Taylor Stein, PhD (he/him/his)
Professor
University of Florida
SAF Working Group Officer
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Kotryna Klizentyte, PhD
Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Economics and Policy
University of Florida, United States
Robert Burns, PhD
Professor
West Virginia University, United States
This session will include presentations that address how to help a diversity of people access the benefits of nature. Although popular nature-based tourism and recreation area managers throughout the US are struggling with how to work with high demand and changing recreation patterns, opportunities to provide personal, social, and economic benefits from many natural areas are still unknown. For example, many areas that focus on conservation might allow recreation, but the recreation benefit opportunities are not known or valued since the area is relatively unknown or not valued. Researchers continuously need to identify new methods to identify and measure the value of diverse amenity resources, as well as identify planning and management strategies to provide opportunities for the public to benefit from those opportunities. This session will include presentations examining the value of developing newly restored wetlands for recreation access, innovative recreation planning for existing conservation lands traditionally managed for hunting and fishing, working at large landscape levels to connect residents and visitors to their cultural and natural resources through Geoparks, and understanding the restorative benefits that Christmas trees provide to millions of homes. In all cases, research and case studies that examines people’s attitudes, values, and behaviors will illuminate new approaches to the planning and management of amenity resources.
Organized by the SAF Recreation and Wilderness Management Working Group. Learning Objectives: