Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-5r2nc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-05T01:40:19.111Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Speaking of Justice: Exploring Ethnic Minority Perspectives of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2011

Nina S. Roberts  and
Tendai Chitewere
Nina S. Roberts*
Affiliation:
PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
Tendai Chitewere
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor, Department of Liberal Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California
*
Nina S. Roberts, Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Drive, HSS 307, San Francisco, CA 94132; (phone) 415-338-7576; (fax) 415-338-0543; (e-mail) [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), one of the most highly visited national parks in the United States, is an important cultural symbol in the San Francisco Bay Area. Traditionally absent groups are expressing a desire to enjoy the benefits associated with outdoor recreation including public lands that may be lesser known to them. Understanding how national parks are used by ethnic minorities is of increasing importance to both the public and the National Park Service. In 2006, the GGNRA commissioned a focus-group study with nearly 100 people of color living in the Bay Area to provide indicators of constraints to park use. While identifying physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of access to nature in parks, many participants expressed frustration with limited physical access, subtle racism, and general exclusion from the culture of parks as reasons why they avoid these public spaces. The results of this study corroborate over four decades of research on park constraints. This article presents results of narratives provided by those who experience constraints and their desire to participate. For national parks to become representative of the people they serve, we suggest the need to mitigate silent exclusion and move toward proactive inclusion both inside and outside the parks. Key considerations include outreach through more intentional communication strategies, multilingual signage, responding to complaints of discrimination, and more representative hiring practices.

Environmental Practice 13:354–369 (2011)

