Source: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV submitted to NRP
UNDERSTANDING NATURAL RESOURCE IMPACTS OF EMERGING RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN URBAN FORESTS AND NATURAL AREAS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
MCINTIRE-STENNIS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0221079
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 1, 2010
Project End Date
Dec 31, 2014
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIV
(N/A)
RALEIGH,NC 27695
Performing Department
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Non Technical Summary
Forests, natural areas and other open space near densely populated urban communities are significant natural resources which provide a wide spectrum of environmental, social and health benefits to their inhabitants (Alberti et al., 2003; Carreiro et al., 2008). These resources are growing in importance as urbanization continues and urban-related problems, such as degraded environmental quality and physical inactivity, become more pronounced. One of the most common and valued services provided by urban forests and natural areas is the multitude of recreation opportunities for urban dwellers. With continued increases in outdoor recreation participation, coupled with interests in healthy lifestyle and rising gasoline prices, urban forests and natural areas are filling a crucial role in meeting expanding and changing recreation demands. Emerging recreation challenges confront resource managers who must balance among new recreation demands, conventional activities, and the quality of the resource base (Collins and Brown, 2007). This project focuses on emerging outdoor activities that are posing a fast growing threat to urban natural resources due to the active nature of these outdoor pursuits. Often times emerging activities are enabled by technologies such as light-weight multi-gear mountain bikes and low-cost, high-sensitivity GPS units for geocaching (Chavez et al., 2004; Van Horn, 2007). The others are derived from more traditional activities such as disc/Frisbee golf (Kennedy, 2007). These activities already popular in densely populated European countries such as the Netherlands (Konijnendijk, 2008), are also becoming popular in the United States (Chavez et al., 2004; Van Horn, 2007). For example, the number of geocaches (geo-referenced `treasure sites') has exploded from one 9 years ago to almost 1 million now (Geocaching.com, 2009). Many of these caches are located in urban or urban-proximate natural areas. Facing the surge of new forms of recreation, managers often have to make policies and decisions without much knowledge about the activities, participants, and environmental impacts (USDI, 2009). Managers are more likely to make better decisions if they are informed by information generated from empirical research. They are also more likely to garner public support for their decisions if linkage between the activities and their impacts on natural resource conditions can be established through objective assessments and monitoring. Successful transfer and implementation of these protocols should result in better resource management of recreation related impacts.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1340530307025%
1240699206050%
6086099308025%
Knowledge Area
134 - Outdoor Recreation; 608 - Community Resource Planning and Development; 124 - Urban Forestry;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other; 0530 - Parks and urban green space; 0699 - Trees, forests, and forest products, general;

