35th National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR)

 the 35th National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR), March 30 to April 1, 2025. We look forward to seeing you in Virginia Beach, VA! 

Here are a few important reminders:

Early Bird Registration: Don’t miss the early bird rate—register by February 15, 2025 (2025 NERR Registration)

Hotel Reservations: Book your stay at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront to enjoy the special conference rate of $139/night and discounted parking (NERR Symposium Hotel).

You’ll find more details about registration, hotel accommodations, and the conference schedule on our website: http://nerrsymposium.org

Become a Special Issue Reviewer: We’re seeking reviewers for the JPRA special issue featuring Research Notes from the 2025 NERR Symposium. If you’re interested in reviewing during late spring/summer 2025, we’d love to have your expertise—please contact special issue co-editors: Kofan Lee (klee18@olemiss.edu), Stella Liu (hliu35@gmu.edu), and Ellen Drogin Rodgers (erodger1@gmu.edu).  

 

2025 National Environment and Recreation Research (NERR) Symposium

 The call for abstracts and scholarships for the 2025 National Environment and Recreation Research (NERR) Symposium is open. The 2025 symposium will be held  March 30 – April 1, 2025 in stunning Virginia Beach! As in the past, NERR will focus on innovative research and practical applications spanning a breadth of topics within recreation, tourism, and environmental management.

Key information:

Abstracts Submission: 

Deadline:  November 25, 2024

Submission Link:  https://ecu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ABasPee6yM1ggu

Types of presentations:  Oral presentations, poster presentations, Roundtable Sessions.

Format: Word format or PDF with two pages: The first page should be the abstract (maximum 500 words) plus title and the second page could be used for references, tables, and/or figures.

Scholarship Application:: 

Deadline:  November 25, 2024

Application link:  https://ecu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6VxK4kcUV1VdXWS

Format: Students should upload two required documents: (1) a cover letter; (2) a recommendation letter from faculty. Please include the student’s name in each file name (e.g., Smith_cover; Smith_faculty letter).

Questions? Please, contact:

RE Abstracts or symposium: Dr. Hung-Ling (Stella) Liu (hliu35@gmu.edu) or Dr. Ellen Drogin Rodgers (erodger1@gmu.edu) co-chairs

RE Scholarships: Dr. SammiePowers (spower5@gmu.edu).

Looking forward to you at NERR! 

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

 UMass hosted the papers for a few years and notice the name change.

Browse the contents of National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium:

Proceedings of the 2017 National Environment and Recreation Symposium

Proceedings of the 2015 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Proceedings of the 2014 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Proceedings of the 2013 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Proceedings of the 2012 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Proceedings of the 2011 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

 Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc; Watts, Clifton E., Jr., eds. 2012. Proceedings of the 2010 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-94. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 261 p.

The list is here:

