A major problem in today's parks and recreation departments is the selection of qualified leaders. The magnitude and quality of recreation programs is apparently directly related to leadership. Information pertaining to present qualifications of recreation leadership is important in selecting or utilizing future recreational leaders.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 234-247).

As baby boomers age, the population of the United States moves toward a higher proportion of elderly than ever before. These seniors retire earlier, have more discretionary income, active lifestyles and education. They also have a growing interest in fitness--challenging future outdoor recreation planning. Providers of public outdoor recreation, including the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, are under pressure to accommodate all population groups--including seniors. An emerging problem for recreation planners is how to address the special needs generated by this important demographic shift. To explore this issue, the author studied the retirement community Green Valley, Arizona's influence on the Forest Service's Madera Canyon Recreation Area. The study identified Madera Canyon as a model for successful recreation planning by enlisting volunteers, encouraging user participation, providing trails with different experiences, benches, wildlife viewing, and educational opportunities in natural areas, to meet senior's needs. The author provides planning guidelines.

This investigation was to conduct an historical study of the development of drama activities in public recreation programs for five years, 1969 to 1974, to ascertain how much drama is included in public recreation programs. / In 1974, a questionnaire was mailed to 171 recreation departments in Florida. The five with the highest number of points from answers to the questions and that responded positively for an in-depth study of their centers were included in this study. / Based on the study the following conclusions were made: (1) Most of the staff recreators who dealt with the drama program could be classified in two groups. One group included those persons who are schooled in recreation/physical education and who know nothing or little about drama. The other group includes those persons who are schooled in drama and know nothing or little about public recreation. (2) Little or no attention is given to record-keeping, and no real sense of continuing programs is in existence. (3) The recreation programs are egocentric. They are based on the philosophy of the person who is in the position of dictating the programs, usually a person in a staff position rather than an administrative one. (4) Available space was not used effectively for dramatic purposes. (5) There is no standardization throughout the programs. The same types of programming are listed under different titles. None of the programs keeps the same kind of records, none of the record-keeping forms is similar, and none of the requirements for being a drama specialist is the same. (6) The drama programs are poorly funded. (7) In some cases drama experiences are second-thought activities, something to fill out the time while the physical education programs were slack. (8) Almost all of the drama activities were held in the summer. (9) Almost all of the drama programming was for ages eight to fourteen, and the greatest number of participants were female. (10) Very little programming was done with the subject interests of all participants in mind. (11) No diagnostic tests were administered to determine the developmental stages of a child. (12) These recreation centers provide programs in drama on participant demand and make no effort for long-range planning. / The following recommendations were made: (1) Written criteria for training persons to lead drama at a recreation center should be developed. (2) An intensive seminar should be developed to provide in-service training to professional recreators who have no background in drama. (3) An inventory instrument, based on minimal standards for an active theatre program, should be developed for testing the drama programming in each recreation center. (4) A drama program should be developed to encourage younger males who are not sports-minded or athletically inclined. (5) Informal diagnostic dramatic activities should be conducted by qualified personnel before participants are grouped into beginning or advanced classes. (6) Drama recreation programs should be structured to contain components essential for personal growth through participation in the dramatic arts. (7) Programs in drama and in recreation should contain a course in drama recreation to prepare workers who can use drama in recreational settings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-08, Section: A, page: 3328. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

No description available.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1977. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1977. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1974. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Research into the use of natural resources and protected areas for the pursuit of outdoor recreational opportunities has been examined by a number of researchers. One activity with growth in recent years is river recreation, the use of rivers for rafting, kayaking, canoeing and instructional purposes. These many uses involve different groups of individuals, creating management complexity. Understanding the various inputs is critical for effective management The Lower Kananaskis River, located in Kananaskis Country in Southwestern Alberta, was area chosen to develop an understanding the inputs necessary for effective management. Specifically, this study explored the recreational use of the river in an effort to create recommendations on how to more effectively manage use of the Lower Kananaskis River and associated day-use facilities in the future. Kananaskis Country is a 4,250 km2 multi-use recreation area located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains on the western border of Alberta. Since its designation, the purpose of the area, has been to protect the natural features of the area while providing quality facilities that would complement recreational opportunities available in the area. Over the years, the multi-use goal of the area has led to issues surrounding the management of the recreational opportunities available, including the multiple use of the Lower Kananaskis River. The Lower Kananaskis River is a section of the larger Kananaskis River, one of six rivers flowing through Kananaskis Country. The Kananaskis River flows for 84 km. northward in the Kananaskis Country from the Upper Kananaskis Lake through the development of the Lower Kananaskis Lake and Barrier Lake to the Bow River. This thesis was only concerned about a small section of this river, the lower portion. The Lower Kananaskis River is a 2 km stretch of the river located within Bow Valley Provincial Park, with an additional 4 km of river outside of the park that many users utilize. This river has become a widely used and well-known recreational paddling destination in Kananaskis Country and Bow Valley Provincial Park and with this has come concerns over its use and management. A mixed methods approach was implemented to examine current use levels Both surveys and participant observations were used to develop a better understanding of current use levels (i.e. time, type) and to gather information from users. At the same time, structured interviews were held with key policy leaders to further explore current management issues and concerns surrounding the Lower Kananaskis River. Analysis of the data collected from river users revealed that the area is widely used by both commercial and recreational users. These two groups of users have learned to adapt to one another’s activities. Both groups expressed high level of satisfaction, but continued growth in use will probably pose problems with user’s experience and satisfaction. In many cases, users also recognized the need for improvements to river infrastructure both on and off the river. Users indicated that changes were needed in the parking areas to accommodate all of the vehicles and users, work was needed at the put-ins and take-outs to accommodate the increases in users along with work on the river features and at the day use sites. Users also recognized that the area is becoming more widely used and feel that changes are needed in how the area is maintained and managed in order to deal with its continued growth. The interviews with policy leaders emphasized the well-known nature of the issues of the area and emphasized issues within the current management structure. Policy leaders were more critical of the current management structure of the river than the users. The critical comments from the policy leaders were expected, as they are more aware of the management issues than recreational users. The policy leaders made many insightful comments for change in the interviews and recognize that park management has shown low levels of understanding and responses to the expressed needs of the users, and recommendations of previous research. This research found several examples of management ineffectiveness. It was concluded that the low levels of response from management is due to the lack of management capability. With the continued growth of the area new management demands can be expected. This in tern will require improved management framework and guideline. With this, it was recommended that increased management capability is required. In order to assist in the development of this capability the research developed an adapted outdoor recreation management framework. Application of this framework would help to ensure that the area is managed more effectively in the future.