Steven R. Lawson

Tradeoffs among social, resource, and management attributes of the Denali wilderness experience: a contextual approach to normative research.

Wilderness experiences are thought to be comprised of three primary dimensions, including social, resource, and management conditions. Decisions about how to manage wilderness recreation in Denali National Park and Preserve involve potential tradeoffs among these conditions. This study extends the normative approach to wilderness research by developing and applying a decision-making model that considers social, resource, and managerial attributes of the wilderness experience within a more holistic context. Specifically, stated choice analysis is used to evaluate the choices overnight wilderness visitors make when faced with hypothetical tradeoffs among the conditions of social, resource, and management attributes of the Denali wilderness. Study findings offer normative, but contextually informed empirical guidance in formulating indicators and standards of quality for the wilderness experience.

Proactive monitoring and adaptive management of social carrying capacity in Arches National Park: an application of computer simulation modeling

Public visits to parks and protected areas continue to increase and may threaten the integrity of natural and cultural resources and the quality of the visitor experience. Scientists and managers have adopted the concept of carrying capacity to address the impacts of visitor use. In the context of outdoor recreation, the social component of carrying capacity refers to the level of visitor use that can be accommodated in parks and protected areas without diminishing the quality of the visitor experience to an unacceptable degree. This study expands and illustrates the use of computer simulation modeling as a tool for proactive monitoring and adaptive management of social carrying capacity at Arches National Park. A travel simulation model of daily visitor use throughout the Parks road and trail network and at selected attraction sites was developed, and simulations were conducted to estimate a daily social carrying capacity for Delicate Arch, an attraction site in Arches National Park, and for the Park as a whole. Further, a series of simulations were conducted to estimate the effect of a mandatory shuttle bus system on daily social carrying capacity of Delicate Arch to illustrate how computer simulation modeling can be used as a tool to facilitate adaptive management of social carrying capacity.

Research to estimate and manage carrying capacity of a tourist attraction: a study of Alcatraz Island.

Carrying capacity has been a long-standing issue in management of parks, outdoor recreation and tourism. Contemporary carrying capacity frameworks rely on formulation of indicators and standards of quality to define and manage carrying capacity. This paper describes a programme of research to support estimation and management of carrying capacity of Alcatraz Island, an historic site within Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California, USA, and a heavily visited tourist attraction. Research included: (1) a survey of visitors to Alcatraz Island to identify indicators and standards of quality for the visitor experience; and (2) development of a computer simulation model of visitor use to estimate maximum daily use levels without violating standards of quality. Study findings are used to estimate a range of carrying capacities for the prison cellhouse and for the island as a whole.

Solitude Versus Access: A Study of Tradeoffs in Outdoor Recreation Using Indifference Curve Analysis

Tradeoffs are an inherent part of many of the decisions faced by outdoor recreation visitors and managers. For example, decisions concerning the social carrying capacity of popular attraction sites involve potential tradeoffs between limiting visitor use to ensure a high quality experience and allowing high levels of visitor use to ensure that large numbers of visitors retain access to park and outdoor recreation resources. This study uses indifference curve analysis to evaluate the tradeoffs that visitors prefer to make between solitude and access at Delicate Arch, Arches National Park. Study findings facilitate more informed judgments by Arches National Park managers regarding appropriate recreation opportunities at Delicate Arch. Specifically, this research quantifies the tradeoff preferences of visitors to Delicate Arch and provides a theoretically and empirically informed basis for establishing a social carrying capacity for this site.

Computer simulation as a tool for planning and management of visitor use in protected natural areas.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s Principles on Implementation of Sustainable Tourism suggest that implementing sustainable tourism must include monitoring visitor use of protected natural areas and directing it to areas where the environmental and social impacts of tourism are minimised. Thus, sustainable tourism management requires information about the spatial and temporal flow of visitor use in protected natural areas to help identify potential tourism-related threats to the natural and cultural resources of an area and the quality of visitors’ experiences. Recent research has identified at least four ways in which simulation modelling of visitor use can facilitate more informed planning and management of sustainable tourism in protected natural areas, including (1) describing existing visitor use flows; (2) monitoring the condition of ‘hard to measure’ indicator variables; (3) testing the effectiveness of alternative visitor use management practices; and (4) guiding the design of research on public attitudes. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate, using findings from studies conducted in the Inyo National Forest and Isle Royale National Park, USA, each of these four potential contributions of computer simulation to sustainable tourism management and planning. The paper concludes with an assessment of the limitations of existing applications of computer simulation to nature-based tourism and recommendations for future research.