• Big game hunting practices, meanings, motivations and constraints: a survey of Oregon big game hunters
• Differences in reported satisfaction ratings by consumptive and nonconsumptive recreationists: A comparative analysis of three decades of research
• Place attachment and recreation demand on the west branch of the Farmington River
• Motivations and sensation seeking characteristics of recreational storm chasers
• Korean American males' interracial contact experiences during serious leisure activity
• The multiple meanings associated with the football tailgating ritual
• An application of importance-performance analysis to recreational storm chasing
• Physical activity in Georgia state parks: A pilot study
• Valuing state parks: Accounting for diverse visitor perspectives
• Agrileisure: Exploring the "fun" of local food
• A naturalistic inquiry into the social world of whitewater kayakers
• An exploratory study of the application of sense of community in a local festival
• Constraints and motivations related to fishing along the Lake Ontario coast
• Conflict and normative sanctions among Galapagos fishermen
• Angler segmentation using perceptions of experiential quality in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Perceptions of relative attractiveness of nature-based tourism assets: A comparison between CVB directors and visitors
• Perceptions of public forest managers concerning trail use by off-highway vehicle riders in the northeast United States
• A visitation-based profile of agritourism farms in Missouri
• The leisure style of Canadian rural recreation participants: An analysis based on three different rural leisure settings
• Managing outdoor recreation conflict on the Squamish, British Columbia Trail Network
• How place attachments influence recreation conflict and coping behavior
• Perceived community benefits from recreation resources: From scale development to validation
• Measuring the educational impact of Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK): The development and implementation of a new scale
• Recreation partnerships on national forests: The influences of institutional commitment and urban proximity on agency capacity
• Enjoying green cities: Assessing visitors' attitude and preferences of urban forests in Washington, D.C.
• Mapping urban tourist experience zones in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina
• Determinates of clustering across America's national parks: An application of the Gini coefficients
• Exploring the relationship between outdoor recreation activities, community participation, and environmental attitudes
• The impact of park development on the lives of local inhabitants within Gros Morne National Park
• Roadside camping on forest preserve lands in the Adirondack Park: A qualitative exploration of place attachment and resource substitutability
• Classification of forest-based ecotourism areas in Pocahontas County of West Virginia using GIS and pairwise comparison method
• Parks and the urban heat island: A longitudinal study in Westfield, Massachusetts
• Climate change and environmentally responsible behavior on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
• Australian community members' attitudes toward climate change impacts at the Great Barrier Reef
• Purchase decision involvement: Event management segments and related event behavior
• Reinventing "retrotels": using engaged scholarship to market nostalgia tourism in rural New Hampshire

Proceedings of the 1994 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

 Vander Stoep, Gail A.; Editor 1995. Proceedings of the 1994 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-198. Radnor, PA: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 1-263

and the free papers are:

• Measuring and improving customer satisfaction with government services
• The resource and the storyline: an interpretive balancing act
• Current trends and issues: Pennsylvania State Parks
• Estimating dispersed recreational use on Michigan's state and national forests
• Identified recreation opportunities and preferences for the lower Penobscot River, Maine
• Outdoor recreation opportunities and land use change in Vermont's Lake Champlain Basin
• Indicators of standards of the quality of the visitor experience at a heavily-used national park
• Monetary and social impact measures of visitor experience and the effects of a piping plover recovery program on visitor experience
• Angler specialization among salmon and trout anglers on Lake Ontario
• Effect of experience, expectation and resource availability on perceptions of crowding among trout anglers in Pennsylvania
• Human relationships with wildlife in Vermont
• Specific responsible environmental behavior among boaters on the Chesapeake Bay: a predictive model part II
• Potential revenues from a new day-use fee
• The development of a recreational land classification system
• People's perceptions of managed and natural landscapes
• The relationship of recreation specialization to the setting preferences of mountain bicyclists
• Advancing environmental stewardship in New York state parks and historic sites
• Educational training and attitudes towards recycling among campground managers in Iowa
• Validity of using photographs to simulate visible qualities of forest recreation environments
• Factors impacting the satisfaction of private campsite owners with campground recreation operations
• Recreation conflicts on Mt. Evans
• Selected leisure lifestyles of residents in rural tourist and non-tourist communities in Massachusetts
• Rural influentials' perceptions of tourism and its potential for economic development: a qualitative study
• Time series analysis of travel trends in Vermont
• The New England travel market: changes in generational travel patterns
• The effect of verbal interpretive message on day user impacts at Mount Rainer National Park
• Factors affecting the value of a wilderness visit: a contingent valuation study of Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness users
• Sector analysis of economic impacts from heritage centers
• Techniques for assessing extramarket values
• The integrated business information system: using automation to monitor cost-effectiveness of park operations
• Gender differences in the use of public parks in Northeast Ohio
• Examining African American and white outdoor recreation participation after demographic standardization on selected characteristics
• Frontcountry encounter norms among three cultures
• Effect of involvement level on mail panel survey response rates
• Forecasting outdoor recreation participation: a cohort-component projection model for Illinois residents
• The outdoor situational fear inventory: a newer measure of an older instrument
• Regional trade market analysis: resort marketing approaches
• Understanding seasonal home use: a recommended research agenda
• Environmental ethics and wilderness management: an empirical study
• Concern with the rural environment: urban views on the use of agricultural pesticides and chemicals
• The 1992 Vermont recreation survey and environmental index: Vermonters' perceptions of recreational and environmental issues in Vermont
• Identifying criteria and establishing parameters for forest-based ecotourism in Northern Ontario, Canada
• Boating opportunities: a geographical analysis of travel patterns and motivations
• Partnerships panel: the use of contractors and partnerships in public forest recreation: some considerations
• Partnerships panel: the New Jersey coastal heritage trail route: a partnership in action
• Partnerships panel: natural, resource partnerships: literature synthesis and research agenda
• Changes in federal agencies panel: human dimensions research and ecosystem management: policy and research implications for recreation research efforts
• Travel and tourism trends
• A case study of the impacts of "all inclusive pricing" on resort recreation participation
• Steps in the open space planning process
• Natural resource managers: their role in international tourism and rural development
• Environmental factors in golf course development: a case study
• Attitudes toward sustainability and regulation of striped bass by Chatham fishermen

