OUTDOOR RECREATION ON GALIANO ISLAND: FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE PARTICIPATION by DOUGALD GEORGE MacDONALD B.Sc. University of Western Ontario, 1965 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in the School of Community and Regional Planning We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April, 1970 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree tha permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by his representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Dougald George MacDonald Department of School of Community and Regional Planning The University of British Columbia Vancouver 8, Canada 20, 1970 i Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to examine the factors which explain the patterns of outdoor recreation that a given population pursues on a given land surface. Patterns of use were understood as (1) the types of activities the population pursued and the frequency with which they pursued them, and (2) the distribution of these activities over a differentiated land surface. Emphasis was placed on designing a methodological framework within which the explanatory value of postulated sets of factors can be examined. The data used to illustrate the methodology was taken from a study of the outdoor recreational use of Galiano Island done by The University of British Columbia School of Community and Regional Planning during the summer of 1969. (1) I made the operational assumption that the observed variation in the types and frequency of outdoor recreation activities pursued by groups of visitors to Galiano Island could be explained by differences in the "internal" characteristics of the groups. Internal characteristics were defined as all factors contributed by the recreationists themselves such as age, sex^ experience, etc., which could influence the way they respond to the landscape. In effect, internal characteristics represent the translative mental processes that mediate between the stimulii the recreationist receives from the landscape and his perceived use of it. I hypothesized that variations in the frequency and types of outdoor recreation activities ii which visitors to Galiano Island pursued could be explained by a selected set of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the visitor group. The hypothesis was tested by canonical correla• tion analysis. The results obtained were not significant at the 0.05 level of probability . I argued that the negative results were attributable to the characteristics of the data and that the hypothesis, in a conceptual sense, was not incorrect. (2) The second assumption made was that the areal variation in the recreational use of the land surface, generally and for specific activities, could be explained by variations in the characteristics of the landscape itself. I hypothesized that the number of visits (irrespective of activity) that recreationists paid to lot areas on Galiano Island could be predicted from measures of the accessibility, development, and proximity to the shoreline of the lot. Following this, I hypothesized that the number of visits paid to lot areas for each of three specific activities (going to the beach, camping, hiking) could be predicted from the same set of measurements. These hypotheses were tested by multiple regression analysis. Two of the four analyses produced equations which were significant at the 0.001 level of probability. The first showed that the combined total of visits for all activities could be predicted from measurements of the accessi• bility, development, and proximity to the shoreline of the lot area. The second significant relationship showed that visits paid to lot areas for the purpose of going to the beach could be predicted from the same set of measurements. Both equations, although significant, iii had questionable explanatory value owing to the nature of the data. The sample size was too small to permit adequate testing of the hypotheses. The recent literature and the direction pointed to by the results obtained in this study support the conceptual framework which I have presented. However, the data used were largely in• adequate to test the conceptual basis of the methodologies proposed. I have'suggested throughout the study where improvements for the collection of data can be made. Acknowledgment I wish to thank Dr. H. P. Oberlander for the supervision he offered in data collection during the summer of 1969 and for the permission he granted me to use this data in my thesis. For her patience and help in the conceptual formula• tion of this study, I should like to thank Dr. Nirmala devi Cherukupalle, my supervisor. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK . 1 II GALIANO ISLAND: THE CASE STUDY 13 2.1 Geography and Access 13 2.2 Climate, Landform, Biota 14 2.3 Land Use and Development 18 2.4 The Case Study: Methods 20 III OUTDOOR RECREATION: FACTORS INFLUENCING PARTICIPATION 24 3.1 Participation: Some General Considerations . 