Post It: Outdoor Recreation

Sorry for the late post, All! Being out of town and not having my laptop made it next to impossible to get this done on time.

- Our country has over 300 million acres of land in public trust available for recreation, but only 30% of shoreline is available for public use! Only about 10% of all of that space is actual wilderness (Didn't we discuss this idea of nature vs wilderness in class a few weeks ago?).

- The most popular recreation activity across all types of land is viewing nature from a vehicle. The environment is key to the experience but it is still done from the outside. This form of recreation has grown by over 400% in the past 50 years due to major increases in transportation technology.

- The National Park Service (NPS) was created to find a balance between recreation and resource management. Recently this has become an even bigger problem even though more land has been added to the national parks.

- Commercialized leisure is both a compliment to the recreation side of the debate and a huge hurdle for activists supporting conservation. Companies set up near the forests to sell cook stoves and RV equipment, etc. Boating companies set up business near lakes to repair/sell/teach consumers about boating.

- Debate: Should natural parks be run as a business? It would help with supply & demand, maintenance, crowding issues, etc. BUT they are treasures, not businesses, they are for preservation, not for profit, limitations are imposed by more fair means than by income/wealth, etc.

- There is no typical/normal recreationist/resource user. There is a broad spectrum of ways people use resources for recreation. The spectrum of users goes like this:
<------------------------------------------------------------>
Preservers Users Developers

-The 3 different areas of the spectrum mix like oil and water, which causes conflict.

-Debate: Is outdoor Recreation anti-environmental? Most recreation is exploratory, not observational, we have long term leases on public spaces like water areas, the resource has become a means to a greater end ($), etc. BUT those who know and use recreation tend to be the strongest supporters of conservation efforts, activity can be done when they are appropriate for the resource, it can be educational, its better to regulate than to close off completely, etc.

- Humans are a part of nature, not just in charge of it! If we use our resources unwisely, the carrying capacity might diminish, causing humans to become an endangered species!

- Please peruse this incredibly short article (Its only a few paragraphs!): http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/politics/stories/torontos-new-green-roof-law-a-first-for-north-america
I think this has the potential to alleviate some of the usage problems that ruin the environment. Can't we enjoy a garden on a rooftop as much as on the ground? And can't we still use these green spaces for outdoor education?

Questions:

1. Do you think that the lack of shoreline makes the beach more popular? Does it effect supply and demand? Or do we simply think of the beach as a more glamorous vacation spot because it is more glamorous than roughing it in the woods?

2. Earlier in the semester we discussed how important it is to be outside, in nature, when we discussed The Last Child in the Woods. This article suggests that people are driving to view nature but doing so from the car. Do you think this is enough, to simply view the nature from inside a car? Or is it doing more harm than good? Or is it a step in the right direction?

3. Do you have an opinion about whether national parks should be run as businesses or not? If so, does your opinion change when you start thinking about "The Grand Canyon" as opposed to thinking about "National Parks"?