Proceedings of the 1991 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium

 Citation is:

Vander Stoep, Gail A., ed. 1992. Proceedings of the 1991 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium; 1991 April 7-9; Saratoga Springs, NY. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-160. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 234 p.

And the papers are:

• Social science in the national park service: an evolving mission and program
• Gardening as a subversive activity
• The grassroots reach for the sky
• An exploratory study of the changes in benefits sought during an outward bound experience
• Black/white outdoor recreation preferences and participation: Illinois State Parks
• The spiritual aspect of nature: a perspective from depth psychology
• The extent & types of recreational opportunities within the state of Maine for people with disabilities
• Implications of Boy Scout group use of public lands for natural resource managers: a regional comparison
• Recreational programming in a family campground: an exploratory study
• Fear in the outdoor environment: description and modification through recreation programs
• Monitoring the visitor experience at Buck Island Reef National Monument
• Shorebird and boater impact management planning
• Vermont lakes and ponds: a pilot recreation planning process
• Environmental glasnost: protecting a resource you do not own
• Lakes and ponds recreation management: a state-wide application of the visitor impact management process
• River recreation management opportunities in hydroelectric relicensing
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources Camp Initiatives Program
• What makes dissatisfied state park campers?
• Resident perceptions of Vermont State Parks
• Measuring users' response to higher recreation fees
• Economic effects of state park recreation in Pennsylvania
• Impact of user fees on day use attendance at New Hampshire state parks
• Counting visitors at national parks: concepts and issues
• The effect of trends in forest and ownership characteristics on recreational use of private forests
• Wilderness management through voluntary behavior change: an evaluation of the Pemigewasset Wilderness Management Plan
• Use of paired management action grids for ease in depicting differences between users' and managers' perceptions of problems
• Anglers' beliefs about tag-and-release programs
• Trappers in New York and Vermont: comparisons of social characteristics and motivations
• New Hampshire recreational oyster harvesters: profile, perceptions, and attitudes
• Measuring the economic value of wildlife: a caution
• Toward a comprehensive understanding of angler involvement
• The angler specialization concept applied: New York’s Salmon River anglers
• A reassessment of the angler specialization concept
• Recreation specialization and the analysis of angler differences according to age cohort
• Effects of alternative silvicultural methods on scenic and recreational quality
• Opportunity potential matrix for Atlantic Canadians
• Family structure and its relationship to travel
• Observing the differences between West German overseas pleasure travel markets to the U.S. and Canada through the novelty vs. familiarity theory
• The substantative knowledge base for travel and tourism: a systems model
• Outdoor recreation activity trends by volume segments: U.S. and Northeast market analyses, 1982-1989

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR)

The 34th National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR) 

will take place in Annapolis, MD. April 7-9, 2024

NERR 2022

 

http://www.nerrsymposium.org/

NERR 2022!

a message from NERR:

Greetings! The National Environment and Recreation Research Association invites you to the 2022 NERR Symposium, scheduled for April 3-5, 2022 at the Graduate Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, MD. 

