Leaders: Robert Penn and James Shortle

Notes: Matt Heberling

The group addressed three topics: 1) defining recreation, 2) communication goals, and 3) dissemination.

1. Outdoor recreational categories overlap and include organized sports (e.g., competitive), passive activities (e.g., noncompetitive), professional, and urban/suburban (e.g., recreational gardening). Ecosystem-dependent or weather-dependent recreation could be affected by climate change.
2. Communication goals include: identifying target audiences, linking audience interest to climate change, providing awareness, linking impacts with components of potential (private and public) solutions, and identifying positive and negative impacts of adaptation actions.
3. Dissemination products that would be most useful to policy makers and recreationalists are similar to those mentioned in other sessions, but with different vehicles that would catch recreationalists= attention.

• Brochures at stores where recreationalists shop (e.g., stores that sell licenses or bait could provide information to hunters and anglers)
• Other locations where they gather (e.g., sportsmen shows, farm shows and county fairs, and trade shows might have climate change exhibits--perhaps with computer simulations)
• Hunting or fishing shows on television or radio
• Magazines or specific group newsletters
• Disseminate through schools, informal educational groups (e.g., boy scouts/girl scouts, YMCA), parent teacher associations, museums, aquariums and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Rather than disseminate information advocating a position on climate change, provide climate scenarios for different newsletters and magazines and tailor the write-up to each group.

• Determine the appropriate messages for different groups. People pay more attention to impacts for recreational activities in their area. So region-specific, recreational activityBspecific information should be communicated effectively to national parks, state recreation departments, and Congress. Stimulating a Congress person=s interest means showing how constituents will be concerned (e.g., constituents= grandchildren will not have hunting opportunities like they do now).

A potential issue for recreation is health. Most Cryptosporidium outbreaks occurred in swimming areas, and not drinking water supplies. Giardia is typically linked to hikers and campers, as are ticks, mosquitoes, and hanta virus. These health issues affect recreational decisions.

Tourism is a leading industry in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Constituents may be concerned about the economic impact if climate change decreases recreational opportunities.