Field Of Science
3070 - Psychology; 2060 - Geography; 3080 - Sociology;
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to improve our understanding of natural resource impacts of emerging recreational activities in urban forests and protected areas. It addresses two of the seven knowledge areas identified in the 2007 McIntire-Stennis Strategic Plan (NAUFRP, 2007). These knowledge areas are Human Attitudes and Behaviors, and Urban Ecosystems. This proposed project also directly addresses the second key theme identified in the Outdoor Recreation Research and Education for the 21st Century - Creating Sustainable and Accessible Outdoor Recreation Environments (USDA-CSREES, 2007). The information generated will inform planners and managers in making management decisions and developing communication strategies to engage key stakeholder groups in the management process. The project has four specific objectives: 1) Understand the character of emerging recreational activities and associated management concerns in urban forests and natural areas, 2) Identify the types and extent of natural resource impacts associated with these recreational activities, 3) Develop monitoring techniques which managers can apply to collect timely data for decision-making, and 4) Identify and engage potential collaborators to advance this line of research. Research activities include published literature review, surveys, and field assessment protocols to quantify types, extent and patterns of natural resource impacts related to emerging recreational activities.Indicators of recreation caused impacts to urban natural resources identified along with ways to assess and monitor them over time will be transferred to recreation planners and managers through workshops or working meetings. Research results from this project will be reported in regional and national conferences of relevant topics, such as the Southeastern Recreation Research Conference, International Symposium of Society and Resource Management, and USDA Forest Service's Emerging Issues along Urban-Rural Interface Conference series (http://emergingissues.interfacesouth.org/). Manuscripts will be prepared and submitted to appropriate scholarly journals including Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Environmental Management, Environmental Management, and Urban Ecosystems. Building on the project results, we will identify potential collaborators and funders and prepare proposals designed to help extend the line of research initiated by this project. At least two graduate students will be recruited and engaged in ongoing projects related to this proposal.
Project Methods
A series of research activities will be performed to accomplish the stated objectives. Some of the activities are conducted in conjunction with the Principal Investigator's ongoing projects. A thorough literature review of domestic and international literature will be conducted in identifying the state of knowledge of emerging recreational activities with special reference to urban forests, natural areas and open space (research objective 1). Visitor and manager surveys in the urban forests and natural areas in the southeast with particular attention to central North Carolina will be conducted to identify the dominant types of emerging activities, use and user characteristics, and the level of management concerns (research objective 2). Based on the results from the literature review and surveys, field assessment protocols will be developed to quantify the types, extent and patterns of natural resource impacts associated with each emerging activity which is of significant management concern. The protocols will be pilot tested in a small number of locations. Data sets collected by surveys and pilot field assessments will be analyzed in conjunction with other relevant data sets to address the first two research objectives. The field assessment data sets will be integrated into other accessible GIS data sets to characterize spatial patterns and identify factors that influence the character of impacts. The assessment and monitoring protocols will also be evaluated, refined and communicated to urban forest and natural area managers for further testing and evaluation. The end result should be a set of finalized procedures for managers and volunteers for routine applications (research objective 3). Once indicators of natural resource impacts from emerging recreational uses have been established, protocols to assess them will be developed and workshops or working meetings with relevant resource managers will be conducted to transfer the knowledge and skills needed to monitor these indicators over time.

Progress 10/01/14 to 12/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience:Local and state park managers in North Carolina; Managersat North Carolina Coastal Reserves; Managers in the USDI National Park Service; international protected area managers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1)A master's thesis on evaluatingeffectiveness oftrail drainage features on the Appalachian Trailwascompleted. Manuscript preparation is underway; 2) A doctoral dissertation on assessing impacts of trail building on wildlife was completed.Manuscript preparation is underway; 3) A capacity buildingworkshop was conducted in Taiwan (November2015) for forest recreationmanagers on topics of recreation use and impact management in forest and coastalnatural areas. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated primarily to the professional community including park and protected area managers.The monitoring protocols and related training materials were made available to all participating community members as well as colleagues inacademia. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This specificproject has completed so no additional activities are planned. However, I plan to continue the following activities beyond the project period: 1) Continue my support for monitoring efforts by my collaborators; 2)Partnership with protected area managers in sustaining monitoring programs with a focus on emerging recreation issues will continue; 3) Severaljournal manuscripts will be submitted in 2016; 4) Continue to seek grant and funding opportunities to support the further development of this research program.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) Continued the literature review on emerging recreation,associated natural resource impacts, and their management. The ongoingreview contributed to aworkingannotated bibliography, a working list of monitoring methods. It alsocontributed to a review article published in J. of Forestry (Objective 1); 2)The visitor behaviormapping protocolsdeveloped for Yosemite National Park wereadaptedtopackstock behavior monitoring in the same national park. Analyses wereperformed to examine the relationsip between packstock movement patterns, animalbehavior,and meadow vegetation. A technical report was produced(Objectives 2-3); 3) Monitoring protocols for visitor impact indicators with special reference to coastal zones continued to be made available to managers and volunteers. They were also incorporated into manager capacity buildingworkshops(Objective 3); 4) A monitoring method was developed and applied to assess impacts of trail building on wildlife using Stone Mountain State Park as thestudy area (Objectives 1-3); 5) A tool for evaluatingeffectiveness oftrail drainage features wasdeveloped and tested on the Appalachian Trail (Objective 3) 6) A collaborative partnership with colleagues from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Portugal and Brazil was maintained, and potential collaborators in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China were identified (Objective 4); 7) ThePI continued to serve asco-editor for a special issue in Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism on international mountain biking research, an important topic under the emerging recreation theme (Objective 4).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Guo, T., Smith, J. W., Leung, Y.F., Seekamp, E., & Moore, R. L. (2015). Determinants of responsible hiking behavior: Results from a stated preference experiment. Environmental Management, 56(3): 765-776.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., Smith, J. W., Seekamp, E., Conlon, K., Mayer, J. E., Guo, T., Walden-Schreiner, C., Adams, B., & Keane, R. (2016). The effects of 2D and 3D imagery and an educational message on perceptions of trail impacts. Natural Areas Journal, 36(1): 88-92.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Marion, J. L., Leung, Y.-F., Eagleston, H., & Burroughs, K. (2016). A review and synthesis of recreation ecology research findings on visitor impacts to wilderness and protected natural areas. Journal of Forestry, 114(5).
  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Walden-Schreiner, C., Tsai, W.-L., & Leung, Y.-F. (2015). Geospatial Analysis of Pack Stock Movement and Grazing Patterns in Subalpine Meadows at Yosemite National Park. Unpublished final report submitted to USDI National Park Service, Yosemite National Park.


Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience:Local and state park managers in North Carolina; Managers at North Carolina Coastal Reserves; Managers in the USDI National Park Service; international protected area managers; monitoring programvolunteersfrom communities and schools. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) A master's thesis and a doctoral dissertation were completed on the related topics. Five manuscripts are under preparation; 2) Seminar presentions and capacity building workshops wereconducted for park andforest managers, both domestically andinternationallyon relatedtopics, including recreation ecology, sustainable recreation and tourism, sustainable practices, effectiveness evaluation, and participatorymonitoring. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated primarily to the professional community including park and protected areamanagers. The monitoring protocols and related training materials were made available to all participating communitymembers as well as colleagues in academia. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to continue the following activities beyond theproject period: 1) Continue my partnership with protected area managers, both domestically and internationally,in sustaining monitoring programs and examining managementproblems,with a special focus on emergingrecreation issues; 2) Continue dissemination results at professional and academicconferences as well as different publication outlets, including peer-reviewed journals; 3)Develop trainingmaterials for protected area managers who are tasked with managing visitor use and impacts; 4) Continue to seek grant and funding opportunities to support the further development of this research program.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) Continued the literature review on emerging recreation, associated natural resource impacts, and their management. The ongoing review contributed to a working annotated bibliography, a working list of monitoring methods. It also contributed to a review article published in J. of Forestry and to threeconferencepresentations(Objective 1); 2) Application results of packstock use andbehaviormonitoring protocolsinYosemite National Park were reported in a technical report and a national conference. Two manuscripts are under preparation(Objectives 2-3); 3) Monitoring protocols for visitor impact indicators continued to be made available tomanagers and volunteers(Objective 3); 4) Method developed formonitoring trail use andimpacts on wildlife was presented in conferences. Three manuscripts are in preparation(Objectives 1-3); 5) Tool developed for evaluating effectiveness of trail drainage features was presented at a national conference.Further applications on Appalachian Trail and other trails are expected in 2016(Objective3); 6) A collaborative partnership with internationalcolleagues on visitor impact monitoring (including impacts of emerging recreation)was maintained, with new partners continued to be identified (Objective 4); 7) The PI continued to serve as co-editor for a special issue in Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism on international mountain biking research, an important topic under the emerging recreation theme (Objective 4). This journalissue is scheduled to be published in 2016.

Publications

  • Type: Books Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2016 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., Spenceley, A., Hvenegaard, G., & Buckley, R. (eds.) (2016, forthcoming). Tourism and Visitor Management in Protected Areas: Guidelines for Sustainability (IUCN Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Marion, J. L., Leung, Y.-F., Eagleston, H., & Burroughs, K. (2016). A review and synthesis of recreation ecology research findings on visitor impacts to wilderness and protected natural areas. Journal of Forestry, 114(5).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Leung, Y.-F. (2015). Indicator-based frameworks and indicator development: A quick tour. Invited presentation at the Workshop on Visitor Capacity Management in Protected Areas. November 2015. Taichung, Taiwan ROC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Leung, Y.-F. (2015). The multi-faceted nature of capacity management in urban protected areas. Invited presentation at the International Conference on Conservation and Management of Urban Protected Areas. December 2015. Taipei, Taiwan ROC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Walden-Schreiner, C., Y.-F. Leung, T. Newburger, T. Kuhn and W.-L. Tsai (2015). Geospatial methods and tools for integrating resource use and environmental data at multiple scales for protected area conservation. Poster presented at the Summit on Science for Parks, Parks for Science: The Next Century; March 25-27, 2015. Berkeley, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Burroughs, K., S. Fisher, M. Halim, Y.-F. Leung (2015). University forests: The balance between research and recreation. Poster presented at the 2015 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites; March 29-April 3, 2015. Oakland, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Newburger, T., T. Kuhn, C. Walden-Schreiner, W.-L. Tsai and Y.-F. Leung (2015). An integrated approach to assessing pack stock behavior and resource use in Yosemite's high-elevation meadows. Paper presented at the 2015 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites; March 29-April 3, 2015. Oakland, California.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ng, S. L., Y-.F. Leung, H. Lin, K. Burroughs and A. S. K. Lui (2015). Assessing the impacts of mountain biking and hiking on an ancient trail in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Tourism and Resilient Communities; May 6-8, 2015; Hong Kong SAR, China.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller, A., Leung, Y-F., Kays, R. (2015). Long-term visitor use monitoring: Using camera traps to quantify trail activity. Poster presented at the 2015 International Symposium on Society and Research Management; June 13-18, 2015; Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller, A., Y.-F. Leung and R. Kays (2015). Assessing the impacts of trail building on wildlife: A before-during-after control-impact experimental design using camera traps. Presentation at the 2015 International Symposium on Society and Research Management; June 13-18, 2015; Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Burroughs, K., Y.-F. Leung, R. L. Moore and G. Blank (2016). Assessing and evaluating important characteristics of human-created trail drainage features. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2016 River Management Symposium and National Outdoor Recreation Conference; May 16-19, 2016; Boise, Idaho.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: McArdle, K., C. Hastings and Y.-F. Leung. (2016). Assessing sustainable practices and their communication to visitors in two North Carolina state parks. Poster presented at the 38th Southeastern Recreation Research Conference; March 20-22, 2016; Asheville, North Carolina.


Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Managers in local and state park managers in North Carolina; Managers of NC Wildlife Resources Commission; Managers at North Carolina Coastal Reserves (NCCR-NCNERR); Managers in the USDI National Park Service; Volunteers from local communities near NC Coastal Reserves and Yosemite National Park; international protected area managers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? 1) A class project on trail assessments in an urban-proximiate forest was completed involving 4 graduate students. Two presentations are planned for 2015 to report the results; 2) A master's thesis on monitoring visitor trail use behavior in a urban-proximate national forest in North Carolina was completed. Manuscript preparation is underway; 3) A workshop was planned (October 2014) for NC Coastal Reserve managers to explore the functions and utility of 'Collector for ArcGIS Collector' in collecting visitor and impact data in the field. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated primarily to the professional community including park and protected area managers. The monitoring protocols and related training materials were made available to all participating local community members near NC Coastal Reserves. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 1) Continued monitoring of recreeation impacts in urban natural areas involving student and resident volunteers is planned in collaboration with U.S. and international colleagues; 2) Further establish partnership with protected area managers in sustaining monitoring programs with a focus on emerging recreation issues; 3) Three journal manuscripts and two conference presentations are planned for 2015 based on the outputs from this project; 4) Seek grant and funding opportunities to support the further development of this research problem.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1) Review of published literature on emerging recreation and associated impacts resulted in an annotated bibliography and poster presentation for the 2014 Southeastern Recreation Research Conference (SERR) (Objective 1); 2) An online survey of park managers on emerging recreation issues was conducted in late 2013 to early 2014. Survey response rate was too low to perform quantitative analysis. Survey results were reported in the 2014 SERR (Objectives 1 and 2); 3) The visitor use mapping method developed was applied to open landscapes in Yosemite National Park. An analysis was performed to examine the relationsip between visitor behavior and the level of physical activity. A manuscript was accepted for publication (Objectives 2 and 3); 4) Monitoring protocols for visitor impact indicators with special reference to coastal zones continued to be made available to managers and volunteers (Objective 3). A poster presentation was made at the NC Sea Grant Research Symposium in March 2014 5) A collaborative partnership with colleagues from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Portugal and Brazil was strengthened. The PI has accepted the role as co-editor for a special issue in Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism on international mountain biking research, an important topic under the emerging recreation theme (Objective 4).

