state of Nevada indicate a bleak financial future. The foreclosure rate of the Las Vegas Valley is five times the national average and the highest rate in the country (Hoak, 2010). Sales tax revenues continue spiraling down and fell by 6.6 percent in December 2009 from December 2008 (Garcia, 2010). State politicians face an estimated budget deficit of $3.5 billion. Local conditions are equally dire. The City of Las Vegas faces a budget shortfall of nearly $69 million for this fiscal year (Choate, 2010). City administrators struggle to find creative solutions to fill financial gaps …

Transforming Space Into Place: Development, Rock Climbing, And Interpretation In Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, 1960-2010, Megan Sharp Weatherly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Though Americans tend to view wilderness as separate from nature, environmental historians have argued that wilderness is a cultural construct more than a quantifiable geographic category. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NCA), a 195,000-acre tract located west of Las Vegas, Nevada, is one such cultural construction. Since 1960, this BLM-managed parcel has served as a local and regional expression of broader, national trends in outdoor recreation, interpretation, and development and thereby forced visitors to engage (often unknowingly) in a cultural dialogue about consumerism, technology, and identity. With information from newspapers, archival collections, oral histories, and government documents, this thesis …

Camping: A Positive Developmental Context For Youth With Disabilities/Serious Illness, Christopher T. Troxell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The paper will examine how elements of youth development can enhance the camp experience, so that new camps for youth with disabilities and/or serious illness, such as Flying Horse Farms, can start with a solid knowledge base of what works and why it works. Also, even though the paper is geared toward these specific types of camps, part of its recommendation could be modified to fit the purpose of any camp.

City Of Boulder City Parks And Recreation Department Revenue Policy And User Fee Analysis, Karla Fritchman, Jayne Harkins, Cheryl Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recreation user fees and facility rental fees provide sources of revenue for the City that comes directly from the beneficiary of the service instead of from the general fund. The term user fee will be used in this analysis and will refer to all types of fees and use charges paid by participants using recreation services or facilities.

There were four objectives for this analysis. The first was to determine if any Parks and Recreation Departments in the Las Vegas Valley had current revenue policies and to collect and compare user fees in the Las Vegas Valley against Boulder City …

Clark County Parks And Recreation, Daniel Davis, Josh Martinez, Steven Schyman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As our primary assignment in PUA 791 (Topics in Administration), the following report has been prepared. It includes an examination of the current policies governing the programs offered by the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department as well as a comparison (benchmark) of two similar metropolitan areas. The following analysis was completed during the months of February thru July, 2006. It consisted of a series of interviews with Recreation Department managers from various agencies as well as information gathered from Management of Park and Recreation Text, 2005 and CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies).

Inside Unlv, Lanelda Rolley, Shane Bevell, Carol C. Harter, Lanelda Rolley, Mamie Peers, Diane Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Streamlining The National Environmental Policy Act Reporting Requirements: A Hard Look At The Healthy Forests Initiative, Jeffrey Alan Geller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has implemented the Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI) (2002), which streamlines the NEPA process for proposed forest fuel reduction projects. A key question is whether the USFS’s streamlined NEPA process produces an adequate environmental document and fulfills regulatory requirements. This thesis evaluates whether the streamlined approach practiced by the USFS under the HFI satisfies the NEPA requirements. A review of four streamlined documents assesses whether these requirements are met. The following NEPA requirements in particular are explored for each project to determine whether the NEPA requirements are met: consideration of a reasonable range of alternatives to …

Northwest Open Space Plan, Greenways Incorporated

Publications (SD)

The purpose of this Open Space Plan is to protect non-programmed and programmed open space which in the future can be devoted to 1) the preservation of natural resources; 2) outdoor recreation; 3) preservation of hsitoric and cultural property; 4) protection of scenic landscapes; and 5) protection of public health, safety and welfare. To accomplish this purpose, the city of Las Vegas needs to adopt aggressive policies and programs that balance growth with natural resource conservation. The city is in need of a stewardship program that protects valued open space before it is permanently lost to development.

Cost Recovery Plans: Are They Being Used As A Financial Planning Tool In Parks And Recreation Departments?, Billie M. Bastian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For several years tax dollars have gradually diminished, causing parks and recreation managers to become more entrepreneurial in developing financial strategies for delivering high quality and cost efficient recreational services to the citizens. One financial tool, under much discussion, is for parks and recreation managers to establish formal cost recovery plans for their departments. This paper presents the results of a study in which local Nevada governmental parks and recreation departments were surveyed and evaluated to determine if they are using formal cost recovery plans and if cost efficiencies have been improved. The research focused on identifying factors associated with …

Policy For Management Of Living Collections At The Las Vegas Springs Preserve, Peter F. Duncombe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper, prepared for the Department of Public Administration, discusses policy in botanic gardens in regard to development and management of living collections and the potential implementation at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. Review of the literature and study of policy from other institutions has resulted in recommendation of policy for the Preserve. Its basic contents describe the purpose and need for collections policy, examine the elements of collection policy, characterizes the types of living collections to be held at the Preserve, and outlines the objectives of these collections. This document raises issues associated with the management of living collections …

Golf Courses In Southern Nevada Will Significantly Impact The Water Management Efforts By Using Recycled Water Rather Than Potable Water To Irrigate Their Turf, Sean D. Ainsworth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As the number of people continually move to the Las Vegas Valley and take up residence, the possibility of "running out of water" can become a reality. Having large water users (i.e. golf courses) irrigate their turf with recycled water, they will significantly impact the water management efforts in the Las Vegas Valley. When each course is irrigating their turf with recycled water, this will help ease the drinking water demand in the valley, especially during the peak demand season (summer).

Describing The Elephant: Multiple Perspectives In New York City's Watershed Protection Conflict, Krystyna Anne Stave

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

New York City's efforts to avoid filtration mandated by the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments and the 1989 Surface Water Treatment Rule have generated considerable controversy. Since the conflict began in 1990, a spectrum of stakeholder groups has emerged, representing land owners, sport fishermen, businesses, environmental groups, developers, and watershed communities. What was originally defined by New York City water supply managers as a scientific problem--identifying sources of water quality degradation and preventing contaminants from entering the water supply system--now has broadened to include a diverse set of social and economic issues as well.

Determining Recreational Visitor Carrying Capacity: The Case Of Black Canyon At Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Kenneth C. Forman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, created by Hoover and Davis Dams respectively, were combined, along with much of the surrounding area, into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964. The enabling legislation is specific about the duty the National Park Service has to the public to create and maintain this, and other, national recreation areas for the benefit of the visitors, the environment, and future generations. By investigating human impacts on the physical environment (water quality, litter, etc.) and by querying park users on their opinions (with respect to crowding, visitor behavior, etc.), insight can be gained about appropriate …