Jeff Marsolais

(graduated Fall 2004)

Visitor Perceptions of Appropriateness of Management Actions Across the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)

An assumption of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum is that direct or regulatory management strategies are more appropriate in modern or developed settings, but less appropriate in primitive settings, where indirect visitor management techniques are considered more appropriate. During the summer of 2003, 410 visitors to eight recreation settings (representing urban through primitive) in the American River watershed of California participated in a survey about their perceptions of 25 direct and indirect visitor management techniques. From four generic ROS settings described in both text and photos, participants chose the type of setting in which they most frequently recreated. For that chosen setting type, participants then rated the appropriateness of each of the 25 management actions. What we found suggests that the assumed linear relationship of direct to indirect management actions across the ROS does not exist for visitors, and that certain types of management actions may be more accepted in certain ROS settings.

Respondents who recreate most often in primitive settings were the most supportive (of the four groups) of direct or regulatory management techniques, while respondents who recreate most often in semi-primitive motorized settings were the least supportive of direct or regulatory actions. The primitive setting respondents were also less supportive of what we called "engineering" type management actions (improving or upgrading sites, building additional sites, and making it easier to access the area). Respondents' desired experience outcomes also influenced their perceptions of the appropriateness of direct management actions, but did not (with one exception) influence perceptions of indirect actions. We generally found more differences, whether among ROS settings, across desired experiences, or between modes of travel, for the direct management actions than we did for the indirect actions. This leads us to conclude that the biggest factor in how visitors perceive appropriateness of management actions has to do with whether or not the action is a direct approach or an indirect approach, with indirect management actions generally perceived as more appropriate across different setting types, desired experiences, and modes of travel.

Jeff is currently the Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, U.S. Forest Service.

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