APRIL MAY JUNE 1973 "W A PUBLICATION OF THE PARK PRACTICE PROGRAM NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STATE PARKS Lemuel A. Garrison, President JohnS. B lair. Executive Secretory UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE R ogers C. B . Morton, Secretary Ronald H. Walker, Director Jean C. Henderer, Chief, Div. of State & Private Liaison CONTENTS NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION Wi I lard B rown, Chnn., Board of Trustees Dwight F. Rettie, Executive Director Ann Blackson, Circulation Manager INTRODUCTION: Campground Reservations ...... .3 EDITORIAL BOARD CAMPGROUND RESERVATION SYSTEMS . A Study A. Heaton Underhill Wash.,.D.C. by JarnesT* Burnett III , , , . » . 9 e « . < o p . • « • = . 7 Assistant Director.. BOB LeRoy Bond Wash., D.C U.S. F orest Service, Dept. of Agriculture SHOULD FUNCTION OR POLICY DICTATE PLANNING Stanton Ernst Silver Spring, Md. Md.-Nat. Capital Park & Planning Commission by Clare A, Gunn , . > 25 Jean C. Henderer Wash., D.C. Patricia Conner Wash., D.C STAFF Patricia Conner, Managing Editor Glenn Snyder, Art Editor AUTHORS Cooper Trent, Arlington, Virginia, Printer JAMES T. BURNETT, III Not printed or distributed at Government expense. Jim Burnett is a Park Ranger with the National Park Service at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona. He re- ceived his B.S. and M.Ag. from Texas A&M University, and The views and opinions expressed in TRENDS ore those of began the study of campground reservation systems during the authors and not necessarily those of this publication, his graduate work in Recreation and Resource Development. the Park Practice Program, its sponsoring and cooperating organizations, agencies or the officers thereof. His previous NPS assignments include Grand Canyon NP and Greenbelt Park, Maryland. Articles concerned with studies, concepts, philosophies and projections related to the many aspects of parks and recreation are invited. Illustrative graphic materials, where necessary or desirable, and a brief biographical sketch of the author should accompany text intended for pnbl i cat ion. Send ai! material intended for publication to: Editor, TRENDS. Division of State and Private Liaison, NPS, Washington, D.C. 20240. The Park Practice Program, which publishes TRENDS, also publishes DESIGN. GUIDELINE and GRIST. Membership in the Program is open to all persons or organisations concerned with every type of recreation or park planning, development and operation. Application for membership should be made to: Tire Park Practice Program, National Conference on State Parks, 1601 N. Kent St.. Arlington, Va. 22209. Initial membership fee, S80, provides a library of the above listed publications with binders and indices, and DR. CLARE A. GUNN all issues of such published items for the remainder of the calendar year. Annual renewal fee thereafter,$20. Dr. Gunn is Professor of Tourism-Recreation Development, TRENDS subscriptions; S10, initial, $8.00 renewal. Recreation and Parks Department at Texas A&M University. He pioneered in the field of tourism development in the first educational program in the U.S. and prepared the first series of educational publications on design and planning for tourist and resort businessmen. 2 <ss) EB UuI£<s)Lsml w /AA LI nluJLteJ® INTRODUCTION A reservation system has advantages for the camper and for park management. The camper has the assur­ There's no music like a little river's. It plays the same ance of a campsite for a particular date and length of tune over and over again, and yet does not weary of it like men fiddlers. It takes the mind out of doors; and stay and does not have to leave home early in the morn­ though we should be grateful for good houses, there is, ing to race for a place in line. He can enjoy a few days after all, no house like God's out-of-doors. in one park and go to the next one without wondering whether there will be an available site. Park managers Si y~ —Robert Louis Stevenson and planners can determine trends among park users and alter maintenance operations and long term plan­ t-^oday, as in Stevenson's day, there is "no house like ning accordingly. God's out-of-doors." But today, if you want to stay There are many varieties of reservation systems overnight in that 'house' you might need a reservation. with no two exactly alike. Each state devises a system In more and more states, reservations are required best suited to the supply and demand of its park space. for park accommodations. Overutilization of some There are two basic methods of operation: the manual parks with simultaneous underutilization of others has and the computer. Under the manual system the camper led state park officials to institute reservation systems fills out his application and sends it to the park of his as a step toward solving the problem. The demand for choice for processing; and, under the computer system park use is rapidly increasing, and is often focused on a all available sites are