Outdoor Recreation Is A Big Part Of Humans Interacting With The Environment

When we observe the demographics of today¡¦s society, we notice that there is quite a change in the average age, as well as life expectancy. In 1993, the average life expectancy rose to an amazing 75.5 years, with women living an average of 79 years and men living an average of 72 years (Hawkins, 1996, p. 4). With this gradual rise in age, the idea of therapeutic recreation for the aging population has taken on a significant role. Therapeutic recreation uses recreation and leisure activities to meet the needs of people in order to improve their quality of life. These needs include social, physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual. The experience of engaging in recreation is perceived to have therapeutic benefits. Engaging in

United States has a lot of astounding natural attractions. But some of them are losing their rare beauty. Those attractions that are losing their beauty are in great need of help. Some natural attractions in the United States that are in the greatest need of conserving are the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, Chihuahuan Desert, and the Northern Great Plains. The main reason why these places are in danger are because of humans.

Many people go hiking and unfortunately leave their trash behind or graffiti the rocks. The trash left behind does not only hurt the environment, it hurts the view, experience, and safety of other visitors. On some rocks there are pieces of glass from a beer bottle that can injure animals and people who are just on a climb, hike, or going about their lives. Others bring permanent markers or use knives to stain the rocks with their initials or derogatory words. Red Rock thrives on volunteers and visitors to help clean the park and donate money. Some visitors also try to destroy the property of the restrooms by breaking toilet seats or knocking down sign posts; although some of the damage is done unintentionally by wild animals. Throughout the year these small damages to the property add up detrimentally in costs. Hopefully in the future, the park can concentrate more on creating more parking, fixing the roads, and adding more trails to the park. Unfortunately, these types of things and activities require the money, time and attention from the staff who are distracted by constantly cleaning, maintaining, and repairing the park every day from harmful visitors. The small $7 daily fee per car or the small $30 annual fee to visit this national park is a small price to pay to help it keep its natural beauty. If you are interested in visiting this park or wondering how you can help, you can visit

In the United States, there are millions of acres of land dedicated to our national parks. Over half of the states in our country have land dedicated to national parks, and according to Linda J. Bilmes and John Loomis, the National Parks Service protects 412 of these places. The amount of land dedicated to these parks is quite a considerable amount and it has drawn the attention of the federal government. The government believes there should be cut backs on the amount of land dedicated to places such as Yellowstone and Ellis Island. However, if these parks, monuments, etc. were to be reduced in size, the United States would lose protection of a magnitude of important things such as areas of land and water, animal habitats, historical sites, monuments, and areas sacred to

Growing up I was fortunate to live five miles from the main entrance to the largest subtropical, sawgrass prairie in North America, Everglades National Park. For years, the Everglades revealed its natural treasures as my family and I enjoyed hours of canoeing, hiking, fishing, and bird watching within the park. I had the privilege to attend an elementary school that established a partnership with the Everglades Environmental Center. In fact, in 4th grade I was one of twenty-five students selected to go camping five nights at the Loop Road Interpretive Center, forty miles deep in the glades. My camping experience provided an invaluable lesson about always being honest and the importance of obeying the national park regulations.

Being outdoors offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors.

My 1st contention is national parks can actually negatively affect the environment, they draw thousands or even hundreds of thousands of visitors who all impact the environment, whether through pollution from cars or the impact of camping. The roads that are built for cars in the parks have a severe impact on the environment and the animals that are l m, iving there. according to ournationalparks.us “High levels of park attendance affiliated with vehicular traffic have caused the Yosemite National Park administration to wonder how it can still allow visitors to enjoy the exuberance of the park, but, at the same time, preserve the habitat of the more popular

All around the world we have National Parks that are protected areas by the government. John Muir was enraptured by it and Ansell Adame immortalized it, while Teddy Roosevelt created the National Park Service to protect these National Parks. These nationals parks are very important to keep for the environment, we all need to work together to keep these parks as nature as possible.

Starting in the 1800s, many Americans wanted to preserve the beauty of scenic natural wonders. They went to the government and asked them to create something called “national parks.” Responding to these calls, Congress and President Abraham Lincoln put California in charge of taking care of Yosemite during the civil war. The world’s first official national park was Yellowstone when it was created in 1872. Many more parks soon followed. National parks were created “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people” (Theodore Roosevelt). This is true because they have been protected and untouched by humans for anybody to see. There are rules about the use, creation, and conservation of national parks because they should be continued for future

Getting outdoors isn't just good for getting in shape. It can also help your overall health. Research studies show that being in an outdoor, natural environment is linked to having lower stress levels. It is also connected to feeling more alive and a better working memory. To enjoy these benefits though, you have to get outdoors.

For my essay topic I will be exploring the question of how to eliminate overcrowding while balancing maintenance of Colorado outdoor public recreation areas. I am interested in this topic as I personally use the public areas in Colorado, and I want to see what methods are truly effective going forward to ensure that the residents of Colorado have public access to enjoy the beautiful recreational areas of our state. Many people choose to live in Colorado to be able to take advantage of the temperate climate and access to spectacular mountain areas that are shared with visitors from all over the world. The ability to use the parks in Colorado is determined by state and national government, and there are many vested parties seeking to influence how they are managed. Stakeholders include those proposing change in national policy to drastically cut back on funding, preservation groups, and those considering how to honor the initial mission statements of

Author of “Before They’re Gone”, Michael Lanza is a freelance writer and wildlife photographer. He is an avid cyclist, backpacker and climber. He is an award winning author and public speaker. “The Big Outside” is Lanza’s online blog, where he talks about adventures with his family. He also an editor of “Backpacker Magazine”. He is very aware of climate change and its effects on our environment. He has seen these affects first hand as well, he has traveled to New Zealand. Norway, Spain, Himalaya, Iceland and Patagonia. United States National Parks are one of his favorite subjects to explore and enjoy with his family.

Since the early 1920s to the 1970s, there has been a debate regarding the perceptions and standards by which national parks should be established and limiting the expansion of national parks, limiting access for people living in urban areas and threatening open spaces due to urban sprawl and over population. Gradually traditional perceptions gave way to the preservationists’ viewpoints which redefined and gradually expanded federal definition of national parks. This was to include areas that may not be extraordinarily scenic but still required environmental protection or allowed recreational access for urban citizens, allowing for expansion and more funding.

There are so many beautiful parks in my area but a few were ruined based on the simple fact of “bums” taking them over. In Poland, where I go almost every summer to visit my family, more parks filled with bums than there are for enjoyment. The homeless saw these parks as a home and benches as beds. Jacobs clarifies that the worst problem parks are located precisely where people do not pass by and likely never

The Issue of National Park conservation has become a widely controversial issue today. With the National debt reaching 17 trillion dollars some politicians think it is alright to either sell off national park land to commercial foresters, miners, and even foreign nations or to just close some parks entirely to make up some of the national debt. They are completely unaware that the parks arent just a “pretty area of land for tourists”. Many cities depend on the parks for their well-being. A quote from a local newspaper in California supports this “National parks don’t boast concession stands or charge tax, but data indicates they bring in millions of dollars to local economies each year”(Tree). Supporters of cutting the parks include big CEO’s of major companies and some of them not even in this country.