Type
Features
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 354 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agyeman, J. 2003. “Under-participation” and ethnocentrism in environmental education research: Developing “culturally sensitive research approaches” Canadian Journal of Environmental Education 8(1):80–94.Google Scholar
Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). 2008. Bay Area Census: San Francisco Bay Area. ABAG, Oakland, CA. http://www.bayareacensus.ca.gov/bayarea.htm.Google Scholar
Bay Area Open Space Council (BAOSC). 2004. Parks People and Change: Ethnic Diversity and Its Significance for Parks, Recreation and Open Space Conservation in the San Francisco Bay Area. BAOSC, Berkeley, CA, 69 pp.Google Scholar
Boone, C.G., Buckley, G.L., Grove, J.M., and Sister, C.. 2009. Parks and People: An Environmental Justice Inquiry in Baltimore, Maryland. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 99(4):767–787.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, J., and Wolch, J.. 2009. Nature, Race, and Parks: Past Research and Future Directions for Geographic Research. Progress in Human Geography 33(6):743–765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chavez, D.J. 2001. Managing Outdoor Recreation in California: Visitor Contact Studies 1989–1998. General Technical Report PSW-GTR-180. Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA, 100 pp. Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr180/psw_gtr180.pdf.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chitewere, T. 2010. Equity in Sustainable Communities: Exploring Tools from Environmental Justice and Political Ecology. Natural Resources Journal 50(2):315–339.Google Scholar
Creswell, J.W. 2003. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, Sage, 246 pp.Google Scholar
Cronan, M.K., Shinew, K.J., and Stodolska, M.. 2008. Trail Use among Latinos: Recognizing Diverse Uses among a Specific Population. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 26(1):62–86.Google Scholar
Ewert, A., Chavez, D.J., and Magill, A.. 1993. Culture, Conflict, and Communication in the Wildland–Urban Interface. Social Behavior and Natural Resources Series. Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 410 pp.Google Scholar
Feagin, J.R. 1991. The Continuing Significance of Race: Anti-black Discrimination in Public Places. American Sociological Review 56(1):101–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Floyd, M.F. 1999. Race, Ethnicity and Use of the National Park System. Social Science Research Review 1(2):1–23.Google Scholar
Floyd, M.F. 2001. Managing National Parks in a Multicultural Society: Searching for Common Ground. George Wright Forum 18(3):41–51.Google Scholar
Freeman, S., and Taylor, D.E.. 2010. Heritage Tourism: A Mechanism to Facilitate the Preservation of Black Family Farms. Research in Social Problems and Public Policy 18:261–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geddes, P. 1979. Civics and Applied Sociology [1905]. In The Ideal City, Meller, H.E., ed. Leicester University Press, Leicester, UK, 75–122.Google Scholar
Ghimire, K., and Pimbert, M.P.. 1997. Social Change and Conservation: Environmental Politics and Impacts of National Parks and Protected Areas. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva, 297 pp.Google Scholar
Howard, E. 1902. Garden Cities of To-Morrow, Osborn, F.J., ed. Sonnenschein, London, 168 pp.Google Scholar
Jackson, E.L. 2000. Will Research on Leisure Constraints Still Be Relevant in the Twenty-First Century? Journal of Leisure Research 32(1):62–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobson, S.K., McDuff, M.D., and Monroe, M.. 2006. Conservation Education and Outreach Techniques. Techniques in Ecology & Conservation. Oxford University Press, New York, 496 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, C.Y., Bowker, J.M., Bergstrom, J.C., and Cordell, H.K.. 2004. Wilderness Values in America: Does Immigrant Status or Ethnicity Matter? Society & Natural Resources 17(7):611–628.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, C.Y., Bowker, J., Green, G., and Cordell, H.. 2007. “Provide It … but Will They Come?” A Look at African American and Hispanic Visits to Federal Recreation Areas. Journal of Forestry 105(5):257–265.Google Scholar
Keller, R.H., and Turek, M.F.. 1998. American Indians and National Parks. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 331 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopez, A. 2001. Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Residential Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Race and Ethnicity in California: Demographics Report Series, no. 1. Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. [All reports in the series are available at http://ccsre.stanford.edu/publications/featured-ccsre-publications.]Google Scholar
Max-Neef, M., Elizalde, A., and Hopenhayn, M.. 1989. Human Scale Development: An Option for the Future. Development Dialogue 1:1–81.Google Scholar
Mumford, L. 1946. Garden Cities and the Metropolis: A Reply. Journal of Land and Public Utility Economics 22(1):66–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). 2010. Park Visitation Figures. NPCA, Washington, DC. http://www.npca.org/parks/visitation.html.Google Scholar
National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). n.d. The National Parks Community Partners Program: Cultural Diversity and the National Parks, Working Together for Change. NPCA, Washington, DC, 44 pp.Google Scholar
National Park Service (NPS). 2006. Golden Gate National Recreation Area. NPS, San Francisco. http://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm.Google Scholar
National Parks Second Century Commission. 2010. Advancing the National Park Idea: National Parks Second Century Commission Report. National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Washington, DC, 46 pp. Available at http://www.doi.gov/documents/Second_Century_Commission_Report.pdf.Google Scholar
Philipp, S.F. 1995. Race and Leisure Constraints. Leisure Sciences 17(2):109–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, N.S. 2007. Golden Gate National Recreation Area: Visitor/Non-visitor Use Constraints—Exploring Ethnic Minority Experiences and Perspectives. Technical Report prepared for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Golden Gate National Parks, San Francisco, 60 pp. Available at http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~nroberts/documents/research/SFSU_GGNRA-FocusGroups_FinalReport07.pdf.Google Scholar
Roberts, N.S., and Rodriguez, D.A.. 2008. Use of Multiple Methods: An Examination of Constraints Effecting Ethnic Minority Visitor Use of National Parks and Management Implications. Ethnic Studies Review 31(2):35–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodriguez, D.A., and Roberts, N.S.. 2002. State of the Knowledge Report: The Association of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Social Class in Outdoor Recreation Experiences. National Park Service, Social Science Program, General Technical Report. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 90 pp. Available at http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/Rodriguez_Roberts_Rep.pdf.Google Scholar
Sandler, R., and Pezzullo, P.C.. 2007. Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement. Urban and Industrial Environments. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 366 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sasidharan, V. 2002. Special Issue Introduction: Understanding Recreation and the Environment within the Context of Culture. Leisure Sciences 24(1):1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shinew, K.J., Floyd, M.F., and Parry, D.. 2004. Understanding the Relationship between Race and Leisure Activities and Constraints: Exploring an Alternative Framework. Leisure Sciences 26(2):181–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Solop, F.I., Hagen, K.K., and Ostergren, D.. 2003. Ethnic and Racial Diversity of National Park System Visitors and Non-visitors. Technical Report. Social Research Laboratory, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 13 pp. Available at http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/archive/EthnicAndRacialDiversity.pdf.Google Scholar
Taylor, D.E. 2000. Meeting the Challenge of Wild Land Recreation Management: Demographic Shifts and Social Inequality. Journal of Leisure Research 32(1):171–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, D.E. 2002. Race, Class, Gender, and American Environmentalism. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-534. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR, 51 pp.Google Scholar
Taylor, D.E. 2009. The Environment and the People in American Cities, 1600–1900s: Disorder, Inequality, and Social Change. Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 640 pp.Google Scholar
Taylor, D.E. 2010. Equity, Influence, and Access: Central Park's Role in Historical and Contemporary Urban Park Financing. Research in Social Problems and Public Policy 18:29–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, D.E., and Winter, P.L.. 1995. Environmental Values, Ethics, and Depreciative Behavior in Wildland Settings. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report PSW-156. Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA, 7 pp.Google Scholar
Tierney, P.T., Dahl, R.F., and Chavez, D.J.. 1998. Cultural Diversity of Los Angeles County Residents Using Undeveloped Natural Areas. Research Paper PSW-RP-236. Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, Albany, CA, 79 pp.Google Scholar
US Census Bureau. 2008. California Quick Facts. US Census Bureau, Washington, DC. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html.Google Scholar
Virden, R.J., and Walker, G.J.. 1999. Ethnic/Racial and Gender Variations among Meanings Given to, and Preferences for, the Natural Environment. Leisure Sciences 21(3):219–239.Google Scholar
Washburne, R.F. 1978. Black Under-participation in Wildland Recreation: Alternative Explanations. Leisure Sciences 1(2):175–189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White House. 1994. Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. Executive Order 12898. Federal Register 59(32):7629–7633.Google Scholar
Winter, P.L., Jeong, W.C., and Godbey, G.C.. 2004. Outdoor Recreation among Asian Americans: A Case Study of San Francisco Bay Area Residents. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 22(3):114–136.Google Scholar