Book Description

Allocating use in wilderness by rationing is one way to control crowding and resource deterioration problems. The wilderness user's perception of wilderness management systems is vital to effective management decisions when overuse problems arise. The purpose of this study was to determine which direct rationing systems users preferred. The five systems respondents examined were pricing, queuing, merit, advance reservations, and lottery. The objectives were to determine: 1) if Eagle Cap and Mt. Jefferson respondents perceived rationing to be necessary in the areas they had visited; 2) what system users perceived to be "best;" and 3) what factors influence the user's perception of the acceptability of a system to distribute permits. To determine the "best" system, respondents evaluated the following for each system: 1) whether the system is a fair method of distributing permits; 2) how the system affects the user's chance of obtaining a permit; 3) whether the user would be willing to try the system; and 4) whether the system is acceptable to the user as a management method. Questionnaires were mailed to 379 respondents (who had been met at selected trailheads) with a 70 percent return rate. The results indicate that the advance reservation and pricing systems are the most acceptable to respondents. The pricing system, however, may not be an effective system since surveyed users responded that it would not affect their chances of obtaining a permit. The lottery system was rejected by 80 percent of the respondents as an acceptable system. Almost half of the respondents indicated a rationing system would be needed soon in the areas they had visited.