24 3.2 Participation: Recent Literature ...... 25 3.3 Factors Which Affect the Participation Rates of Visitors to Galiano Island 33 3.4 Canonical Correlation Analysis; 41 3.5 Discussion of the Results ..... 42 IV OUTDOOR RECREATION: FACTORS WHICH AFFECT THE AREAL DISTRIBUTION OF USERS 47 4.1 Overview ........... 47 4.2 Recent Literature .............. 47 4.3 Factors Which Influence the Areal Distribu• tion of Visitors to Galiano Island ..... 54 4.4 Regression Analysis ...... 62 4.5 Discussion of the Results .......... 80 CHAPTER PAGE V SUMMARY: DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH 85 5.1 Summary ..... 85 5.2 Directions for Research 87 SELECTED LIST OF REFERENCES 96 APPENDIX I Definitions . 101 II Questionnaire 103 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I Questionnaire Distribution Schedule 22 II Values Assigned to Variable 6 According to Income Category . 40 III Canonical Correlation Analysis: Significance Tests for 6 Linear Combinations of Predictor and Dependent Variables 43 IV Correlation Matrix: Variables used in the Regression Analysis of Visits (Dependent Variable) 65 V Multiple Regression Analysis Results for all Visits (Dependent Variable) . 69 VI Correlation Matrix: Variables used in the Regression Analysis of Visits to the Beach (Dependent Variable) 72 VII Multiple Regression Analysis Results for Visits to the Beach (Dependent Variable) 74 VIII Correlation Matrix: Variables used in the Regression Analysis of Visits for Camping (Dependent Variable) 76 IX Multiple Regression Analysis Results for Visits for Camping (Dependent Variable) 77 X Correlation Matrix: Variables used in the Regression Analysis of Visits for Hiking (Dependent Variable) 78 XI Multiple Regression Analysis Results for Visits for Hiking (Dependent Variable). 79 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1 Frequency Distribution of Group Size 35 2 Frequency Distribution of Children less than 1 Year Old ... • 35 3 Frequency Distribution of Children 2-5 Years Old . 36 4 Frequency Distribution of Children 8-10 Years Old . 36 5 Frequency Distribution of Age Groups 37 6 Frequency Distribution of Income Categories 37 7 Frequency Distribution of Activities Pursued by Visitor Groups . 38 LIST OF MAPS MAP PAGE 1 Present Land Use . 18 2 Combined Total of Visits for all Activities ..... 56 3 Visits for Going to the Beach 57 4 Visits for Camping 58 5 Visits for Hiking ........ 59 6 Residuals for Regression of all Visits 81 7 Residuals for Regression of Visits to the Beach ... 82 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY : A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The objective of this thesis is to provide a methodology for an examination of the factors which influence the patterns of outdoor recreational use on the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. Specifically, I have examined the patterns of recreational use of Galiano Island. The material collected in the case study was used only to illustrate the methods I have proposed and to define the research necessary to satisfy these methods. Outdoor recreation involves an interaction between people and the environment. I have defined outdoor recreation as leisure-time activities which are voluntarily pursued on areas of the earth's surface that have not been appreciably altered by human activity. I have termed these "natural areas". More and more space is needed for man's activities. Nearly one million acres of land in the United States alone are paved or otherwise denuded of vegetation each year. Irreversible damage to the quality and productive capacity of biotic communities has been done, more damage is in progress and, unfortunately, more seems likely. Land areas which remain in their natural state are being threatened by "progress". Yet preservation and conservation is necessary for the continuing welfare of man. Unfortunately, the preservationists too infrequently have a strong "economic" case to present. It is difficult to match dollar estimates of land value under industrial or commercial use with weakly 2 defined concepts of recreational benefits and yet emerge the winner. We have no way of quantifying the social value of outdoor recreation in dollar terms. It is extremely difficult to arrive at an operational definition of the recreational requirements of a population. Do people "need" to engage in outdoor recreation? Can the satisfaction of these needs be measured in terms of a reduction of crime rates or a decreased incidence of mental and physical illness? Unfortunately, these questions remain largely unanswered. But we can infer from the behavior of people, both past and present, that outdoor recreation is an important social insti• tution. In the absence of a better index, an examination of the way populations use outdoor environments may provide insight into their requirements. Patterns of outdoor recreational use in various settings have often been documented but only infrequently explained.