Attitudes about recreation, environmental problems, and estuarine health along the New Jersey Shore, USA

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1998 · Environmental Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s002679900154· OSTI ID:659019

Burger, J ^[1]

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1. Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States). Div. of Life Sciences

Management of ecosystems has advanced by an improvement in understanding not only of how ecosystems function, but of how people perceive their functioning and what they consider to be environmental problems within those systems. Central to such management is understanding how people view estuaries. In this article the author explores the perceptions and attitudes of people about coastal recreation, environmental problems, and future land use along the New Jersey shore (USA) by interviewing people who attended a duck decoy and craft show on Barnegat Bay. The people who were interviewed engaged in more days of fishing than any other recreational activity and engaged in camping the least. There were significant differences in recreational rates as a function of gender and location of residence, with men hunting and fishing more than women and photographing less than women. Jet skis were perceived as the most severe environmental problem, with chemical pollution, junk, oil runoff and overfishing as second level problems. Birds were perceived as not an environmental problem at all. Fishing, hiking, preservation, and camping ranked as the highest preferred future land uses for the two sites examined (Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Naval Weapons Station Earle). The preferred future land uses for these two sites, which are not under consideration for land-use changes, were very similar to those of people living near the Department of Energy`s Savannah River Site in South Carolina, despite the media attention and considerations of nuclear storage.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FC01-95EW55084
• OSTI ID: 659019
• Journal Information: Environmental Management, Journal Name: Environmental Management Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 22; ISSN EMNGDC; ISSN 0364-152X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ATTITUDES
ESTUARIES
LAND USE
NEW JERSEY
POLLUTION SOURCES
WATER POLLUTION