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Smith, C., Walden-Schreiner, C., & Leung, Y.-F. Participatory GIS in recreation resource planning. In: Baas, J., & Burns, R. (eds.), Best Practices in Recreation Resource Planning. Champaign, IL: Sagamore Publishing.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., Walden-Schreiner, C., Conlon, K., & Miller, A. A simple method for monitoring dog leash compliance behavior in parks and natural areas. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., Barbieri, C., & Floyd, M. Tourism and recreation research along the natural-rural-urban gradient: Global trends and implications for China (in Chinese). Tourism Tribune (China), 29(6), 3-6.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Walden-Schreiner, C., & Leung, Y.-F. Identifying current research and manager perceptions of emerging outdoor recreation activities. Poster presented at the 2014 Southeastern Recreation Research Conference; Asheville NC.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2014 Citation: Walden-Schreiner, C., Leung, Y.-F., & Floyd, M. F. Incorporating physical activity measures into environmental monitoring of national parks: An example from Yosemite. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.


Progress 01/01/13 to 09/30/13

Outputs
Target Audience: Managers in local and state park managers in North Carolina; Managers of NC Wildlife Resources Commission; Managers at North Carolina Coastal Reserves (NCCR-NCNERR); Managers in the USDI National Park Service; Volunteers from local communities near NC Coastal Reserves and Yosemite National Park. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two training workshops were held in Beaufort and Wilmington NC to build capacity of managers and local residents for implementing impact monitoring efforts. A supporting website was established to faciliate learning and information exchange (https://sites.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/volunteer-monitoring/home). Other presentations were also made for the fellow academics and protected area professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Project results were disseminated to communities of interest in different ways: 1) agency newsletter (NC Coastal Reserves) which was accesseible to local communities 2) publicly accessible websites 3) academic conference presentations, to report results and solicit feedback from the academic community 4) peer-reviewed publications for the academic community What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Several activities are being planned to further accomplish the project goals: 1) Develop more manuscripts for peer-reviewed publications; 2) Disseminate project results, such as the manager survey, at professional conferences; 3) Further explore the utility of mobile apps on visitor impact monitoring; 4) Collaborate with colleagues in grant proposal writing, organized conference sessions, and publications; and 5) Develop a draft proposal for the next McIntire-Stennis project based on the outcomes from the current project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? - An expanded database of the published literature on emerging recreation and its natural resource impacts (Objective 1); - A web-based survey of park managers on emerging recreation was developed and tested (Objectives 1 and 2). It will be implemented during the next project reporting period. - A undergraduate research project was developed to assess disc golfers' behavior and natural resource impacts (Objectives 1, 2 and 3). Results were presented as a poster in the 2013 Summer NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium; - Monitoring protocols for 3 visitor impact indicators were developed for coastal natural areas. Training workshops were held to build capacity of managers and local residents for implementing impact monitoring efforts. A coastal monitoring protocol website was developed and shared (https://sites.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/volunteer-monitoring/home). It can be applied by other agency managers or organizations ((Objective 3); - A collaborative partnership with colleagues from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Portugal and Brazil was established to examine visitor impact monitoring methodology and practice (Objective 4). A related collaborative learning website (http://go.ncsu.edu/monitoring) was developed to facilitate information exchange (Objective 4).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Walden-Schreiner, C., & Leung, Y.-F. (2013). Spatially characterizing visitor use and its association with informal trails in Yosemite Valley meadows. Environmental Management, 52(1), 163-178.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., & Catts, G. (2013). The joy of bioresources: Sustainable forest-recreation connections (invited editorial). BioResources, 8(1), 1-2.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: January 2013, Leung, Y.-F., C. Walden-Schreiner, K. Conlon, and A. Miller. Enhancing visitor impact management and stewardship education at NC Coastal Reserves through participatory monitoring: Project updates Paper presented at the North Carolina Coastal Training Program, Managing Visitor Use on Coastal Public Lands Workshop; Beaufort, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Conlon, K., C. Walden-Schreiner, Leung, Y.-F., and A. Miller. Monitoring off-leash dog walking behavior in protected areas: Development and testing of a protocol . Paper presented at the 2013 Southeastern Recreation Research Conference, Athens, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Adams, B., K. Conlon, R. Sayre-McCord, E. Crouse and Y.-F. Leung. Measuring and evaluating the effects of signage on off-trail walking in a university forest, North Carolina . Poster presented at the 2013 Southeastern Recreation Research Conference, Athens, GA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Leung, Y.-F.. T. Magro, J. Moreira and A. Miller. Developing a collaborative learning network for visitor impact monitoring in protected areas. Paper presented at the 2013 George Wright Society Conference; Denver, CO.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Leung, Y.-F., Walden-Schreiner, C., Matisoff, C., Naber, M., & Robinson, J. (2013). A two-pronged approach to evaluating the environmental concerns of disc golf as emerging recreation in urban natural areas. Managing Leisure, 18(4), 273-285.


