TY - JOUR
T1 - Drought impacts and management in prairie and sandhills state parks
AU - Jedd, Theresa M.
AU - Bhattacharya, Devarati
AU - Pesek, Cara
AU - Hayes, Michael J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - The combination of decreased water availability and increased temperatures can interfere with outdoor activities, particularly with surface water decline and the increased risk of wildfire. Drought is a longer-term climate trend, but there is a tendency toward short-term reactions only when a drought occurs. Policy mechanisms for drought, where present, are often left to managerial discretion because they are not needed every year, and lack specific indicators. Recreator choices contribute to adaptation and public lands managers also shape drought response by monitoring meteorological trends and managing resources wisely. Despite these trends, no singular recreational drought definition exists. To understand socio-environmental interactions from a management perspective, this study synthesizes interview findings to provide in-depth insight about drought monitoring, impacts, and management across a variety of ecological regions in Nebraska state parks. Collectively, the eight participating superintendents oversee more than 152 km 2 of land, approximately 287 km 2 of surface water, and more than 364 km of lakeshore. The emergent properties of drought in the recreation sector include a shortage of naturally available water needed for vegetation health and animal habitat, to support lake sports, to prevent permanent infrastructure damage, and maintain visitor volumes for economic stability. The study concludes with recommendations for increasing drought resilience within the sector.
AB - The combination of decreased water availability and increased temperatures can interfere with outdoor activities, particularly with surface water decline and the increased risk of wildfire. Drought is a longer-term climate trend, but there is a tendency toward short-term reactions only when a drought occurs. Policy mechanisms for drought, where present, are often left to managerial discretion because they are not needed every year, and lack specific indicators. Recreator choices contribute to adaptation and public lands managers also shape drought response by monitoring meteorological trends and managing resources wisely. Despite these trends, no singular recreational drought definition exists. To understand socio-environmental interactions from a management perspective, this study synthesizes interview findings to provide in-depth insight about drought monitoring, impacts, and management across a variety of ecological regions in Nebraska state parks. Collectively, the eight participating superintendents oversee more than 152 km 2 of land, approximately 287 km 2 of surface water, and more than 364 km of lakeshore. The emergent properties of drought in the recreation sector include a shortage of naturally available water needed for vegetation health and animal habitat, to support lake sports, to prevent permanent infrastructure damage, and maintain visitor volumes for economic stability. The study concludes with recommendations for increasing drought resilience within the sector.
KW - Drought
KW - Natural hazard planning
KW - Outdoor recreation
KW - Public lands
KW - State parks
KW - Water availability
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jort.2019.02.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jort.2019.02.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85062826964
SN - 2213-0780
VL - 26
SP - 1
EP - 12
JO - Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
JF - Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism
ER -