Displacement, Place Attachment, and Other Characteristics of Anglers on the Yellowstone River

Author

Zachary L. JonesFollow

Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Geography (Community and Environmental Planning Option)

Department or School/College

Geography

Committee Chair

Dr. Jeremy Sage

Commitee Members

Dr. Jeremy Sage, Dr. Keith Bosak, Dr. Jennifer Thomsen

Keywords

Crowding, Displacement, Coping Mechanisms, Place Attachment, People at one time, River Recreation

Subject Categories

Natural Resources Management and Policy | Other Geography | Place and Environment | Tourism

Abstract

Yellowstone River has seen increasing recreational use as Montana has grown and out of state visitation has increased, leading to some locals voicing concerns of crowding. River recreation, as with many outdoor recreational activities, has participants that may be considered to be sensitive to crowded conditions and place a high value on solitude. Considering these perceptions, there is reason to believe that these participants may change their river use patterns if or when the perceived level of crowding exceeds their tolerance thresholds. Further, monitoring efforts conducted at river access sites often do not fully capture users that are already displaced due to crowding. Previous research supports the idea that displacement and other coping mechanisms are common among users in crowded recreation locations, these behaviors may be leading to artificially high ratings of satisfaction, as the users most likely to be dissatisfied are not being captured because they have changed their use patterns to avoid crowding. The goal of this study is to examine the nature of displacement on the Yellowstone River, and the thresholds of crowding that may cause recreationists to be displaced. The study seeks to expand the current understanding of river use patterns, and the existing monitoring projects that have been undertaken on the Upper Yellowstone. From this expanded understanding, managers may be better equipped to address the user experience and measures of satisfaction on rivers in Montana by also considering users displaced from their preferred recreation areas. More specifically, this study seeks to address three key questions: (1) What is the relationship, if any, between varying levels of crowding on the Upper Yellowstone River and the stated acceptability by anglers, and is that relationship affected by use type? (2) If a relationship is found to exist, what is the stated coping mechanism by anglers, and does the level of place attachment to the river influence the stated response and subsequent river use patterns? (3) How do anglers on the Upper Yellowstone River perceive potential policy and management actions aimed at addressing river use, and are there key attributes about the anglers that may influence their support of management actions?

Recommended Citation

Jones, Zachary L., "Displacement, Place Attachment, and Other Characteristics of Anglers on the Yellowstone River" (2023). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12199.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12199