Travel Planning

Based on the Recreation Phases of Clawson and Knetsch (1966) model of the recreation experience, they proposed 5 stages:

Anticipation:  here I am planning a trip.  Looking at guide books, travel websites, Google Earth and so on.

Travel to:  Here we are driving, flying, taking a train or what ever to get from Home to our final destination.

On site:  This is the vacation or business trip at some other location.

Travel back:  Often tired, broke and full of memories, typically just want to get home to my own bed and Biscuit.

Recollection:  Ah the memories, photos, video and all those memories.  I typically will try to edit down video and photos and such into a 10-15 minute DVD clip to share with family and friends.

Think about your travel planning.

Citation:  Clawson, M., and Knetsch, J. L. 1966. Economics of outdoor recreation. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins Press.

Economic Impact of Outdoor Recreation

A recent report from the Outdoor Industry Association highlights the economic impact of OR in the fifty United States.  Find out how much occurs in your state from this link.  Jobs, tax revenue, wages and consumer spending are summarized.

Annual Westfield River Symposium

2013 Westfield River Symposium

Our Urban Watershed

Saturday, March 23, 2013
Westfield State University - Scanlon Banquet Hall

8:00-8:30 Registration Exhibits available for viewing from 8:00 to 12:15

8:30-9:35 Welcome Brian Conz, WRWA Vice President
  Keynote Address Mark Cresotti (City Engineer, Westfield)
Search for the Holy Grail


9:45-10:30 Concurrent Sessions I
Streams Behaving Badly: Martha Naley (US Fish & Wildlife Service)
The West Parish Water Filtration Plant - Filtering the Water Supply for Springfield and Beyond: Thomas LeCourt (Springfield Water and Sewer Commission)
The Columbia Greenway: Past, Present and Future: Joe Giffune (Friends of the Columbia Greenway)

10:40-11:25 Concurrent Sessions II
Municipal Stormwater Management: Casey Berube (City of Westfield, Water Resources Dept.)
Maintaining River Quality in Difficult Times: David Billips (City of Westfield, Water Resources Dept.)

11:30-12:15 Viewing of Exhibits and WSU Student Posters
Confirmed Exhibitors:

Concerned Citizens of Westfield
Friends of the Columbia Greenway
Friends of the Keystone Arches
Friends of Robinson State Park
MA Div. of Ecological Restoration
MA Div. of Fisheries and Wildlife
Massachusetts Forest Alliance
Naturalists' Club (Springfield)
Nature Pods
Western Massachusetts Fly Fishing Association
Westfield River Watershed Association
Westfield River Watershed Invasive Species Partnership
Westfield River Wild & Scenic Advisory Committee
Wilderness Experiences Unlimited
Winding River Land Conservancy
WOW Express (USFWS)

For more Info, see http://www.westfieldriver.org/symposia/symposium19.html

KLM To Use Biofuels To Power Transatlantic Flights

Gosh, if KLM partners with McDonalds, it might put Exxon out of business?

But see the press report about "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines says it will begin operating weekly transatlantic flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol using a biofuel mixture consisting of 25 percent cooking oil and 75 percent jet fuel."

Is Exxon worried?  Well, probably not since Exxon and others are investing heavily in biofuels.

But it might make the Big Apple smell like french fries.

Westfield River Canoe Race 2013

Mark your calendars for the annual Westfield River Wildwater Canoe Race.  Saturday 20 April 2013 in Huntington Massachusetts.

See this link for details.

This is the Bristow / Young Team heading through the Hill and Dale Rapids.

World Economic Forum and Tourism Competitiveness

From the website:


Tourism competitiveness is an important economic indicator. It is a major element in economic stimulation packages. Tourism is among the largest employers in most countries and also a fast-lane vehicle into the workforce for young people and women. Encouraging travel boosts consumer and business confidence, it strengthens two-way trade and promotes export income.

You can download the report from here. And you can watch a YouTube clip here.

Now, there is some dispute about this report, but no matter what you may think about it, the report does provide a common framework to compare and contrast a countries ability to address tourism.