Browsing by Author "Walker, Jamie Rae"
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Item An exploration of the relationship between use of parks and access, park appeal, and communication effectiveness(2009-05-15) Walker, Jamie RaeUnderstanding what variables influence park use would assist park providers and policy makers in acquiring, designing, managing, and funding initiatives which encourage or support park use. Previous studies indicate that access to parks (measured by both objective and perceived distances), park appeal in terms of being well-maintained, and effective communication between constituents and park suppliers, relate positively to park use. This study explores the relationships between access, appeal, and communication and park use. Access is operationalized as four objective distances from household to nearest park using both Euclidian and Network measures, and by subjective self-reported measures of ability to access parks on foot or by bicycle. Appeal is concerned with the influence of parks? perceived level of maintenance and availability of amenities on the probability of park use. Effective communication is operationalized by three variables: perceptions of being well-informed, being included in the planning process, and being able to give feedback to park leaders. These variables and selected demographic data were extracted from an existing data set: the City of College Station Needs Assessment. Findings indicated that a) respondents with access to parks are more likely to use parks, b) level of maintenance and available amenities influenced use, and c) respondents who are well-informed are more likely to use parks.Item Examining mode of experience: implications for linear trail design and conflict management(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Walker, Jamie RaeJacob and Schreyer (1980) define mode of experience (e.g. the degree to which participants experience an environment as focused or unfocused) as one of four major factors underlying outdoor recreation conflict. To discover the degree to which mountain bikers and hikers focus in the environment and to identify the key environmental elements and cognitive processes relevant to creating the mode of experience and underlying conflict, Visitor Employed Photography, VEP, and follow-up interviews were combined to explore mountain bikers' and hikers' perceptual experiences. Twelve mountain bikers (7 males, 5 females) rode about four and one half miles of the Lake Bryan East Loop Trail and 12 hikers (6 males, 6 females) hiked about 1.5 miles. Each participant was given a digital camera and tape recorder and was instructed to stop and take a picture of whatever they were looking at right when they heard music play. Findings indicate that mountain bikers tended to concentrate on Trail Corridor elements while forming or creating their Path/Line to travel while hikers tended to look around, scan, or take in full views of Wildlife, Vegetation, and Noises. Combined analyses suggested that mountain bikers photographed On-Trail Tread-Specific and Path/Line perceptions while hikers photographed Off/Off Distant-Views of Vegetation and Noises. Consensus existed among both for photographing On Distant at Trail Corridor elements down the Path/Line; On Distant at Trail Corridor elements Panoramic Forward; and at the Edge of Specific Vegetation elements. Interview findings indicated that participants rely on complex cognitive processes that involve focusing on many areas of the trail at one time. The participant's cue formation processes, foreground/background formation, goals, sequencing, and dynamic movement influenced their mode of experience. Using the findings, this paper presents a graphic representation of mode of experience accounting for the changes participants experience; discusses lingering appraisals' affects on participants' future perceptions during linear trail experiences; discusses conflict mitigation using trail design techniques; provides design suggestions for diminishing hiker and mountain biker conflicts; suggests an adapted ROS, Recreation Opportunity Spectrum, to manage trails for setting based outcomes from a mode of experience perspective; and discusses integrating user participation in management decisions.