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| Travel Management Workshop | ||||
On February 21-23, 2006 the Travel Management Workshop was held at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Fort Collins Science Center (FORT)
There were approximately 70 attendees at the workshop. Invited speakers and guests included social scientists, ecologists, GIS specialists, resource managers, recreation planners, federal, state, and local land managers, OHV users and environmental interest groups.
The goal of the workshop was to address the issues of transportation systems on public lands. This workshop represented a forum for national and regional managers, planners and users groups to present and discuss their experiences with travel management planning and to explore some of the challenges and lessons learned. Ultimately, the workshop aimed to identify opportunities to help land managers, recreation planners, social science researchers, and representatives from the stakeholder communities find the balance between social and ecological needs and identify research needs.
The workshop included 10 presentations that focused on the following topics:
Research: Conflicts, policy, social values, and changing demographics of recreation users.
Collaboration: Three case studies to frame the issue of using a collaborative process as a tool for decision making.
Management: The US Forest Service’s current OHV rule, regulations, and planning efforts and the potential impact on visitor use and expectations.
The keynote speaker, Dale Blahna (Utah State University) shared his research concerning the sociological impacts of recreation use, the discrepancies between visitor and manager expectations, and the sustainability of the natural environment.
Some of the topics discussed at the workshop were (1) the future of travel and transportation systems management in the United States; (2) motorized and non-motorized visitor conflicts, experiences and expectations; (4) demographic and economic trends in recreation uses; and (6) ecological impacts.
An important element of the workshop was the process for incorporating scientific information into the travel management planning process. Les Weeks, of Advance Resources Inc., spent the entire second day of the workshop giving an overview of The Route Evaluation Tree Process©. The presentation reviewed the: background and history of the development of this process; categories of factors that are typically considered; and How the process works. The model has been used in Arizona, California, and Utah as a part of Travel Management planning processes. The workshop participates were able to run hypothetical scenarios using the Route Evaluation models. The day ended with discussion concerning the overall utility of the using such a model as a tool in the planning process.
Five case studies wrapped up the workshop. The case studies centered on the challenges of using social science research and making collaboration work during a travel management planning and route evaluation process. The case studies included: BLM Arizona Strip, U.S. Forest Service Dixie National Forest, BLM Middle Gila, local jeep club experiences, and public participation.
Although participants did not develop any single answer for a long term research strategy for this very complex issue, several important questions emerged for future consideration. The Workshop provided an opportunity to understand the long-term relationships among science, collaboration, management, and planning.
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