programmed into a central mem­ few parks. Many prospective campers have spent ory bank and reservations are made electronically. hours in their vehicles lined up on entrance roads to the Presently, only a few states have reservation sys­ popular parks and ended up being turned away because tems, but the trend is growing and several more sys­ there were no available sites. Perhaps there was a tems will probably be established in the next five years. nearby park where equally attractive sites were going In some states, reservation systems have extended to begging, but the disgruntled camper had no way of county, private and federal parks in addition to state knowing this and went away disappointed. In states parks. California, a pioneer in reserving campsites, that have a workable reservation system, the "current has the most extensive program in the nation, offering available inventory" is helping to alleviate these situa­ a wide variety of accommodations to the prospective tions. camper. 3 The benefits of a reservation system can be far- planning habits have changed and the campers "accept reaching. For example, Oregon wanted to provide Ore- the fact that gaining access to desirable parks requires gonians greater opportunities to use their own parks a longer planning period." which had been occupied more and more by campers For those rugged individualists who refuse to go with from other states, particularly California. While no the trend, there will always be some facilities which preference is given to local applicants, the system has will not be included in the reservation system. But, as resulted in larger percentages of Oregonian campers. more and more state, national, county and local parks Reservations help in maintaining ecological balance initiate reservation systems, pre-planning will become by preventing overcrowding. The ranger in a certain a way of life for most campers and they will be assured area can decide how many people should be in that area of a place to go when they want to "get away from it —perhaps a beach at Big Sur—and give that informa­ all." tion to the computer. When that number has been allot- We have reprinted here information excerpted from ed, reservations can be cut off. the Stanford Research Institute study entitled "The Not all campers are delighted about reservations. Need For and Implementation Of a Fee, Charge and Results of a Stanford Research Institute survey, taken Reservation System for Washington State Parks by before a reservation system was put into effect in Hildreth L. Strong and Keith E. Duke. The section of Washington, showed that most campers did not want a the study covering the historical background on fees reservation system. A prime reason was necessity of and charges is a proper introduction to James T. Bur­ planning ahead. Since many people go camping to es­ nett's study of existing campground reservation sys­ cape the drudgeries of life, they would like to avoid tems made in April of 1972. Even though the study was planning, which is so much a part of everyday living. made twelve months ago, we feel that it provides valid However, the survey reports that in California, where information for evaluation of such systems for those a reservation system has been in effect for a few years, park and recreation administrators considering a re­ servation system for the future. Historical background on fees and user charges American citizens generally have had free access to A number of factors have contributed to changing the land and traditionally have not paid for its use public attitudes with regard to public parks and recre­ when it was nonconsumptive. Because most forms of ation. Originally, public parks and recreation facilities recreation, e.g., hiking, swimming, and skiing, consume were conceived as free public services to be financed by no resources, these activities on public lands generally tax funds and donations, or by gifts from public-spirit­ have been free of charges. By contrast, consumptive ed individuals and organizations. In particular, parks uses such as fishing, hunting, and lumbering have been and recreation activities serving urban populations subject to charges as a form of compensation to the cit­ were considered public necessities serving the needs izenry for the consumption of these resources. primarily of lower income residents. However, signifi­ Because nonconsumptive recreation on public lands cant changes in societal needs and recreational phi­ was free, privately held lands generally were not devot­ losophies occurred after World War II with rising in­ ed to recreational uses. The general public came to ex­ comes, increased leisure time, suburbanization, in­ pect the government to provide recreational opportuni­ creased availability of private transportation, and ties and facilities, and also expected broad-based tax increased demand for more specialized and more diver­ funds to be used for the development and operation of sified recreation facilities.