Respondent self-assessment of research on crowding norms in outdoor recreation.

This study explores the validity of measuring crowding norms in outdoor recreation through the use of respondent self-assessment techniques. Review of the literature on crowding norms, and the related topic of contingent valuation, suggests a number of theoretical and methodological issues that can influence validity. Based on this literature review, measures of respondent self-assessment of crowding norms research are developed and applied at multiple sites within three national parks. Study findings suggest that most respondents are confident in their ability to understand and answer questions on crowding norms, and support the use of such data by park managers. Few differences in crowding norms were found between respondents who were confident in their answers and those who were less confident. These findings, along with findings from other, related studies, offer some support for the validity of measures of crowding norms in outdoor recreation, and suggest research approaches to maximize validity.

Estimating day use social carrying capacity in Yosemite National Park.

Abstract Estimating Day Use Social Carrying Capacity in Yosemite National Park Carrying capacity has been a long‐standing issue in management of parks and outdoor recreation. Contemporary carrying capacity frameworks rely on formulation of indicators and standards of quality of the recreation experience to define and manage carrying capacity. This paper describes a program of research to support application of carrying capacity to Yosemite Valley, the scenic heart of Yosemite National Park, USA. Research included (1) a series of visitor surveys at selected sites within Yosemite Valley to identify indicators and standards of quality, (2) development of computer simulation models of visitor use at study sites to estimate maximum daily use levels without violating standards of quality, and (3) a park exit survey to determine the percentage of day users at study sites. Study findings are used to estimate a range of day use carrying capacities at study sites and for Yosemite Valley as a whole.

Exploring Visitor Acceptability for Hardening Trails to Sustain Visitation and Minimise Impacts

Protected natural area managers are challenged to provide high quality recreation opportunities and ensure the protection of resources from impacts associated with visitation. Development of visitor use facilities and application of site hardening practices are commonly applied tools for achieving these competing management objectives. This study applies stated choice analysis to examine visitor opinions on acceptability when they are asked to make tradeoffs among competing social, resource and management attributes in backcountry and frontcountry settings of Acadia National Park. This study demonstrates that asking visitors about recreation setting attributes uni-dimensionally, a common approach, can yield less informative responses. Analyses that considered direct tradeoffs revealed more divergent opinions on acceptability for setting attributes than a unidimensional approach. Findings revealed that visitors to an accessible and popular attraction feature supported trail development options to protect resource conditions with unrestricted visitor access. In contrast, visitors to a remote undeveloped island expressed stronger support for no or limited trail development and access restrictions to protect resource conditions.

Enhancing the Interpretation of Stated Choice Analysis through the Application of a Verbal Protocol Assessment

A stated choice survey was employed to evaluate the relative importance of resource, social, and management attributes by asking visitors to select preferred configurations of these attributes. A verbal protocol assessment was added to consider how respondents interpret and respond to stated choice questions applied to hikers of a popular trail at Acadia National Park. Results suggest that visitors are sensitive to changes in public access to the trail and its ecological conditions, with level of encounters least important. Verbal protocol results identified considerations made by respondents that provide insight to their evaluations of alternative recreation setting configurations. These insights help clarify issues important to visitors that stated choice results on their own do not provide.

A conjoint analysis of preference heterogeneity among day and overnight visitors to the Okefenokee Wilderness.

The purpose of this study is to examine preference heterogeneity among day non-motorized, day motorized and overnight visitors to the Okefenokee Wilderness using conjoint analysis. Study results support the hypothesis that the subgroups of Okefenokee Wilderness visitors considered in this study are not homogeneous with respect to their wilderness setting preferences and that they may be better understood by studying similarities and differences in preferences among them. The study findings suggest that the issue most likely to be a source of contention among day motorized, day non-motorized and overnight Okefenokee Wilderness visitors is the percentage of water trail miles motorized visitors are allowed to use, while there was general agreement among the subgroups of visitors considered in this study about what constitutes reasonable numbers of encounters with other boating groups.