Progress 01/01/12 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Review of published literature on emerging recreation and its natural resource impacts continued (Objective 1); - A web-based survey of park managers on emerging recreation was developed and pilot tested. The survey will be implemented in 2013 (Objectives 1 and 2); - An initial analysis of disc golf's environmental concerns was completed and a journal manuscript was accepted for publication. Based on this initial analysis a disc golfer's behavior and impact assessment tool was developed for testing in 2013 (Objectives 1, 2 and 3); - The visitor use mapping method developed in 2011 was applied by managers to other open landscapes in Yosemite National Park. The applicability of this method to other protected areas was explored. The method was disseminated to park managers and researchers at conferences. Two journal papers on this method were accepted for publication and another two are in progress (Objectives 2 and 3); - Monitoring protocols for 3 visitor impact indicators were developed with special reference to coastal conservation areas (NC Coastal Reserves) (Objective 3); - A collaborative partnership with colleagues from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Portugal and Brazil was established to examine visitor impact monitoring methodology and practice (Objective 4). PARTICIPANTS: Brian Grose, undergraduate student, NCSU; Anna Miller, PhD Student, NCSU; Wei-Lun Tsai, PhD Student, NCSU; Charlynne Smith, PhD Student/Research Associate, NCSU; Graise Lee, PhD Student, NCSU; Chris Kollar, MS Student, NCSU; Chelsey Walden-Schreiner, MS Student/Research Associate, NCSU; Craig Matisoff, MS Student, NCSU; Katharine Conlon, MS Student, NCSU; Chris Siderelis, Professor, NCSU; Myron Floyd, Professor, NCSU; Roger Moore, Associate Professor, NCSU; Nils Peterson, Associate Professor, NCSU; Melissa McHale, Assistant Professor, NCSU; Jordan Smith, Visitor Assistant Professor, Purdue University; Jeff Marion, Research Scientist, Virginia Tech/USGS; Chris Monz, Associate Professor, Utah State University; Robert Manning, Professor, University of Vermont; Todd Newburger, Monitoring Program Manager, Yosemite National Park; Catherine Pickering, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Australia; David Newsome, Associate Professor, Murdoch University, Australia; Eick von Ruschkowski, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany; Ricardo M. Nogueira Mendes, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal; Teresa Magro, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Jasmine Moreira, Ponta Grossa State University, Brazil TARGET AUDIENCES: Managers in local and state park managers in North Carolina; Managers of NC Wildlife Resources Commission; Managers at North Carolina Coastal Reserves (NCCR-NCNERR); Managers in the USDI National Park Service; Volunteers from local communities near NC Coastal Reserves and Yosemite National Park. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The literature review of emerging recreation supported the development of various conference presentations, three student theses and a number of journal papers published or being reviewed; - The assessment protocols for a variety of indicators, including dog off-leash behavior, visitor-wildlife interactions, informal trail/site proliferation, mountain biking trails, disc golf courses and visitor use mapping, were transferred to local resource managers who are considering application in their areas; - Visitor use pattern data collected were utilized by Yosemite NP staff to inform restoration and management strategies; - The engagement of students and community volunteers in data collection in local (Research Triangle Region), North Carolina Coastal Reserves, and Yosemite National Park contribute to improved understanding of recreation-conservation issues and to the partnership in natural resource stewardship between protected areas and local communities.

