| Recreation resource managers provide a public service through conscientious decision making and the intelligent stewardship of the lands that have been entrusted to them. Innovations in the field of recreation resource management have increased the capacity of recreation resource managers to address unacceptable impacts to resources and visitor experiences. However, due to increasing threats to our natural and cultural resources, increasing visitation levels, and an increasingly politicized management arena, managers need decision-making tools that enable them to effectively address their most pressing problems. To this end, researchers and managers need to work together to develop decision-making tools and to ensure that these tools receive widespread use. The purpose of this study was to develop and field test just such a decision-making tool. Conceptually, this study is grounded in insights and practices that have emerged out of the technological innovation and technology transfer literature. An important goal of the study was to facilitate a connection between researcher and practitioner knowledge, and the process and artifact components of the decision-making tool.;This study employed a modified focus group and nominal group process to engage managers in a hands-on decision-making process and to elicit manager perceptions regarding tool effectiveness. Research confirmed the importance of: (1) completing each step in a specific decision-making process, (2) the role of the facilitator and recorder in making the process flow, (3) the value of a continuum-based approach to decision-making based on problem complexity, and (4) the benefits of integrating researcher and practitioner knowledge into decision-making technologies. |
