Neal Christensen

The Relationship Between Perceptions of Wilderness Character and Attitudes Toward Management Intervention to Adapt Biophysical Resources to a Changing Climate and Nature Restoration at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

In a recent national survey of federal wilderness managers, respondents identified the high priority need for scientific information about public attitudes toward biophysical intervention to adapt to climate change and attitudes of the public toward restoration of natural conditions. In a survey of visitors to one National Park wilderness in California, visitors revealed that they largely do not support biophysical intervention in wilderness to mitigate the effects of climate change, but broad support for activities that restore natural conditions exists. In an attempt to understand how these attitudes vary among visitors, it was found that those visitors who most value naturalness aspects of wilderness character also most positively support restoration and are most negative toward climate change intervention practices. More information about visitor-defined wilderness character attributes is needed and strategic planning to guide intervention decisions and restoration should be a priority. In this study, it was found that wilderness character is largely defined by visitors based on its wildness attributes, which include natural sounds, low density of people, pure water, clean air, and the presence of humans substantially unnoticeable.

Comparing manager and visitor perceptions of llama use in wilderness

Llama use in wilderness is projected to increase over the next 5 years. While the greatest concerns about this increase in use are unexpected impacts to native flora, impacts to native fauna, and conflicts with other user types, there is also concern about how prepared managers are to deal with this increasing recreation demand. This research compares manager attitudes and knowledge to those of hikers, horseback riders, and commercial llama customers in the Intermountain West. With managersi expectations that all packstock use will continue to increase in the near future, this assessment of differences in attitudes will help in understanding current positions regarding impacts of llama use in wilderness.

Place Attachment for Wildland Recreation Planning

Public land managers are challenged to develop strategies to assess public interests for wildland places. Organized stakeholder groups are often the most powerful means available to articulate interests in a public planning process. This chapter argues for improved citizen representation based on an understanding of place attachment. Place attachment is most fully expressed through the interaction of beliefs, emotions, and behaviors related to a particular place. The case study described in this chapter used survey research to assess place attachment within a local community involved in planning for a national forest stewardship project in southwestern Montana. The motorized recreation use plan was contentious among off-highway vehicle enthusiasts and other stakeholders. Identifying segments of the public according to place attachments revealed unrecognized community alliances and potential opportunities for collaboration.