TITLE:
Rapid Appraisal of User Stakeholders for Forest Recreation Area Planning: The Little Molas Case
AUTHORS:
John P. Titre, Allan S. Mills CF, Mark F. Mallaney
KEYWORDS:
Recreation Planning; Outdoor Recreation; Forest Recreation; Rapid Appraisal
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.2 No.3,
July
18,
2012
ABSTRACT: Public forest recreation area planning is often confronted by conflicting stakeholder views of what actions are most appropriate for improving outdoor recreation areas. Contemporary users of an outdoor recreation area are often inadequately represented in these planning decisions, due to the high cost and time required for user surveys that have traditionally been used to represent these stakeholders. A case example of the application of an alternative research method termed rapid appraisal (RA) is described. Data collected using rapid appraisal was used to help resolve disagreements on future planning and development options for the Little Molas Recreation Area (LMRA). The entire RA process was completed in one month’s time, with results which provided a reliable stakeholder supplement to working group recommendations to the Forest Service for their proposed LMRA redevelopment plan.