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UVM Theses and Dissertations

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Format:
Print
Author:
Reigner, Nathan
Dept./Program:
Natural Resources
Year:
2014
Degree:
PhD
Abstract:
Solitude and freedom of behavior are traditional and important objectives of many visitors to national parks and wilderness. These objectives are often addressed under the rubric of "crowding." Crowding in parks has been the subject of many studies and is conventionally defined as a negative evaluation (a subjective judgment) of some social density (an objective measure). To more fully understand crowding, this dissertation develops and applies a multidimensional model of crowding in parks that 1) provides for pragmatic measures of social density and crowding by managers, 2) assesses perceived social density and crowding by park visitors, and 3) addresses behavioral effects of social density and crowding. Three related studies are used to measure and assess the relationships among the three components of the multidimensional model outlined above. Special attention is given to deriving measures of crowding that can help inform park management. All three studies comprising the dissertation were conducted in Yoseinite National Park.
The first two studies illustrate connections between 1) park management and visitor perceptions of crowding and 2) park management and behavioral effects of crowding, respectively. Management -perception connections are built upon the intersections of Yosemite's transportation system and visitor perceptions of crowding at primary attraction sites in the park. In Yosemite, as in many parks, the transportation system is a powerful influence on the flow of visitors to and through the park. By linking visitor perceptions of crowding to the park's transportation system, the transportation system can be used as a tool to manage visitor use. Management -behavior connections are illustrated and leveraged at Yosemite's iconic Half Dome. Here, risk management and wilderness protection concerns were prompted by increasing visitor use on the final approach to Half Dome's summit. The behavioral effects of crowding can contribute to travel delays and are associated fatal falls from the summit. Monitoring and modeling these relationships informed a new permit system that balances the quality of visitor experiences, the character of Half Dome's wilderness, and the ability of the public to access the mountain.
The third study builds upon the techniques and perspective of the first two to integrate management, perception and behavior is a single conceptual and analytical model. Often, perceived crowding and behavioral effects of crowding have been approached independently. When they have been studied together, behavior is generally assumed to be a product of perception. This conventional approach discounts the potential for perceived crowding and behavioral effects of crowding to operate independently. Coordinated measures of social density and crowding from managerial, perceptual, and behavioral perspectives were collected and analyzed at the Hetch Hetchy area in Yosemite. They illustrate how perceptions of crowding and behavioral effects of crowding can be measured and.modeled in ways that facilitate integrated analysis among the multiple dimensions ofcrowding and that are relevant to park managers.