Student: Isabelle Russenberger
Graduation date: May 2020
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2017
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Summary
Non-consumptive outdoor recreation encapsulates a vast array of activities such as mountaineering, sightseeing, bicycling, and skiing. It is defined as what an individual engages in while outdoors that is not work, and provides some form of entertainment. Outdoor recreation’s influences can also expand into surrounding communities via outdoor associated-values (learning, nostalgia, exercise, etc.) and, by extension, economic prosperity from these activities (Porter and Bright 2003). According to The Outdoor Foundation, the number of individuals participating in outdoor recreation at least once a year was 142 million Americans as of 2016. This number of individuals has remained fairly constant over the last 10 years and is not projected to grow (The Outdoor Foundation 2016).
Outdoor recreation has been shown to have some adverse effects on mammals, birds, and other animal species present in areas of high use. This is due to disturbances including “noise pollution, garbage dumps, and potentially high densities of recreationists” (Boyle and Samson 1985, 111). This has been affirmed by studies of international ski resorts (Sato et al. 2013), and the introduction of non-native species to recreation areas (Anderson et al. 2015). These observations are often limited to fauna, but can also extend into an investigation of flora.
The presence of arid and semiarid environments, known as drylands, situates this recreation. Covering about 40% of Earth’s land and housing over 1 billion people, these climates are distinguished by their mean annual precipitation (P), and potential evapotranspiration levels (PE). This results in a P/PE ratio of between 0.05 and 0.65 (Hulme 1996). In the United States, the majority of the Mountain Region (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, etc.), as well as a large portion of Oregon and California, qualifies as drylands (Robinson 2007).
Despite their global presence, drylands are often not a mainstream topic when discussing ecological health. Biodiversity is conventionally used as a measure for ecosystem health. The general calculation for biodiversity is a measure of species richness and abundance, often evaluated by indicator species (Noss 1990). The issue here is that species richness tends to be lower in drylands, and therefore it is not as alluring to researchers as the biodiversity hotspots of tropical regions (Davies et al 2012).
Another major consideration when looking into the health of an ecosystem is the presence of freshwater. The scarcity of freshwater has resulted in “extraordinary physiological and behavioral adaptations in many plant and animal species,” (Davies et al. 2012, 3). The alteration of freshwater levels in drylands could dramatically impact potential power struggles, economic productivity and agriculture occurring in these locations. These impacts are observed on a domestic to international scale (Hoekstra et al., 2012).
While disturbances are imperative for ecosystem functionality and future resiliency, human-caused disturbances have increased in frequency, and have the potential to adversely alter the stability of the ecosystem (Villnäs et al 2013). This can be easily envisioned when thinking about trails, like those surrounding Multnomah Falls, where tourists walk the same section of trail in what can sometimes be a nonstop stream of pedestrians. This is where some aspects of recreation can easily be observed in tandem with the ecology of a place; however, further effects can extend to travel, gear procurement, and the management/maintenance of recreation sites.
References
Anderson, Lucy G., Steve Rocliffe, Neal R. Haddaway, and Alison M. Dunn. 2015. “The Role of Tourism and Recreation in the Spread of Non-Native Species: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” PLoS ONE 10 (10): 1–15. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140833.
Boyle, Stephen A., and Fred B. Samson. 1985. “Effects of Nonconsumptive Recreation on Wildlife: A Review.” Wildlife Society Bulletin (1973-2006) 13 (2):110–16. https://doi.org/10.2307/3781422.
Buckley, Ralf. 2011. “Tourism and Environment.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources 36 (1):397–416. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-041210-132637.
Davies, Jonathan, Lene Poulsen, Björn Schulte-Herbrüggen, Kathy Mackinnon, Nigel Crawhall, William D. Henwood, Nigel Dudley, Jessica Smith, and Masumi Gudka. 2012. “Conserving Dryland Biodiversity.” https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwiR-PnR4ZfXAhUO8GMKHSpNACcQFggwMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unccd.int%2FLists%2FSiteDocumentLibrary%2FPublications%2Fdrylands_bk_2.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3jT0VIivaSNgVvHA-iU4DX.
Hoekstra, Arjen Y., Mesfin M. Mekonnen, Ashok K. Chapagain, Ruth E. Mathews, and Brian D. Richter. 2012. “Global Monthly Water Scarcity: Blue Water Footprints versus Blue Water Availability.” PLoS ONE 7 (2):1–9. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032688.
Hulme, Mike. 1996. “Recent Climate Change in the World’s Drylands.” Geophysical recearch letter.
Porter, Rob, and Alan D. Bright. 2003. “Non-Consumptive Outdoor Recreation, Activity Meaning, and Environmental Concern.” In Proceedings of the 2003 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, April, 6–8.
Robinson. 2007. “Delineation of Areas in Relation to the CBD PoW on Dry and Subhumid Lands.” https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-09/addition/cop-09-dec-17-img-01.png.
Sato, Chloe F., Jeff T. Wood, and David B. Lindenmayer. 2013. “The Effects of Winter Recreation on Alpine and Subalpine Fauna: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” PLoS ONE 8 (5): 1–11. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064282.
Villnäs, Anna, Joanna Norkko, Susanna Hietanen, Alf B. Josefson, Kaarina Lukkari, and Alf Norkko. 2013. “The Role of Recurrent Disturbances for Ecosystem Multifunctionality.” Ecology 94 (10):2275–87.
Questions
- Descriptive: What are the main incentives to investigate ecology in arid and semiarid environments? How is outdoor recreation adopted into areas designated for biodiversity and water protection? What is distinctive about the ecology of a dryland?
- Explanatory: Why is dryland ecology a factor when considering a location for recreation? What are the effects of recreation on the ecology in a dryland?
- Evaluative: What are the positive/negative implications of recreation on a dryland? For whom?
- Instrumental: What should recreationists do to best accommodate dryland ecology when? Who should be responsible for monitoring/managing the impacts of recreation on dryland ecology?
Concentration courses
- SOAN 367 (Anthropology of Tourism, 4 credits), Spring 2018: This course views the drives of tourism including social and economic inequalities, and commodification of place, culture, identity, etc. These concepts can extend to drylands and highlight the interactions between tourists and their destinations.
- SOAN 305 (Environmental Sociology, 4 credits), Spring 2018: This course allows me to view issues of environmental degradation, social movements, and urban sociology to see where humans interact with their surrounding environments.
- ENVS 499 (Independent Study 4 credits), Fall 2018/Fall 2019: 2+2 setup in fall terms regarding recreation and ecology on overseas program in spring (location TBD). This will most likely have a biology focus.
- ENVS 460 (Environmental Law and Policy, 4 credits), Fall 2019: This course covers the laws surrounding wilderness, natural resources, justice, and various other related topics that have been established. By investing these laws, I can better understand how land usage and resources (for recreation) are monitored and regulated, as well as how policies can be best implemented to be effective.
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- RELS 102 (Food and Religion, 4 Credits), Spring 2018: This course examines the relationships between religious institutions/individuals by studying gatherings, cooking, and practices. These interactions with food can in turn illustrate the connections between individuals and their surrounding natural environments.
- HIST 331 (American Culture and Society: 1880 to 1980, 4 credits), Fall 2018: This course investigated the progression of the United States, focusing on consumer culture, media, work/leisure, and revolutions. This course provides an understanding of how the United States has developed into the current (and possibly future) ideals surrounding recreation.