Publications

  • Miller, A., Leung, Y.-F., & Lu, D.-J. (2012). Community-based monitoring of tourism resources as a tool for supporting the Convention on Biological Diversity targets: A preliminary global assessment. PARKS: International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation, 18(2): 120-131.
  • Moore, R., Leung, Y.-F., Matisoff, C., Dorwart, C., & Parker, A. (2012). Understanding users' perceptions of trail resource impacts and how they affect experiences: An integrated approach. Landscape and Urban Planning, 107, 343-350.
  • Walden-Schreiner, C., Leung, Y.-F., Newburger, T., & Woiderski, B. (2012). Developing an accessible methodology for monitoring visitor use patterns in open landscapes of Yosemite National Park. Park Science, 29(1), 53-61.


Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: - A comprehensive literature review of emerging recreation and its natural resource impacts has continued with special reference to urban forests, natural areas and open space (Objective 1). - The media content analysis of disc golf was completed. This analysis identified environmental issues and concerns about disc golf as an emerging recreation activities, especially in urban forests and natural areas. The results were reported in a regional research conference and a journal manuscript is being reviewed for publication (Objectives 1 and 2). - Field visits and meetings were conducted with forest managers to identify emerging recreation and natural resource impact issues in a popular urban-proximate national forest in Arizona - A field mapping method was developed for quantify visitor use patterns in open landscapes, including urban and urban proximate natural areas. The visitor use data yielded would be integrated with biophysical data to examine spatial relationship between visitor use and natural resource impacts. This method was pilot tested on high-use meadows in Yosemite National Park in Summer 2011. Community volunteers and park staff were trained to apply this method. This applicability of this method other community-based monitoring programs is being explored. The results were disseminated to park managers and academic researchers at local and regional conferences (Objectives 2 and 3). This work has also led to two journal manuscripts in preparation. - A collaborative partnership was established with colleagues from Australia and Germany to evaluate field procedures for assessing mountain biking impacts associated with trail technical features (TTFs) and collect comparable data. A comparative analysis of TTFs in three countries is being conducted (Objective 4). PARTICIPANTS: Anna Miller, PhD Student, NCSU; Wei-Lun Tsai, PhD Student, NCSU; Charlynne Smith, PhD Student, NCSU; Graise Lee, PhD Student, NCSU; Christopher Kollar, MS Student, NCSU; Chelsey Walden-Schreiner, MS Student, NCSU; Craig Matisoff, MS Student, NCSU; David Santucci, MS Student, NCSU; Liana Dern, MS Student, NCSU; Chris Siderelis, Professor, NCSU; Myron Floyd, NCSU; Roger Moore, Associate Professor, NCSU; Nils Patterson, Assistant Professor, NCSU; Melissa McHale, Assistant Professor, NCSU; Jeff Marion, Research Scientist, Virginia Tech/USGS; Chris Monz, Utah State University; Todd Newburger, Yosemite National Park; Greg Schuster, Tonto National Forest; Catherine Pickering, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Australia; David Newsome, Associate Professor, Murdoch University, Australia; Eick von Ruschkowski, Leibniz University Hannover, Germany TARGET AUDIENCES: Managers in Wake County (NC) Parks, Recreation and Open Space; Managers of NC Wildlife Resources Commission; Managers in the USDI National Park Service; Managers of USDA Forest Service; Members of Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (NC) PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
- The literature review of emerging recreation supported the development of various conference presentations, two student theses and a number of journal papers published or being reviewed. - The assessment protocols for mountain biking trails, disc golf courses and visitor use mapping were transferred to local resource managers who are considering application in their areas. - Visitor use pattern data collected were utilized in park staff meetings in Yosemite to inform restoration and management strategies - The engagement of students and community volunteers in data collection has contributed to improved their understanding of recreation-conservation issues and to the partnership between protected areas and local communities in monitoring and managing natural resources for recreation.

