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1 Outdoor Recreation: Historical and Anticipated Trends <br />Other factors that may be contributing to declines in migratory bird and <br />small game hunters include restricted access, crowding, and less leisure time <br />available for hunting (Smith et al. 1992; Enck et al. 1993). Participation in <br />small game and migratory bird hunting appear to be more tied to land access <br />than big game hunting. In 1985, 63% of small game hunters and 62% of mi- <br />gratarybird hunters hunted on private lands only, compared with 51% of big <br />game hunters (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service <br />1988). <br />Nonconsumptive recreational activities are growing in popularity relative <br />to traditional wildlife and fish recreational pursuits (Duffus and Dearden <br />1990). The number of persons that actually traveled more than 1.6 km from <br />their residence to observe, photograph, or feed wildlife increased from 22.9 to <br />37.5 million from 1980 to 1990 (Fig. l.la)-an average annual rate of increase <br />that exceeds all other wildlife-oriented recreation. Based on 1991 survey re- <br />sults, most of the participants in nonconsumptive activities simply observed <br />wildlife (96%); substantially fewer people photographed (47%) or fed wild <br />animals (44%) (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and <br />U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census 1993). <br />Trends in the total number of days devoted to wildlife-dependent recre- <br />ation (Fig. l.lb) tend to mirror trends in participants, with two notable ex- <br />ceptions. First, despite increased numbers of participants, the number ofnon- <br />consumptive trips declined between 1980 and 1990. Second, since 1975, the <br />number of days spent angling and hunting have deviated from participation <br />trends. Despite consistent increases in the total number of anglers, the <br />number of days spent fishing declined conspicuously in the 1980 survey and <br />has only recently recovered to 1975 levels. Similarly, the total days spent <br />hunting has continued to decline since 1975 despite a nearly constant number <br />of participants. Although definitive studies are lacking, data do indicate that <br />the amount and focus of leisure time can restrict the level of participation in <br />all types of wildlife-oriented outdoor recreation (see Goodale 1991; Schor <br />1991). <br />TRENDS IN ACTIVITIES NOT DEPENDENT ON WILDLIFE <br />Trends in outdoor recreational activities not dependent on wildlife were es- <br />tablished from several sources (Table 1.1). Although the estimates were devel- <br />oped using different methods, the results are sufficiently comparable to indi- <br />cate general trends over aten-year period. <br />Among the Land-based activities, those occurring within developed recre- <br />ation sites or near roads had the highest number of persons 12 years old or <br />older participating. The consistent improvement in birycle technology has, in <br />large part, been responsible for biking's strong growth. The increasing popu- <br />