No description available.

A series of radio broad casts over Station KGO, San Francisco, California, in the spring of 1935, first brought to my attention the great value of the National Parks in the field of adult education. Subsequently, in visiting some of the world's greatest natural wonders, which are located in the National Parks in the western part of the United States, I have had the opportunity to observe some of the fine educational facilities made available to the visitor through the service of the park naturalists. The purpose of this thesis is to bring out the importance to the visitor of this educational service. It is my aim to present a clear picture of this educational work and to interpret the material gathered in the survey, and to comment on outstanding problems in this relatively new field of education. During the past five years, I have had the privilege of spending from one day to two weeks in each of the following National Parks: Bryce Canyon, Crater Lake, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and Kings Canyon . In 1935 I visited the Olympic Peninsula, and have been in the region which is now the Olympic National Park. A great deal of the material has been gathered by interviews with the naturalists in the various parks and from observations made by the writer. Therefore much of this information is not recorded in books or bulletin form. My interest in National Parks is of long standing, and it was rekindled in 1934 when the Post Office Department issued a series of postage stamps known as the National Park Series. In my opinion this was one of the most beautiful sets of stamps ever issued by our Government, and it has served to attract the attention of millions of our citizens t o the great natural resources controlled by our nation in the interest of all people. This novel way of calling attention to the most beautiful spots in America, the National Parks, the public's playgrounds, has undoubtedly resulted in heightened interest in these regions and exerted a real influence in directing the travel habits of the American people.

No description available.

The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of adult ticks of Dermacentor andersoni in national forest recreational sites of Utah, and (2) the incidence of spotted fever rickettsia, Rickettsia rickettsii, in the ticks of these areas. With the use of a white flannel cloth, 358 adult D. andersoni (135 males and 223 females) were collected from 48 recreational sites during the spring and summer of 1964. Ticks from each collection were put in pools, preserved in non-fat skim milk at -30° C, and subsequently tested for the presence of spotted fever rickettsia by guinea pig inoculations. The average collection rate (population density) for all collections was 6.8 per hour, but populations varied between sites. Populations were greater in the middle and southern parts of the state than in the northern. The greatest populations were at elevations between 6,000 and 8,000 feet with the upper limit just under 9,000 feet. The elevational distribution varied with the latitude--greater populations were found at higher elevations in southern than in northern Utah. The season of peak abundance was between the last week of May and the last of June. Populations were greater at lower elevations early in the season and at higher elevations later. Male ticks were more abundant early in the spring whereas females predominated later. The preferred habitat was open, unshaded areas of short, scanty, young grass. Ticks were collected in greater numbers in the afternoon than in the morning. Temperatures between 12° and 38° C apparently had little effect on tick activity. Activity was slightly greater on partly cloudy and cloudy days than on clear days, and increased proportionately relative to an increase in wind velocity. Spotted fever rickettsia were found in 3.6% of the ticks collected. These were from 13 different recreational sites, over half of which are in the northern half of the state near human population centers. Ticks positive for spotted fever were probably infected with avirulent type U or type T strain of R. rickettsii.

No description available.

User fees for federal Wilderness have been suggested as a way to reduce deficit spending on Wilderness recreation and supplement decreasing management budgets. This study examines the users of Linville Gorge Wilderness, a federal free area, and Grandfather Mountain Backcountry, a nearby private fee area, to determine if fees would exclude any socioeconomic or other user group who presently uses wilderness and determine if fees are acceptable to users. The study compares users' socioeconomic characteristics and travel cost demand functions and analyzes attitudes towards fees to determine the extent to which fees are likely to change use behavior. No difference is found in the socioeconomic characteristics of the users of the fee and the free area, suggesting fees excluding any for federal Wilderness are equitable, not excluding any socioeconomic group currently using Wilderness. The trip demand functions of the travel cost models for the two areas are statistically the same, suggesting users are making the same economic decision when visiting each area. Fees are found to be acceptable to users if Wilderness will deteriorate without fees and fee revenues are spent on Wilderness management. Users suggest about $25 for an annual Wilderness permit and about two dollars for a daily fee as reasonable amounts. Most users say the fee at Grandfather Mountain does not influence their decision to visit, suggesting fees will not greatly affect demand at federal Wilderness. The site demand function for Linville Gorge predicts a large decrease in demand, but this is common to most travel cost models and does not usually prove true. Further research of the travel cost model and the administrative feasibility of suggested fee levels is recommended. / M.S.