The deadline for submitting presentation abstracts and scholarship applications is October 29, 2021. 

NERRA remains dedicated to providing a safe, in-person conference experience for its 2022 symposium attendees. COVID-19 protocols will be implemented as needed to comply with CDC and local jurisdiction guidelines. Stay tuned for more information regarding conference protocols as we get closer to the conference dates!

For more information, please visit the NERRA website at www.nerrsymposium.org.

We hope you can join us!

Sincerely,

--Diane

Diane Kuehn

NERR 2022 Conference Chair

Associate Professor

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

 

NERR2021 National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

NERR Symposium 2021

has been postponed, out of an abundance of caution: 

Please Save the Date and Prepare to Reconnect! 

April 3 – 5, 2022 

The Graduate Annapolis Hotel Annapolis, Maryland

2021 National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

Currently pending according to the website. 

The NERR Planning Committee is in the process of determining the format for the 2021 Symposium. We will post more information on this website soon!

A poster from 2018

The Graduate Annapolis Hotel

126 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

The National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium or NERR (formerly the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium) fosters quality information exchange between recreation and travel resource managers and researchers throughout North America. The forum provides opportunities for managers from different agencies, states, and governmental levels to discuss current issues and problems in the field. The Symposium also provides students with the opportunity of presenting their research in a setting that is both positive and constructive. The Symposium is organized by the National Environment and Recreation Research Association (NERRA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreation research and education.

National Environment and Recreation Research (NERR) Symposium 2020

2020 National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium 

Annapolis, Maryland  

April 5-7, 2020 

Call for Abstracts 

 The 2020 National Environment and Recreation Research (NERR) Symposium invites you to submit abstracts for presentations focusing on recreation, tourism and environmental topics. NERR offers an unparalleled opportunity for individuals representing the governmental, educational, private, and non-profit sectors to share research findings, management experience and techniques, to advance knowledge in recreation,tourism and environmental management.  

Location and Venue:The Graduate Annapolis Hotel (former Loews Hotel) at 126 West St. in historic Annapolis, Maryland. Discount lodging is available based on established government per-diem rates. Access is convenient through Washington DC area airports, with BWI just 30 minutes driving time to Annapolis.

 Important Dates:
November 4, 2019: Deadline for submission of abstracts and scholarship applications. 
Dec. 18, 2019:Notice of abstract acceptance and scholarship awards. 
March 1, 2020:Deadline for early bird conference registration. 
April 1, 2020:Deadline for conference registration online.
Apr. 5-7, 2020:NERR Symposium 

Detailed conference information is at the conference website http://nerrsymposium.org/

NERR 2019

The program is out for the NERR 2019 next month in Annapolis.

Sunday, April 7 - Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Hotel Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland

The National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (formerly the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium) fosters quality information exchange between recreation and travel resource managers and researchers throughout North America. The forum provides opportunities for managers from different agencies, states, and governmental levels to discuss current issues and problems in the field. The Symposium also provides students with the opportunity of presenting their research in a setting that is both positive and constructive. The Symposium is organized by the National Environment and Recreation Research Association (NERRA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreation research.

NERR 2019

Paper for National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR)

Rail trails and home values: a longitudinal study

Robert S. Bristow

Geography, Planning and Sustainability

Westfield State University

Jo Beth Mullens

Geography, Outdoor Recreation, and Planning

Keene State College

Abstract

Greenways are recognized as an essential planning tool to build sustainable communities.  One unique form of a greenway is the repurposing of abandoned railroad corridors known as a rail trails or greenways. Rail trails have a long history in America, the Pacific Rim and Europe.  Decommissioned rail corridors are being improved to provide the benefits of non-motorized transportation system for recreation and exercise, and the daily commuting to school, work, and shopping.  Yet despite these benefits there are citizens who argue against the presence of the rail trail citing them as a NIMBY.  There needs to be more research on the benefits and costs associated with repurposing the thousands of miles of abandoned rails across the lands.

