Recreation-related perceptions of natural resource managers in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest area

Public forest managers often work with diverse stakeholder groups as they implement forest management policies. Within the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest area of New York State’s Adirondack Park, stakeholder groups such as visitors, business owners, and landowners often have confl icting perceptions about issues related to water-based recreation in the region’s public forest areas. The main objective of this study is to identify the beliefs and attitudes of managers in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest area regarding issues related to boat use. The Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen 1991), which illustrates the relationships among beliefs, attitudes, intended behaviors, and behaviors, provides the theoretical basis for the study. Fifteen managers of public and private properties within the region were interviewed in 2005. Interview data were recorded (with the permission of interviewees), transcribed, and qualitatively analyzed using N6 qualitative software. The interviews reveal basic issues perceived by managers concerning boat use, including environmental impacts from motorboat use (e.g., invasive species introductions) and noise generated by motorboats. Managers’ beliefs concerning these issues and attitudes towards boat use are identifi ed. Distinctions between public agency managers and managers of shoreline associations and other organizations are made.