Effective Recreation Visitor Communication Strategies: Rock Climbers in the Bitterroot

pQptSTSERViq jifNTcmiat Abstract — A four-stage model o f decisionmaking was in vestigated in the context o f low-impact practices among rock climbers in the Bitterroot Valley o f Montana. Previous re search has suggested that knowing what to do to minimize environmental and social impacts may not be the only fac tor limiting compliance with recommended visitor behav iors. Results from a sample o f climbers at Kootenai Creek indicate that the way people are introduced to the sport has an important influence on attitudes toward low-impact prac tices. Significant differences were found between those who learned to rock climb indoors and those who learned to rock climb outdoors, as well as between those who were intro duced to the sport o f climbing with fixed anchors versus those introduced with removable climbing equipment. Sum mary recommendations for effective natural resource com munications focus not just on what visitors are being asked to do, but also when, why, and how it is socially appropriate for them to do so