Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-76). Also available via the Internet.

abstract: Trails perform an essential function in protected lands by routing visitors along planned, sustainable surfaces. However, when visitors deviate from official trails in sufficient numbers, it can lead to the creation of social trails. These visitor-created pathways are not sustainably designed and can severely degrade both the stability and appearance of protected areas. A multitude of recreation motivations among visitors and a lack of resources among land management agencies have made the mitigation and closure of social trails a perennial concern. A sustainable, economical strategy that does not require the continual diversion of staff is needed to address social trails. In this study, two techniques that stand out in the research literature for their efficacy and practicality were tested on a social trail closure in South Mountain Park, a high-use, urban-proximate mountain park in Phoenix, AZ. A research design with additive treatments utilizing the site management technique known as trail mitigation, sometimes referred to as brushing in the literature, followed by theory-grounded signage incorporating injunctive-proscriptive wording, an attribution message, and a reasoning message targeting visitor behavioral beliefs, norms, and control was applied and assessed using unobtrusive observation. Both treatments reduced observed off-trail hiking from 75.4% to 0%, though traces of footsteps and attempts to re-open the trail revealed the existence of unobserved “entrenched” users. With entrenched users attempting to reopen the trail, trail mitigation represented an effective but vulnerable approach while the signage represented a long-lasting “hardened” approach that provides an educational message, management’s stance on the closure, and which might put social pressure on the entrenched user(s). / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2018

The problems of litter are now getting to the forefront of attention in the realm of waste research. The phenomenon of littering is monitored especially in towns, but not so much outside the urbanized areas. Waste represents, for both esthetic and conservationist reasons, an undesirable phenomenon. This holds true for the protected areas in particular. This Master's Thesis is concerned with the analysis of litter, which should be the first step in the prevention and solution of the problems of littering. Three protected landscape areas and two national parks were chosen for this survey. Two tourist trails were selected in each protected area - the main and the minor one. The collection of litter was carried out in spring, summer and autumn. Collected waste was categorized at first and then a number of pieces, weight and volume were set for each category concerned. The largest amount of litter was collected in the National park Krkonoše and the smallest in the Protected landscape area Kokořínsko. The largest number of litter pieces is represented by cigarette waste, followed by plastic and hygienic waste. PET bottles were the most common type of litter pieces found in the category of beverage containers. Three quarters of all litter was found on the main trails. The most litter was collected in the...

The diploma paper, Evaluation of aplicability of Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe criteria on a long-distance hiking trail in the Czech Republic, deals with the process of certification of long-distance hiking trails in accordance with the norm called Leading Quality Trails - Best of Europe. The norm is based on German norms for certificating long-distance hiking trails which brought remarkable success. So far, there are no such trails in the Czech Republic. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide answers to questions concerning the aplicability of European norms on Czech hiking trails. Specifically, it will focus on the aplication of the norms on the long-distance hiking trail Stezka podel Luznice and its evaluation.

The aim of the diploma thesis was to create the functional core of geographic information system (GIS) of hiking trails in the Eagle Mountains including the spatial analysis. The first part, more theoretical, is dedicated to the brief description of the theory and initial analysis before the particular creation of GIS. In the second part, more practical, the process of the respective task is described from the data collection to data editing, creating the core of GIS, spatial analysis and final visualization.

This thesis work describes the hiking, bicycle, ski, and horse trails in the region known as ?Czech Canada?, specifically the area between Nová Bystřice, Kunžák, and Slavonice marked on the hiking map ?Česká Kanada a Slavonicko? on a 1:50,000 scale. The introductory chapters characterize the territorial layout from the physical-geographic and socio-geographic aspects and include an analysis of used literature. The methodology of work is taken from thesis works of a similar topic defended at the Department of Geography. This is followed by a description of individual hiking trails ? in text form as well as in information panels (this includes information on the surface type, the surrounding landscape, monuments in the area, geometry of the trails, and more). These texts, panels, and attached map with a drawing of the described trails permit one to embark on individual hiking, bicycle, ski, and other tourist journeys. The conclusion of the work is supplemented by a didactic transformation of the resolved issue. The attachment consists of photographs and a glossary of topographical terms.

The objective of this diploma thesis is search processing of tourism, his problematics and protection of the nature. In the other part this thesis deal with analysis of hiking trail in Labske piskovce PLA in focus of potentional atractive with proposal of new hiking trails in this location. Analysis containe all hiking trails in this location according to colored tourism distinction of trails. Proposal of new hiking trails was formed with regard on protection of nature thus at the same time was surrounding area approached for visitors as much as possible. Proposal comprise new and turisty often attended attractiviness. This proposal can produce increase of attractiviness in this district and the influx of new turists.