Management of a River Recreation Resource: Understanding the Inputs To

Management of a River Recreation Resource: Understanding the Inputs to Management of Outdoor Recreational Resources by Kimberley Rae A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Recreation and Leisure Studies Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2007 © Kimberley Rae, 2007 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that a copy of my thesis may be made available electronically to the public. ii Abstract Research into the use of natural resources and protected areas for the pursuit of outdoor recreational opportunities has been examined by a number of researchers. One activity with growth in recent years is river recreation, the use of rivers for rafting, kayaking, canoeing and instructional purposes. These many uses involve different groups of individuals, creating management complexity. Understanding the various inputs is critical for effective management The Lower Kananaskis River, located in Kananaskis Country in Southwestern Alberta, was area chosen to develop an understanding the inputs necessary for effective management. Specifically, this study explored the recreational use of the river in an effort to create recommendations on how to more effectively manage use of the Lower Kananaskis River and associated day-use facilities in the future. Kananaskis Country is a 4,250 km2 multi-use recreation area located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains on the western border of Alberta. Since its designation, the purpose of the area, has been to protect the natural features of the area while providing quality facilities that would complement recreational opportunities available in the area. Over the years, the multi-use goal of the area has led to issues surrounding the management of the recreational opportunities available, including the multiple use of the Lower Kananaskis River. The Lower Kananaskis River is a section of the Larger Kananaskis River, one of six rivers flowing through Kananaskis Country. The Kananaskis River flows for 84 km. northward in the Kananaskis Country from the Upper Kananaskis Lake through the development of the Lower Kananaskis Lake and Barrier Lake to the Bow River. This thesis was only concerned about a small section of this river, the lower portion. The Lower Kananaskis River is a 2 km stretch of the river located within Bow Valley Provincial Park, with an additional 4 km of river outside of the park that many users utilize. This river has become a widely used and well-known recreational paddling destination in Kananaskis Country and Bow Valley Provincial Park and with this has come concerns over its use and management. A mixed methods approach was implemented to examine current use levels Both surveys and participant observations were used to develop a better understanding of current use levels (i.e. time, type) and to gather information from users. At the same time, structured interviews were held with key policy leaders to further explore current management issues and concerns surrounding the Lower Kananaskis River. iii Analysis of the data collected from river users revealed that the area is widely used by both commercial and recreational users. These two groups of users have learned to adapt to one another’s activities. Both groups expressed high level of satisfaction, but continued growth in use will probably pose problems with user’s experience and satisfaction. In many cases, users also recognized the need for improvements to river infrastructure both on and off the river. Users indicated that changes were needed in the parking areas to accommodate all of the vehicles and users, work was needed at the put- ins and take-outs to accommodate the increases in users along with work on the river features and at the day use sites. Users also recognized that the area is becoming more widely used and feel that changes are needed in how the area is maintained and managed in order to deal with its continued growth. The interviews with policy leaders emphasized the well-known nature of the issues of the area and emphasized issues within the current management structure. Policy leaders were more critical of the current management structure of the river than the users. The critical comments from the policy leaders were expected, as they are more aware of the management issues than recreational users. The policy leaders made many insightful comments for change in the interviews and recognize that park management has shown low levels of understanding and responses to the expressed needs of the users, and recommendations of previous research. This research found several examples of management ineffectiveness. It was concluded that the low levels of response from management is due to the lack of management capability. With the continued growth of the area new management demands can be expected. This in tern will require improved management framework and guideline. With this, it was recommended that increased management capability is required. In order to assist in the development of this capability the research developed an adapted outdoor recreation management framework. Application of this framework would help to ensure that the area is managed more effectively in the future. iv Acknowledgements There are many people that need to be acknowledged and thanked for the completion of this thesis and research. I hope to list all those who played a role in helping me to complete this thesis but I may have forgotten some along the way, so I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who has been involved in the completion of this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Paul F.J. Eagles for his continued support and encouragement throughout this process. He has been supportive of my research interests and work from the beginning of my Master’s degree and in previous work at the undergraduate level. His support during the data collection from over 4,000 km away was reassuring and kept me enthusiastic about the research. His questions and feedback regarding my research have also helped me to grow academically and professionally. I would also like to thank my two other committee members Dr. Heather Mair and Dr. Troy Glover for their guidance and insight. During the ups and downs of this process, I always had the comfort to know that my advisor and committee members were behind me and my research and there to support me to the end. Additionally I would like to thank Steve Donelon, Heritage Team Leader, Alberta Parks and Protected Areas – Kananaskis Country, for his help, support and commitment to the completion of this research. I would also like to thank all those employed within the Kananaskis Country office and Alberta Parks and Protected Areas who played a role in this research from providing information to supporting the collection of data in the field. I would also like to acknowledge and thank all of the commercial and recreational users and key policy leaders who agreed to participate in this research and provide their insight because without it, this research would not have been successful. The support of my friends and family members cannot go without mention. I want to thank all my friends and family members for their continued support, encouragement and understanding during this process. I would like to particularly thank my parents who have supported all my academic decisions and have been behind me and supporting me throughout this entire process. My mother, Patricia, deserves a special thank you as she never tired of listening to me talk about my thesis and all the related issues and without this support and understanding this research would not have been successful. Additionally, I would like to thank my family members and friends in Calgary for taking me in at different points during the data collection period and for their support during these months. I also have to thank those friends who helped me to move v out to Alberta for my data collection and then move back to Ontario at its completion, their help in moving made things smoother. I also want to thank my family and friends for not letting me lose sight of what was important and for reminding me of why I began this research. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to all those who are passionate about preserving our natural environment and those people who have had their own challenges in research. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you... while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” ~ John Muir “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined” ~ Henry David Thoreau vi Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction......................................................................................................1 1.1 Kananaskis Country Background .........................................................2 1.2 Bow Valley Provincial Park Background.............................................5 1.3 Lower Kananaskis River Background ..................................................7 1.4 Purpose of the Research........................................................................13 1.5 Research Objectives and Questions......................................................13 1.6 Significance of the Research.................................................................14

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