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Study to be conducted

Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:21 am
by mit
STUDY TO EXAMINE INTERIOR ALASKA RECREATION

Recreation can add to the quality of life in interior Alaska. To do so our land and recreation
managers need to know how their actions affect us. The University of Alaska Fairbanks, School
of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences has partnered with the Bureau of Land
Management, Eastern Interior Field Office to begin a study that examines how Fairbanks North
Star Borough residents as a whole benefit from recreation in the broader Fairbanks area. While
studies in the past have focused on specific sites, this research differs in the following ways:
• We are interested in recreation on ALL land in and near the borough, not just one site.
• We will attempt to expand our sample to include members of the business community as
well as locals who do not recreate in the area.
• We have coordinated with many agencies (e.g., FNSB Parks and Recreation Department,
Alaska DNR State Parks, US Army Fort Wainwright) to ensure we address a breadth of
relevant issues and have a wide distribution of results.
We plan to meet with recreation groups and businesses during fall 2013 and winter 2014. A webbased
survey will also be conducted at that time. This community-based approach can potentially
facilitate more cooperative and effective planning to better provide the benefits we need from our
public lands and facilities. Its success relies on lots of honest information that accurately
represents our community. We hope you will participate.
Contact Peter Fix, pjfix@alaska.edu; Bryant Wright, rbwright@alaska.edu; or Michelle
Ethun at methun@blm.gov; or visit our Facebook page for more details and project updates:
http://www.facebook.com/UAFFairbanksRecStudy.
(From Bryant Wright)

I think we are doing a disservice to ourselves when we throw everything we do under the heading of Recreation!