The primary purpose of this book is to provide recreation planners, public land managers, academicians, media,
students, industry and others interested in outdoor recreation with a ready resource describing in detail trends
and contemporary Americans' participation in outdoor recreation. The first section describes long and
short-term trends, going back to 1960 and linking to earlier nationwide recreation surveys. The next section
describes participation in different groupings of outdoor activities. The third section
describes participation and trends by type of outdoor resource or setting, e.g., forest,
farm and marine. The final section provides comparisons across major metropolitan
areas, across regions and states and between enthusiasts and others.
This book is not designed to be read from cover to cover in front of a warm fire over a soothing cup of hot chocolate
on brisk Sunday mornings. It is a professional information resource to be used in planning, decision making,
marketing and documentation. While this book was designed for as wide an audience as possible, there was also
an eye to providing data broken out to suit as many different, more specific interests and needs as we could
conceive. For example, a chapter on farm recreation is included for agencies and interests in rural agricultural lands.
THE BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM Venture Publishing, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction: The Purpose of This Book
History of Outdoor Recreation in the United States
Section 1: Long-Term and Short-Term Trends
Chapter 1: Long-Term Trends -- 1960 to Present
Chapter 2: Recent Trends -- 1982 to Present
Chapter 3: Recent Trends -- 1994-1995 to 2000-2001
Chapter 4: Trends Before and After September 11, 2001
Section 2: Recreation Participation by Activity Groups
Chapter 5: Participation in Land, Water, and Snow/Ice-Based Outdoor Activities
Chapter 6: Participation in Viewing/Learning/Gathering Activities
Chapter 7: Participation in Outdoor Sports
Section 3: Outdoor Recreation Participation by Natural Resources
Chapter 8: Forest Recreation
Chapter 9: Farm Recreation
Chapter 10: Marine Recreation
Chapter 11: Freshwater Recreation
Section 4: Geographical Comparisons and Specialist Groups
Chapter 12: Urban Outdoor Recreation
Chapter 13: Comparisons by Region and State
Chapter 14: Outdoor Recreation Personalities
Chapter 15: The Enthusiasts