UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Davis, Bryan E.
Dept./Program:
Natural Resource Planning Program
Year:
2007
Degree:
M.S.
Abstract:
The 26-million-acre Northern Forest is one of the largest continuously forested areas in the United States, stretching from New York's 6-million-acre Adirondack Park through northern Vermont and New Hampshire and covering nearly 75 percent of Maine. About one million people live within this region, and the Forest is also within a day's drive of 70 million potential visitors. Both residents and visitors to the area fuel an annual recreation and tourism industry worth $16 billion, and many of these activities take place on the 22 million acres of private lands.
But, with more than two million acres of the Northern Forest protected by land trusts, conservation efforts may be affecting traditional recreation access of private land - and, conservation efforts may ultimately affect the recreation and tourism economy of the region. The Northern Forest, then, provides a distinctive setting in which to examine the relationships between land conservation, outdoor recreation opportunities, and community involvement in conservation.
This study considers how individuals and organizations within three communities - Island Pond, Vermont; Pittsburg, New Hampshire; and Rangeley, Maine - located near large (greater than 100,000 acres) conservation projects participate in and are affected by conservation decisions, particularly as those decisions relate to outdoor recreation access, use, and sustainability. A total of 48 interviews were conducted with local residents, community and business leaders, and government representatives. After developing a general conservation process model, this research identifies the stages of the model in which the public - and specifically outdoor recreation interests - was involved, and then examines the social networks of participating individuals and groups.
Results indicate that while the conservation process is similar across towns, public involvement depends on the landowners (both seller and buyer), the goals of the conservation project, and the shared issues faced by outdoor recreation groups, local businesses and residents, and visitors. Conservation projects that use public funds or result in public land ownership provide opportunities for public involvement, whereas private deals have limited or no public participation.
Outdoor recreation and other interest groups tend to form alliances with each other when common issues are at stake, and social network models aid in identifying individuals and groups, such as local business persons, officers in outdoor recreation clubs, long-time residents, and government officials, likely to be knowledgeable and influential in local issues. This study has importance for rural planning and land conservation efforts because ownership changes of large land holdings can potentially impact the traditional public uses of those lands, as well as the cultural, economic, and social characteristics of local communities. This research adds to understanding the relationships between communities and conservation, and the role of recreational use of private lands within that relationship.
But, with more than two million acres of the Northern Forest protected by land trusts, conservation efforts may be affecting traditional recreation access of private land - and, conservation efforts may ultimately affect the recreation and tourism economy of the region. The Northern Forest, then, provides a distinctive setting in which to examine the relationships between land conservation, outdoor recreation opportunities, and community involvement in conservation.
This study considers how individuals and organizations within three communities - Island Pond, Vermont; Pittsburg, New Hampshire; and Rangeley, Maine - located near large (greater than 100,000 acres) conservation projects participate in and are affected by conservation decisions, particularly as those decisions relate to outdoor recreation access, use, and sustainability. A total of 48 interviews were conducted with local residents, community and business leaders, and government representatives. After developing a general conservation process model, this research identifies the stages of the model in which the public - and specifically outdoor recreation interests - was involved, and then examines the social networks of participating individuals and groups.
Results indicate that while the conservation process is similar across towns, public involvement depends on the landowners (both seller and buyer), the goals of the conservation project, and the shared issues faced by outdoor recreation groups, local businesses and residents, and visitors. Conservation projects that use public funds or result in public land ownership provide opportunities for public involvement, whereas private deals have limited or no public participation.
Outdoor recreation and other interest groups tend to form alliances with each other when common issues are at stake, and social network models aid in identifying individuals and groups, such as local business persons, officers in outdoor recreation clubs, long-time residents, and government officials, likely to be knowledgeable and influential in local issues. This study has importance for rural planning and land conservation efforts because ownership changes of large land holdings can potentially impact the traditional public uses of those lands, as well as the cultural, economic, and social characteristics of local communities. This research adds to understanding the relationships between communities and conservation, and the role of recreational use of private lands within that relationship.