while researching the Wellman Nixon study (which I haven't found[yet])I came across this article which kind of sheds light on some of our issues.


http://www.rbbi.com/white/conflict/litrev.htm


Who Hates Whom in the Great Outdoors: The Impact of Recreational Specialization and Technologies of Play
by Bill Devall and Joseph Harry
Leisure Sciences Vol. 4 (1981) No.4
Pages 399-418
The authors offer the concept that social relationships in outdoor recreation setting are heavily influenced by recreational technologies. Recreationists participate in clusters of technological similar recreations. They hypothesized users of more physically obtrusive technologies are resented by users of less obtrusive technologies.
A questionnaire was used to obtain data from participants in many different recreational activities in the Williamette Basin of Oregon. The study found distinct clusters of recreational technologies did exist, resenting relationships were found between users of different technologies, but these resentments were directed toward both obtrusive and non-obtrusive technologies. Conflicts were surprisingly found to be between clusters rather than within their own principle cluster.

The authors suggest that a significant portion of user perceived crowding does not simply result from too many users at a site, but is due to mixing various technologies at the site. Problems may be particularly severe when one activity involves quiet, slow speed, and an appreciation for nature and the other activity requires speed and noise ("oar power" vs. "motor power").

Diversification in recreational technologies occurs in hybridization or combination of pre-existing devices and activities. An example of this is water skiing, a combination of skiing and motor boating. This kind of hybridization tends to give rise to technological clusters of related activities. The activities of boating and fishing yield a variety of activities including: motor boat fishing, rowboat fishing, shore fishing, motor boating, rowing, etc. The authors suggest that an individual will tend to participate in activities within a cluster much more frequently than those of other clusters.

Newer technologies such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and hovercraft tend to be much more "sensory obtrusive" than older technologies. Resenting relationships between devices of different technologies tends to be asymmetrical (one way). For example, canoeists resent boaters, but boaters haven no objection to canoeists.

When speed is involved an additional problem may enter the system. Users of fast moving recreational equipment may feel constrained by the presence of slower moving equipment. While slower moving recreationists may fear being "ran over."

[Quote]Resenting relationships between devices of different technologies tends to be asymmetrical (one way). For example, canoeists resent boaters, but boaters haven no objection to canoeists. [Quote]

I can see that. Off roaders have no objection with hikers and enviro types using the dunes also. Enviro types want all offroaders shoved off the face of the earth (the more extreme enviro's anyway).

Well, I have read some similar studies done by people working on the master's thesis'. While they do have some merit, I will not take this or any others to represent an area greater than that studied. You cannot make the generalization that what happens at Williamette Basin, Oregon happens everywhere. . . besides there may be many factors skewing the survey results and observations that we don't know about...

And your point is?

This (like most things environmentalists bring to the publics attention) has NOTHING to do with the environment. All it does is illustrate thet human being dislike anything that they.... well... ummm... dont like.

I hope nobody actually got paid to do that study...

-D

I think this post is very telling. Here we have an environmentalist promoting a hypothesis that the real agenda of the green movement is to eliminate those activities that they don't like just because they don't like them -- what we've been saying all along.

Alright lemme ask ya something bluesky..
Do you drive a car to get to work everday or get around?
Do you use toliet paper to wipe your ass or do you go outside and use the leaves to save the damn trees?
Well your part of the whole damn problem! If you think that OHV hurt the world more then you driving your car around then your CRAZY! (forgot you already were) Why dont you and all your tree hugger friends take a nice hike to Hell and do all of us a favor. Were all gonna die anyways so lets all LIVE AND HAVE A GOOD TIME WHILE WE CAN!

Id run you over

LoL who me drgbanshee???? If you think you can whoop my ass you better be jokin cuz ill show you UP! LOL

no not you, Blue f*g

LoL Oh okay my bad, u confused me!!! =o)~
ill still beat that BANSHEE tho!

Masters thesis are most often based on research and data, however that past data is skewed by the persons who developed any study to lean more in his/her favor and whether or not the author of the thesis is presenting his/her biased view. Portrayal for these reports are still only an opinion. Backed by justification and given a grade by an instructor who thinks they know all.

Sandshark,

I didn't mean bias by the author intentionally. I was remembering this thesis I studied a few years back about a local OHV area called Shelter Cove. A person went and observed the OHVers and their interactions with other recreationists on the beach. Then, he handed out questionaires to both. This is where he admittantly thought bias could have entered. People were paranoid about filling out a questionaire, for whatever reason, and perhaps didn't report truthfully.

Stacy

[This message has been edited by Stacy (edited 04-18-2002).]