Quantifying Recreational Uses and Users of Estuarine Habitats in Tampa Bay (FL) and Tillamook Bay (OR)

Estuaries provide many opportunities for the public to engage in nature-based recreation. The popularity of social media facilitates the use of geotagged photographs to estimate the spatial distribution and intensity of recreation. Knowing how people interact with nature during said recreation could reveal their preferences for specific environmental features. Using the InVEST Tool, we assessed the distribution and hotspots of recreational users of estuarine habitats in Tampa Bay and Tillamook Bay based on images posted on Flickr.com. From images at three hotspots (sites) within each estuary and available habitat maps, we evaluated habitat classes and recreational uses. We compared those data with direct observations of recreational activities of all people and onsite habitat attributes made in field studies at each site. Given the prominence of scenic views in Flickr images, we hypothesized that people viewing scenery would dominate field survey results in both estuaries. In Tillamook, 74% of users appeared to value scenery, whereas in Tampa Bay, trail use (54%) was more common than viewing scenery (41%). We hypothesized that Tampa would have more recreational users at survey sites, given the larger metropolitan area. However, our field surveys revealed no significant difference in the number of users between estuaries. In both estuaries, sites with a combination of natural habitats and wildlife had more users than sites with scenic views alone. However, individual sites with the highest number of users were directly adjacent to a major roadway suggesting that ease of access affects site popularity. Our results can aid environmental managers in making better-informed decisions about what habitat attributes and locations are valued for recreational use, prioritization of sites for conservation or restoration from a recreational-use perspective, and development of safe access to sites valued for recreation.

Impact/Purpose

Understanding how people interact with nature during recreation can reveal their preferences for specific environmental features, and that information can aid environmental managers in making better-informed decisions about what habitat attributes and locations are valued for recreational use, prioritization of sites for conservation or restoration from a recreational-use perspective, and development of safe access to sites valued for recreation. In this project, the InVEST tool was used to identify geotagged photographs publically published (but anonymously credited) on Filckr.com from Tampa Bay and Tillamook Bay estuaries. At hotspots of photography, we reviewed the images to identify recreational activities being undertaken and natural features of the estuaries associated with those activities. We also conducted field observations at those hotspots in both estuaries to determine whether the published images corresponded to people's recreational activities and the local natural features. Viewing scenery and using trails were two of the most frequent recreational activities observed in the images and in person. Analyses are on-going to further assess whether publically-published photographs can be used to accurately assess recreational use of estuarine habitats.

Citation

Littles, C., N. Lewis, C. Hernandez, M. Harwell, AND T. Dewitt. Quantifying Recreational Uses and Users of Estuarine Habitats in Tampa Bay (FL) and Tillamook Bay (OR). Costal and Estuarine Research Federation Biennial Conference, Mobile, AL, November 03 - 07, 2019.