Scholarship & Research
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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 Using time lapse photography to document terrain preferences of backcountry skiers(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Saly, Diana Ilona Patricia; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jordy Hendrikx; Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Stuart Challender and Jerry Johnson were co-authors of the article, 'Using time lapse photograpy to document terrain preferences of backcountry skiers' submitted to the journal 'Journal of outdoor recreation and tourism' which is contained within this thesis.Avalanches are one of the greatest hazards for those recreating in snow covered mountainous terrain. In the past 20 years an average of 13 people in Canada and 27 people in the US are killed in avalanches each winter. Meanwhile, uncontrolled backcountry avalanche terrain use has significantly increased demonstrated by increased demand for avalanche education and increased sales in backcountry equipment. Lift-accessed backcountry (LABC), or avalanche terrain easily accessed from the ski resort, has seen increased usage since resorts opened boundaries in the mid-1990s. This has led to increased research interest in how people are using backcountry avalanche terrain. A simple method to reduce exposure to avalanche hazard is avoidance, however total avoidance is seldom practical. Professionals and recreational skiers alike mitigate avalanche hazard by managing exposure to terrain containing the avalanche hazard. Current research studies use GPS tracking to study the terrain metrics of backcountry skiers. This GPS research is limited to studying volunteers and professionals that willingly track and submit their trips. This approach ignores many users and thus presents a biased picture of use. This paper develops a method to capture the terrain metrics of all skiers on an avalanche-prone backcountry slope. A remote time-lapse camera focused on a high skier-use backcountry slope, (Saddle Peak, in the Bridger Mountain Range of southwest Montana, USA) captured skiers descending Saddle Peak in ten-second increments. Skier locations were digitized from the photos, then transformed onto a geo-referenced digital elevation model (DEM) such that terrain metrics could be applied to each skier location. Analysis of terrain metrics for each skier point compared slope, profile curvature (downslope), and plan curvature (cross slope) over days with different forecasted avalanche hazard. Terrain metrics on Considerable avalanche hazard days differed significantly from Moderate or Low avalanche hazard days (p-value < 0.001). Transformed data fell within a 49-m horizontal accuracy for all skier point locations with a 95% confidence interval. By capturing all skiers on a slope without their knowledge, the data collected provides a large and diverse data set of the terrain preferences of backcountry skiers under varying conditions.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 Assessment of resource changes in backcountry campsites from 1989-1996 in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1998) Steele, Victoria GraceItem Erosional impact of hikers, horses, off-road bicycles, and motorcycles on mountain trails(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1991) Seney, Joseph PaulItem The relationships between disturbances in stock camps and the occurrence of spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Montana and Idaho(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1995) Milner, Gary MartinItem Employing visitor studies and video media to better communicate science in National Parks(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2007) Koch, Alison Lindsey; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigThe future of the National Park Service depends upon the agency's ability to educate the public to care for and preserve America's parks. In order to achieve this, parks must provide accurate, up-to-date scientific and preservation management information to visitors so that they gain a greater appreciation of parks by understanding what they protect. Although the Park Service has gone to great lengths to ensure scientific information is utilized in all management decision-making, no management documents or Park Service programs currently provide practical guidance or are adequately equipped to directly address communicating accurate and up-to-date scientific and preservation information to those who hold the future of parks in their hands: the public. Demands placed upon interpreters, who are the park staff primarily responsible for front lines visitor communication and services, are such that science communication can get lost in an array of other informational needs.