YMCA Hiking Patterns at Rocky Mountain National Park: Implications for Public Health

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Collingwood ◽  
Alicia Adcock ◽  
John Librett
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Park Service

Background:There is little data on hiking patterns in national parks to support hiking behavior as a vehicle to meet the joint YMCA, CDC, and National Park Service initiatives to encourage physical activity through public land use.Methods:The YMCA of the Rockies hiking program provided data from Hike Report forms completed after 343 supervised hikes for one summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to assess visitor hiking patterns.Results:Of the total hikes, 64.4% were categorized as easy, 27.1% moderate, and 8.5% difficult. There were 1937 individual hikers which represented 13.3% of the estimated potential hiker sample. The majority of hikers (69%) only took easy hikes with 72.7% participating in only one hike and 27.3% doing two or more hikes. Energy cost estimates for hike categories indicated mean MET levels between 4.0 to 5.7.Conclusion:Hiking patterns at ROMO may be reflective of general population inactivity suggesting the need to design strategies to promote visitor hiking.

scholarly journals Progress Report on the History of Forest Fires in Yellowstone National Park

1977 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
Richard Levinson ◽  
Ronald Marrs
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
National Park ◽  
Fire History ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques

This report discusses a research effort to determine the utility of remotely sensed data to delineate a forest fire history for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Research was supported by the National Park Service and the Northern Rocky Mountain Parks Studies Cooperative Program. We are grateful for the cooperation and assistance given us by Dr. Don Despain and other personnel of the National Park Service who provided data and logistical support for this research. We also thank Dr. Dennis Knight and Mr. Bill Romme of the Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, for their assistance in gathering field data essential for evaluation of the remote sensing techniques.

scholarly journals “Making Alcatraz Amazing”: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Boling
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Golden Gate ◽  
Federal Prison ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Multiple Languages

In 1987 the National Park Service and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy launched the Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour as part of the interpretive program educating visitors about the island and its history. Using an existing format made possible several years previously by Sony Walkman™ technology, the designers framed this individual, and innovative, audio tour as a means for visitors to experience the cellhouse through the voices of people incarcerated there, or living and working there, during the years when it served as an active federal prison. Such a design called for different decisions about content, scripting and moving people through space than had been required for ranger-led tours or the lecture-type audio tours prevalent at the time. The original tour has been updated continuously since its launch, and experienced by millions of visitors in multiple languages. The author of this case experienced the tour in 1988 and interviewed key designers in 2014.

scholarly journals Trail impact monitoring in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 3117-3149
Author(s):  
J. Svajda ◽  
S. Korony ◽  
I. Brighton ◽  
S. Esser ◽  
S. Ciapala
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impact Monitoring ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. This paper examines impacts of increased visitation leading to human trampling of vegetation and soil along several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to understand how abiotic factors and level of use can influence trail conditions. RMNP is one of the most visited national parks in the USA with 3.3 million visitors in 2012 across 1075 km2 and 571 km of hiking trails. 95 % of the park is designated wilderness making the balance between preservation and visitor use challenging. This research involves the application of trail condition assessments to 56 km of trails to determine prevailing factors and what, if any, connection between them exist. The study looked at a variety of inventory and impact indicators and standards to determine their importance and to develop a baseline condition of trails. The data can be used for future comparison and evaluation of development trends. We found that trail widening (mean trail width 88.9 cm) and soil loss (cross sectional area 172.7 cm2) are the most visible effects of trail degradation. Further statistical analyses of data identified the role and influence of various factors (e.g. use level and topography). Insights into the influence of these factors can lead to the selection of appropriate management measures to avoid or minimize negative consequences from increased visitation.

