Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Parks, Tourism and Recreation Management

Department or School/College

Department of Society and Conservation

Committee Chair

Dr. William L. Rice

Commitee Members

Dr. Martin Nie, Dr. Christopher A. Armatas, Nadia White

Keywords

allocation, equity, distributive justice, river recreation, permit, management

Subject Categories

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

Abstract

River recreation in the U.S. increased dramatically in the 1970s as boating technology and recreational skill level shifted, thus a number of federally- and state-managed river areas instituted use limits over the years to prevent the environmental and social impacts perceived to have stemmed from increased use. These river managers were then faced with the task of allocating this use between private and commercial users (allotment) and within these groups (rationing), complicated by the fact that members of the public perceive equity differently. Early recreation use allocation research explored how different rationing techniques favor different groups, for example those with the ability to plan far in advance versus those who are able to act spontaneously with limited notice. While some of these river areas have updated their river recreation use allocation systems since their original implementation, others are utilizing their original systems within the context of changing technology and recreational use patterns. As more river managers begin to consider implementing use limits (and thus allocation systems) on their rivers, turning to the river-related management plans of those river areas that have allocation systems is a good first step, but not all of these plans contain detailed rationales behind their decision-making processes. A lack of frameworks for making allocation-related decisions forces river managers to make these difficult choices using available science, which remains limited despite fifty years of recreation research, and best judgement which is potentially influenced by value systems and politics. These allocation-related decisions have lasting consequences on the recreating public, tribal communities, local economies, and commercial outfitters that rely on these use opportunities, thus managers require a framework for how to think about these complex decisions. This thesis explores the decision-making process that managers utilize when thinking about allocating river recreation use opportunities, and how each river area arrived at their specific allotment and rationing systems. Additionally, this thesis investigates the role that the concept of equity has played in these decision-making processes, and any obstacles to including equity considerations that may exist. In-depth semi structured interviews with 23 river managers and subsequent grounded theory analysis highlighted six important attributes that allocation systems must possess: equity, flexibility, accessibility, they must be balanced, data-driven, and meet agency needs. These managers pointed to three main obstacles to incorporating equity considerations into the allocation decision-making process, which are accessibility and inclusivity limitations, operational challenges, and planning and policy hurdles. A theoretical framework is presented for managers to utilize when thinking through these complex river recreation use allocation decisions.

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© Copyright 2024 Kelsey Ellen Phillips