Images Relating to Park Titles and Ambient Qualities at Select National Park Service Areas

Abstract

This study examined the effect of nomenclature (i. e., titles) on the perceived ambient qualities associated with park areas. Different designated park lands, currently managed by the National Park Service, served as the focus of the study. Survey respondents were asked to profile select park titles (e.g., national park, national recreation area, national historic park, and national seashore) with a given set of ambient qualities (e.g., near-far, public-private, urban-rural, etc.). Factor analysis of the data resulted in four major dimensions that characterized and differentiated park titles. The data suggest that most park titles, while influenced by the aggregate profile which resulted in the “national park” designation, have strong, relatively well-established images. The study proposes that park images may be: 1) driven by the title of a park rather than its actual park design or management, and 2) dominated in some park systems by a single predominant park type (e.g., national park) and the image associated with that particular park designation.