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- Newsgroups: rec.backcountry
- Path: sparky!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!news.service.uci.edu!unogate!stgprao
- From: stgprao@st.unocal.COM (Richard Ottolini)
- Subject: Re: Backcountry Crowding
- Message-ID: <1992Nov23.175532.13131@unocal.com>
- Sender: news@unocal.com (Unocal USENET News)
- Organization: Unocal Corporation
- References: <1992Nov22.161127.11177@inmet.camb.inmet.com>
- Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 17:55:32 GMT
- Lines: 16
-
- In article <1992Nov22.161127.11177@inmet.camb.inmet.com> daf@inmet.camb.inmet.com (Tony Flanders) writes:
- >I have been following the various threads on population growth and its
- >effect on the backcountry with some interest and some anger.
- >
- >Yes, backcountry in the U.S. has become much more crowded in the last few
- >decades. Whether it is has become *too* crowded is a matter of opinion,
- >but the increase is a matter of record. Very little of the increase in
- >backcountry use is due to population growth. Between 1960 and 1990, the
- >U.S. population increased from 180,000,000 to 250,000,000. A 40% increase --
- >nothing to sneeze at. But if backcountry use were 40% greater than in 1960,
- >people would hardly have noticed. I don't have access to any figures,
- >but I guess that the increase has been closer to 5-fold.
-
- Not universally. Permit issues in the Sierra National Parks is less than
- half the 1970s peak. Attributed to aging boomers who have different
- recreational habits.
-