Publications

  • Leung, Y.-F., Newburger, T., Jones, M., Kuhn, B., & Woideski, B. (2011). Developing a monitoring protocol for visitor-created informal trails in Yosemite National Park, USA. Environmental Management, 47(1), 93-106.
  • Marion, J. L., & Leung, Y.-F. (2011). Indicators and protocols for monitoring impacts of formal and informal trails in protected areas. Journal of Tourism and Leisure Studies, 17(2), 215-236.


Progress 01/01/10 to 12/31/10

Outputs
OUTPUTS: - A comprehensive literature review of emerging recreational activities with special reference to urban forests, natural areas and open space was conducted. This review will carry on throughout the life of the project (Objective 1). - A media content analysis was conducted on disc golf as an example of emerging recreation activity in urban forests and natural areas. The results were reported in a regional research conference (Objective 1). - Field procedures were developed to assess impacts of mountain biking as another emerging recreation activity in urban forests and natural areas. Special emphasis was placed on the trail technical features created by mountain bikers to enhance riding experiences. The procedures were pilot tested in central North Carolina and further tested in a urban-proximate site near Whitefish, Montana. The results were disseminated to local park directors and presented at state and regional conferences (Objectives 2 and 3). - Community-based monitoring protocols were developed for local mountain biking trails and disc golf courses. These protocol were intended for applications by resource managers as well as local outdoor activity groups, service-learning students and other volunteers (Objective 3). - Initial contacts were made with potential collaborators in central North Carolina, Australia and Germany, with the goal of comparing impacts of emerging recreation in different sites using similar assessment and monitoring protocols (Objective 4). PARTICIPANTS: Christopher Kollar, MS Student, NCSU; Chelsey Walden-Schreiner, MS Student, NCSU; Craig Matisoff, MS Student, NCSU; David Santucci, MS Student, NCSU; Liana Dern, MS Student, NCSU; Adrian Zeck, MS Student, NCSU; Chris Siderelis, Professor, NCSU; Roger Moore, Associate Professor, NCSU; Karen Hockett, Research Associate, Virginia Tech; Jeff Marion, Research Scientist, Virginia Tech/USGS; Catherine Pickering, Associate Professor, Griffith University, Australia; David Newsome, Associate Professor, Murdoch University, Australia TARGET AUDIENCES: Park managers under Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space; Members of Triangle Off-Road Cyclists PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
- The literature review of emerging recreation is currently supporting the development of a state-of-knowledge paper. - The procedures for media content analysis are being replicated for other types of emerging recreation. - The assessment protocols for mountain biking trails and disc golf courses were transferred to local resource managers who are considering application in their areas. - The involvement of students in data collection has enriched their learning experience and improved their understanding of recreation-conservation issues.

Publications

  • Hockett, K., Clark, A., Leung, Y.-F., Marion, J. L., & Park, L. (2010). Deterring off-trail hiking in protected natural areas: Evaluating options with surveys and unobtrusive observation. Technical report submitted to USDI National Park Service, C&O Canal National Historic Park. Blacksburg, VA: USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Virginia Tech Field Unit.
  • Pickering, C. P., Hill, W., Newsome, D., & Leung, Y.-F. (2010). Comparing hiking, mountain biking and horse riding impacts in Australian and the USA. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(3), 551-562.
  • Siderelis, C., Naber, M., & Leung, Y.-F. (2010). Resource measures and demand for recreation outings: a mountain biking case study. Journal of Leisure Research, 42(4), 573-590.