Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item An economic analysis of the Smith River float lottery(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2020) Walker, Chase Nelson; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Randal R. RuckerOutdoor recreation is a popular pastime for many and provides an opportunity to unwind and take a break in nature and on public resources. In recent years, overcrowding and commercial use have been highlighted in the media for taking away from the recreational experience and stressing some of the resources. To explore this issue, I collect data on float permit application numbers over 15 years for the Smith River, which is a popular lottery accessed recreational river in Montana that receives over 10,000 float applications per year and also allows private commercial guiding. To attempt to gain insights into whether commercial use is viewed negatively, I use variation in the number of outfitted trips that are permitted to launch each day within the float season to identify how outfitter use impacts application rates. I find that application rates during the peak season decrease by an average of 11 percent on days in which two outfitters launch compared to days when only one outfitter can launch. Because outfitter launch allocations effect the supply of permits available in the lottery, this result could be attributed to either an outfitter effect or supply effect. Further analyses that test the differences between the early season when outfitter use is low, and the peak season when outfitter use is high, indicates that there is a combination of both effects, but that the impact of outfitter use is large and significant.Item Spanish Creek water quality(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Nealen, Carolyn Ruth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisSpanish Creek's water quality was monitored over several months, through collection of data from nine parameters. Specific data from two sites were compared to determine the impact of recreational use upon overall stream health. Macroinvertebrates were also sampled. Data was graphed and analyzed for patterns. Results suggest that Spanish Creek's water quality is Good and that recreational use does not negatively impact stream health.Item Summer camp's color line: racialized landscapes and the struggle for integration, 1890-1950(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Hardin, Amanda Suzanne; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Billy SmithThough seldom discussed in the larger struggle for African American equality, the ideological and physical exclusion of people of color from outdoor spaces reveals the pervasive, and insidiously widespread nature of white supremacy in the United States. The common historical narrative of the American outdoors focuses on prominent white male figures, such as John Muir or Theodore Roosevelt. This study interrogates the largely unexamined intersections of race and outdoor recreation during the first half of the twentieth century through examining the archival records of three integration-focused summer camps: the Union Settlement Association, the Wiltwyck School for Boys, and Camp Atwater. Analysis of these archives complicates the historiographical concept of 'outdoor recreation' by revealing its connection with white supremacist mentalities and demonstrating the ways in which some people resisted the black-white, urban-nature binary that emerged during this ea. The stories of these camps illuminate more diverse perspectives about the outdoors, and add to an underdeveloped body of research on nonwhite perspectives about recreating in 'natural' environments. By centering these marginalized voices, this scholarship will contribute to future research about similar topics.Item Yellowstone National Park & the winter use debate: community resilience and tourism impacts in the gateway community of West Yellowstone, MT(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Hamming, Carl Alan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Julia Hobson Haggerty; Julia H. Haggerty, Ray Rasker and William Wyckoff were co-authors of the article, 'Community resilience in a tourist town' submitted to the journal 'Annals of Tourism Research' which is contained within this thesis.This study explores the socioeconomic impacts of the National Park Service's winter use management of Yellowstone National Park on the gateway community of West Yellowstone, Montana. As a highly specialized, tourism-dependent gateway community, the National Park Service's management decisions that affect park visitation also impact the economic viability of West Yellowstone. Previously, scholars have documented the challenges presented by tourism economies and 'resortification' in small communities, the process of a small town being converted into a resort destination with numerous vacation properties, increasing absentee business ownership, a highly seasonal economy and escalating real estate prices. Less is known about how the challenges of resortification and industrial tourism interact with the dimensions of community resilience within a gateway community. Community resilience exists as a mechanism for rural and remote communities to identify vulnerabilities, buffer change, develop resources and promote local progress during periods of uncertainty and stress. This paper explores how the snowmobiling restrictions and winter use management of Yellowstone National Park impacted the community resilience of the tourism-dependent gateway community of West Yellowstone. The debate over winter use management and snowmobiling restrictions in Yellowstone National Park drained the community resources of West Yellowstone and negatively impacted the economic viability of local wintertime businesses. Consequently, challenges of resortification intensified and diminished several dimensions of West Yellowstone's community resilience. The mixed methods approach provides insight to how West Yellowstone's social and economic well-being have been affected since the snowmobiling restrictions were implemented and how the tourism landscape of the entire Yellowstone region has changed. The case study of West Yellowstone contributes knowledge of the economics of gateway communities, the implications of federal land management decisions, and the community resilience of tourism-dependent, gateway towns.Item Private use of public lands : Canyon Ferry Lake cabin lease sites(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1987) Clark, Steven Ray; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard L. HainesItem Potential influence of recreational use on Nelson Spring Creek, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1988) Roberts, Bruce CharlesItem Ecology of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and an evaluation of potential effects of angler wading in the Yellowstone River(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1993) Kelly, Barbara MarieItem Environmental factors influencing recreational trail condition(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1994) Urie, Wendi AnnItem A natural resource analysis system for outdoor recreation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1972) Nordstrom, Paul EricItem Erosional impact of hikers, horses, off-road bicycles, and motorcycles on mountain trails(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1991) Seney, Joseph Paul