Twenty years of river recreation studies helped shape federal and state Wild and Scenic River legislation that now guides development of public lands along the St. Croix, Kettle, and Mississippi rivers and waterways across the U.S. University researchers developed the Water Resource Management plan for the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and lead efforts to manage multiuse trails in the Snake River watershed.

Access to Minnesota’s northern wilderness areas, particularly in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park, is a recurring debate and has generated many studies to craft balanced policies for use. The first published University studies surveyed visitors in Minnesota’s “canoe country” in the late ’50s and documented emerging issues: campers were looking for amenities such as more picnic tables and better toilets, while the more self-reliant canoeists basically wanted the wilderness left alone. A five-year U of M Agricultural Experiment Station study in the early years of the BWCAW found that designated campsites are greatly affected by soil compaction and loss of vegetation in the first two years of use but show little degradation after, and led to the designation of fixed campsites. This 1970s era campsite, with a motorboat visible and audible to the campers, is now in a canoe-only area.

People choose a specific setting for their recreational activities and have underlying values and expectations. For example, hiking on a rough trail in a remote setting offers some visitors a sense of solitude, challenge, and self-reliance. In contrast, a short, hard-surfaced, interpretive trail with facilities offers others more comfort, security, and social opportunities.

U.S. researchers developed a framework—classifying land use from primitive to roaded-natural to rural to urban—that helps inventory, plan, and manage recreational experiences and settings. Managers use that framework to provide a spectrum of choices for people, so the benefits they seek (from solitude to family time to making new friends) are realized.

The concept of riparian area development “profiles,” linking biophysical and social characteristics important to shoreland development, came from a collaboration of the USDA Forest Service and U of M researchers. Profiles can be used to identify potential development hot spots so policy makers, planners, and managers can take timely steps to manage or control the impacts of development. This is an acute need as Minnesota’s lake country is in demand by younger retirees with increased recreational time and more money to spend on recreational activities.

Park and wilderness use increased dramatically in the 1970s, and Minnesota’s BWCAW became the most heavily used wilderness in the nation. It was precisely that popularity that led the USDA Forest Service to regulate use, with entry permits required since 1966, and limited access beginning in 1976.

Visitors to national parks and wilderness areas are now made aware of ways to minimize their impact; research has documented that unrestricted use can damage and even destroy the natural environment people seek.