Site Characteristics of Resident Youth Camps in Florida and Alabama

SITE CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIDENT YOUTH CAMPS IN FLORIDA AND ALABAMA Irene J. Nelson1, The burgeoning demand for outdoor recreation has forced planners to appraise land for this purpose. Most appraisal schemes, such as those of the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission, the Soil Conservation Service, Clawson, and McHarg, represent design standards and values of professionals, rather than current consumer choices. (1) Shafer et al. evaluated preferences for different kinds of landscape features, but they did not show what tradeoffs consumers make in actually selecting a recreation site. (2) Appraisal systems are often based on optimal and normative criteria rather than currently existing conditions because information on existing sites is scarce. The results presented here can help eliminate the data deficit. In the study described here, site characteristics of resident youth camps were measured to determine what features favor the establishment and continuation of camps. Since camp planners work under the constraints of finding inexpensive land close to the towns they serve, they cannot always realize their site preferences. Moreover, their actual site selection may bear little semblance to appraisal criteria set up by such agencies as the Soil Conservation Service that assume the relative importance of the physical elements to each other is more or less fixed. The aim of the present study is to show that the wide variability in site features among youth camps belies the applicability of these normative appraisals. Data were gathered in two states with somewhat different landscapes to see whether site selection is influenced by the character of the region in which the camp is headquartered. Regional effects within states and influences of camp type—scout, religious, private, YMCA, or other—were also measured. Such information may suggest the relative significance of camp objectives and resource availability in site selection. METHODOLOGY. Site characteristics were determined for 152 camps— 73 in Alabama and 79 in Florida. (3) All but nine of the camps known to have operated in these states during the summer of 1970 were canvassed . Locations were not available for the nine omitted. Attention was focused on natural features, although some cultural characteristics were included. Ten variables were measured: * Dr. Nelson is Geographer, Recreation Opportunities for Minority Groups Project at the Southern Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama. The paper was accepted for publication in March 1973. Vol. XIII, No. 2 83 1.Elevation of camp lodge or center of campsite 2.Maximum slope in the vicinity of camp 3.Soil texture, drainage, and fertility 4.Size of the largest nearby body of water—lake, reservoir, or other except stream 5.Distance to nearest town over 5,000 6.Percent of area in water 7.Percent of area in swamp or marsh 8.Percent of all area forested 9.Percent of land area forested 10. Number of buildings. The area referred to in items 6 through 10 was that in a circle of 1 mile radius centered on the camp. While specific site planning may be based on a smaller area, the overall appeal of the campsite is affected by conditions a mile or more away. Measurements were made from aerial photographs, topographic quadrangles of the United States Geological Survey, and county highway maps. Ground water reports of the United States Geological Survey were also used to determine elevation and location of the camp. Some site features are more permanent than others. Topography changes little, but the number of buildings within 1 mile of the camp and the proportion of the land forested may change radically. Some traits measured in this study, therefore, were probably different when the camps were established. Coefficients of variability were computed for all the site characteristics except soil. Effects of region and camp type on site factors were estimated by an analysis of variance algorithm. (4) Camp locations are shown in Figures 1 and 2. WATER-LAND RELATIONS. Aquatic activity, especially swimming, is nearly ubiquitous in resident camps. Furthermore, water may have aesthetic or even climatic values. Although water is vital, camps vary markedly in their water-land ratios. Probably because of greater water availability, Florida camps have larger water-land ratios and more water-oriented activities than Alabama camps. Florida, with some 30,000...