One such area of study is the calculation of the economic benefit to home owners living in proximity to rail trails.  These open spaces contribute to the values home owners place on their property.  Hedonic pricing has been used to quantify the benefits and costs since the buyer in a market will pay for the amenities of the house, including the proximity to park lands.  

To study this impact, this paper compares home values over ten year period and links the changes to key dates in the establishment of a continuous rail trail corridor, during the planning, construction and current use stages.  The setting is two rail trails in neighboring communities that are a recent addition to the thousands of miles of rail trails in America.   It is believed this research reflects the first longitudinal study of home values tied to development of a rail trail.  It is especially unique since real estate values have dramatically fluctuated over the past decade.

Keywords: Rail Trails, greenways, economic value of parks

NERR 2019

The preliminary schedule is out for NERR 2019.

Annapolis, Maryland

7-9 April 2019

See this link for the National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium.

National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium 2019

This is the National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR) call for abstracts and scholarships for the 2019 meeting. Please see the attached document for specific details on abstract submission and application for student scholarships. More information on on travel, registration, and lodging can be found at: www.esf.edu/nerr/  

Some key information about...

Abstract submission:

- Deadline: October 28th, 2018

- Length: No more than 500 words

- Submit by email to Dr. Carla Barbieri (carla_barbieri@ncsu.edu) 

Scholarship application: A limited number of scholarships are available to facilitate student attendance. Scholarships will cover the symposium registration fee. 

- Deadline: October 28th, 2018 

- Application materials: A one-page cover letter & a letter of recommendation from a faculty member (see instructions in the attached document).

- Submit by email to Dr. Carla Barbieri (carla_barbieri@ncsu.edu)   

Conference information: 

- Venue: Annapolis Hotel (formerly Lowes Hotel), Annapolis, MD (thirty miles from Washington DC!)

- Dates:  April 7-9, 2019. Note this date is immediately after AAG in Washington, DC!

NERR is an interdisciplinary conference broadly related to parks, recreation, tourism, and affiliated disciplines (e.g., human dimensions of natural resources, environmental education, etc). Past attendees include scholars, practitioners, and industry representatives with an interest in the applied sciences related to the environment, among many others.   

Hope to see y'all at NERR! 

NERR 2018 Poster Presentation

Here is the poster I shared at the 2018 National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium (NERR)  earlier this month.

NERR 2018

2018 National Environment and Recreation Research Symposium

Annapolis, Maryland      April 8-10, 2018

The 2018 National Environment and Recreation Research (NERR) Symposium offers an unparalleled opportunity for individuals representing governmental, academic, private, and non-profit sectors to share research findings, management experience and techniques, in order to advance knowledge in recreation and tourism management.

Location and Venue:  The Loews Hotel in historic Annapolis, Maryland. Discount early registration is based on established government per-diem rates. Access is convenient through Washington DC area airports, with BWI just 30 minutes driving time to Annapolis.

Abstract Submission: Deadline November 17, 2017.

Types of Sessions

Traditional Research Presentations:

Oral presentations will be 15-minute presentations, with 5-minute Q&A, grouped by topic.

Posters:

Posters will be presented at the designated poster session on Sunday evening, April 8th.

Management Roundtable Sessions:

Management roundtables are 60- to 90-minute workshop sessions focusing on applied or theoretical research or resource management issues.

Potential Topics for Oral Presentations, Posters and Roundtable Sessions include, but are not limited to:

Ø  Natural resource management	Ø  Travel and tourism
Ø  Environmental quality	Ø  Climate change and recreation
Ø  Outdoor and adventure recreation	Ø  Policy development
Ø  Management applications	Ø  Measurement and forecasting
Ø  Historical/cultural resource management	Ø  Methodological and theoretical development
Ø  Emerging and existing trends	Ø  Urban parks and recreation
Ø  Human dimensions of natural resources	Ø  Sustainable tourism and development
Ø  Park/recreation/tourism planning	Ø  Ecotourism

Student Scholarships:  NERR Symposium student scholarships will be available. Scholarship application information will follow in a separate announcement.