A Public's Awareness of Regional Parks and Park Management Agencies with Implications for Management-oriented Interpretation

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Carin E. Vadala ◽  
Robert D. Bixler ◽  
William E. Hammitt
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Park Management ◽  
Evaluation Strategies ◽  
Park Service ◽  
Management Issues

South Florida summer residents (n=1806) from five counties (Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties) were asked to recall the names of two units of the National Park Service and, when prompted, to recognize each of the four national park units located in south Florida. Only 8.4% of respondents could name two units of the National Park Service, yet when prompted many more stated that they had at least heard of the national parks in south Florida. Interpreters may be able to help raise visitor awareness of resource management issues by including information about the role of the agency in their talks or as part of their interpretive theme. Suggestions for further research and evaluation strategies are provided.

scholarly journals Valuing Our National Parks: An Ecological Economics Perspective

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Paul Sutton ◽  
Sophia Duncan ◽  
Sharolyn Anderson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
The United States ◽  
Commercial Real Estate ◽  
Annual Budget ◽  
Park Service

The annual budget for the United States National Park Service was roughly $3 billion in 2016. This is distributed amongst 405 National Parks, 23 national scenic and historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers. Entrance fees and concessions generate millions of dollars in income for the National Park Service; however, this metric fails to account for the total value of the National Parks. In failing to consider the value of the ecosystem services provided by the National Parks, we fail to quantify and appreciate the contributions our parks make to society. This oversight allows us to continue to underfund a valuable part of our natural capital and consequently damage our supporting environment, national heritage, monetary economy, and many of our diverse cultures. We explore a simple benefits transfer valuation of the United States’ national parks using National Land Cover Data from 2011 and ecosystem service values determined by Costanza et al. This produces an estimate suggesting the parks provide $98 billion/year in ecosystem service value. If the natural infrastructure ‘asset’ that is our national park system had a budget comparable to a piece of commercial real estate of this value, the annual budget of the National Park Service would be roughly an order of magnitude larger at something closer to $30 billion rather than $3 billion.

A Life in the Practice of Anthropology: Muriel Crespi and the Development of the Ethnography Program in the National Parks

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Schafft
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Seminal Work ◽  
Park Service

This issue of Practicing Anthropology is devoted to an exposition and discussion of the seminal work of Muriel (Miki) Crespi and its impact on the United States National Park Service (NPS). Changes that Crespi initiated and achieved with the collaboration of colleagues greatly enhanced the commemoration and documentation of the heritage of varied ethnic groups around whose lives and artifacts our national parks have been developed.

Born of fire: In search of volcanoes in U.S. national parks, four striking examples

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Walkup ◽  
Thomas J. Casadevall ◽  
Vincent L. Santucci
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
Park Service ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT Geologic features, particularly volcanic features, have been protected by the National Park Service since its inception. Some volcanic areas were nationally protected even before the National Park Service was established. The first national park, Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most widely known geothermal and volcanic areas in the world. It contains the largest volcanic complex in North America and has experienced three eruptions which rate among the largest eruptions known to have occurred on Earth. Half of the twelve areas established as national parks before the 1916 Organic Act which created the National Park Service are centered on volcanic features. The National Park Service now manages lands that contain nearly every conceivable volcanic resource, with at least seventy-six managed lands that contain volcanoes or volcanic rocks. Given that so many lands managed by the National Park Service contain volcanoes and volcanic rocks, we cannot give an overview of the history of each one; rather we highlight four notable examples of parks that were established on account of their volcanic landscapes. These parks all helped to encourage the creation and success of the National Park Service by inspiring the imagination of the public. In addition to preserving and providing access to the nation's volcanic heritage, volcanic national parks are magnificent places to study and understand volcanoes and volcanic landscapes in general. Scientists from around the world study volcanic hazards, volcanic history, and the inner working of the Earth within U.S. national parks. Volcanic landscapes and associated biomes that have been relatively unchanged by human and economic activities provide unique natural laboratories for understanding how volcanoes work, how we might predict eruptions and hazards, and how these volcanoes affect surrounding watersheds, flora, fauna, atmosphere, and populated areas.

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