Attitude surveys can serve as a basis of public interest and opinion inputs to National Park Service planning and management decision making. The initial objective of this study was to develop a method for scaling attitudes which alleviated problems of interpreting effects of two related components of attitude--beliefs and corresponding evaluations of those beliefs. In conjunction with this objective, visitor knowledge about and attitudes toward resource use and management in Shenandoah National Park were assessed. Finally, guidelines were formulated suggesting how to design an effective interpretive message taking into account relevant user characteristics, level of knowledge, and attitudes toward resource use and management in the national park. Considering summer months and weekend/weekday visitation patterns, a stratified random sample of days was selected to contact park visitors. On designated sampling days visitors were contacted at lodges, backcountry stations or campgrounds. Names and addresses were secured via an information release form. In September, 1978, individuals were mailed an attitude survey. A follow-up post card and two selective follow-up questionnaire mailings ensued. Overall response rate was 81 percent. The survey instrument obtained contributions of belief and affective components of attitude. In order to measure these components in a manner reflecting resource management objectives and allowing easy interpretation of attitude scores, a new modified matrix scaling technique was developed. A matrix of attitude scores was computed using an unipolar belief scale and bipolar affect scale. The computed using an unipolar belief scale and bipolar affect scale. The belief scale was also employed to determine visitor level of knowledge concerning resource use and management in Shenandoah National Park. The over-all matrix system was developed within the framework of Fishbein's (1963) expectancy value attitude theory. The scaling method lessened some of the problems created by using standard bipolar st.nnmative scaling. In addition, final scores derived from this matrix procedure were logically consistent, theoretically appropriate, and may be managerially relevant. Results of analyses of variance in overall belief and attitude scores suggested the utility of developing different interpretive messages about resource use and management for the three camping styleslodge, campground, and backcountry users. Attitude changes predicted via the expectancy value formulation indicated the importance of considering the distribution of visitor attitude scores before attempting development of an interpretive message designed to influence attitudes. / Ph. D.

A linear programming model for multiple use was developed for the High Knob Unit of the Jefferson National Forest. The model was intended to be a pilot study for the development of similar models for other units in the Appalachians. The model was developed to provide information about trade-offs between timber, recreational activities, and budgets during the 10 year planning period. Currently used estimates and "rules of thumb" were used as the means for relating the activities considered in the model. The objective function used was timber maximization and it was constrained by the activity and budget constraints. The maximum possible timber volume that could be cut was found for the High Knob Unit by using only acreage constraints on the objective function. Then the constraints for the other activities were added, each of which being tied to the timber variables. An initial optimal solution was found which not only gave values for the amounts of the activities that would be best to produce but also where they were to occur on the ground. To provide information about trade-offs, a sensitivity analysis was done to provide a series of solutions for the High Knob Unit. These solutions were evaluated and recommendations were made for the High Knob Unit. Benefits and limitations of the model were discussed as were the problems encountered in developing the High Knob LP. Suggestions for future study were also made. / Master of Science

No / This paper describes the problems encountered in developing environmental education in Federal protected areas in Brazil. Results of a survey on the current status of environmental education in four categories of Federal protected areas; namely national parks, biological reserves, ecological stations and environmental protection areas, are described and discussed. The study suggests that the development of environmental education in protected areas in the country has several limitations: financial resources, lack of training, material resources and a lack of policy on environmental education. It also identifies that some of these problems seem to be inter-related with those of the National System of Conservation Units of the country which may result in a retarding of the development of environmental education in such areas.

Thesis (MScAgric (Conservation Ecology and Entomology)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This study assessed (a) the inclusion of local communities in the process of the establishment and management of Parque Nacional do Limpopo (PNL); (b) local community resources use practices, livelihoods strategies, land resources use and ownership and institutional arrangements at the grassroots; and (c) attitudes and perceptions of local communities towards the park and its implications for the sustainability of the park. The study shows that local stakeholders were left out in the planning and implementation processes of the park, which was through top-down approach. There was a lack of involvement of local communities and co-ordination with local stakeholders concerning on-the-ground activities. Local community participation occurs through consultation, thereby depriving primary stakeholders of any decision-making power. However, the study notes that the ongoing interaction between the park management, community advocacy organisations and local communities in the park represents a positive step towards the evolving practice of participatory governance of the protected area. It is also shown that local communities have diverse livelihood strategies, including subsistence agriculture, livestock herding, forest products harvesting, small businesses, handicrafts and cash remittances by migrate labourers. It is worth noting that land and forest resources use constitutes the foundation of their livelihood strategies. Local communities considered land to belong to traditional land chiefs who head local socio-cultural and political organizations in rural areas. They allocate land and control access to natural resources. Other community members asserted that the land belongs to the respective families that inherited and use it. The legal framework in Mozambique authorises the establishment of new institutions at the grassroots. This overlaps with the pre-existing traditional institutions in the rural areas, resulting in power conflicts and in some cases disruption of local institutions for governance ...