Recreation
The term recreation comes from the Latin word recreatio, referring to refreshment, restoration, or recovery. The modern notion of recreation is complex, and many definitions have been suggested to capture its meaning. In general, the term recreation carries the idea of purpose, usually restoration of the body, mind, or spirit. Modern definitions of recreation often include the following elements: 1) it is an activity rather than idleness or rest, 2) the choice of activity or involvement is voluntary, 3) recreation is prompted by internal motivation to achieve personal satisfaction, and 4) whether an activity is recreation is dependent on the individual's feelings or attitudes about the activity.
The terms "leisure" and "play" are often confused with recreation. Recreation is one kind of leisure, but only part of the expressive activity is leisure. Leisure may also include non-recreational pursuits such as religion, education, or community service. Although play and recreation overlap, play is not so much an activity as a form of behavior, characterized by make-believe, competition,or exploration. Moreover, whereas recreation is usually thought of as a purposeful and constructive activity, play may not be goal-oriented and in some cases may be negative and self-destructive.
The benefits of recreation include producing feelings of relaxation or excitement and enhancing self-reliance, mental health, and life-satisfaction. Societal benefits also result from recreation. Recreation can contribute to improved public health, increased community involvement, civic pride, and social unity. It may strengthen family structures, decrease crime, and enhance rehabilitation of individuals. Outdoor recreation promotes interest in protecting our environment and has played an important educational role. However, recreational activities have also damaged the environment. Edward Abbey, among others, have decried the tendency of industrial tourism to destroy wild areas and animal habitats. For example, some cite the damming of wild rivers to create lakes for boating and skiing or defacing mountain sides for ski runs and ski lifts as putting human recreation over environment.
Recreation is big business, creating jobs and economic vitality. In 2001 American consumers spent $100 billion on recreation and leisure activities. Much of these expenditures are for wildlife-related recreation. In 2001, more than 80 million Americans age 16 or older enjoyed some sort of recreation related to wildlife like fishing, hunting, birdwatching, or wildlife photography. More than 13 million adults hunted in 2001, with overall hunting participation dropping about 7% from 1996 to 2001. Wildlife watching remained a popular outdoor activity and more than 66 milion people age 16 or older fed, photographed, or observed wildlife in 2001, spending some $40 billion on their wildlife activities.
More adults participate in walking for pleasure than any other recreational activity. Driving for pleasure, sightseeing, picnicking, and swimming are also among top recreational activities. Canoeing has been the fastest growing activity over the past 30 years.
Outdoor recreation also stimulates tourism. In 2001, almost 300 million recreation visits were made to our national parks. The United States has more than 778 million acres (314 million ha) of publicly-owned recreation lands, more than any other nation. Over one-third of the contiguous United States is public recreation land; however, these lands are not evenly distributed. Most of these lands are in the sparsely populated western states. There are 8,373 acres (3,391 ha) of public recreation lands per 1,000 people in the West, whereas there is only 294 acres (119 ha) per 1,000 people in the northeastern states. Almost 91% of the public lands area is administered by the federal government; 8% by states, 0.7% by counties, and 0.4% by municipalities. However, when number of sites, rather than acres, is considered, the recreation supply picture changes considerably. Almost 62% of all recreation sites are municipal, whereas only 1.6% of the sites are federal.
The private sector is also a major recreation supplier, particularly for certain activities. For example, there are more than 10,000 private campgrounds, 600 ski resorts, and 4,789 privately-owned golf courses in the United States.
Several important trends will affect the supply and demand of future recreation opportunities in the United States. Increasing populations, increasing ethnic diversity, the aging of the population, changes in leisure time, disposable income, and mobility will affect the demand for recreation. The loss of open spaces; pollution of our lakes, rivers, and coastlines; increasingly limited access to private lands; and increasing liability concerns will make the task of meeting future demand for recreation more difficult.
Resources
Books
Kelly, J. R. Recreation Business. New York: Wiley, 1985.
Kraus, R. Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society. 3rd ed. Dallas, TX: Scott, Foresman, 1984.
The Report of the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors, The Legacy, The Challenge. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1987.
Other
"National Park 2001 Visitor Use Summary." National Park Service. [cited July 9, 2002]. <http://www2.nature.nps.gov/stat s>.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2002.
This is the complete article, containing 793 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
