ENGLISH I

Recreation
Editor: Deirdre S. Blanchfield

1. The term recreation comes from the Latin word recreatio, referring to refreshment, restoration, or recovery.
The modern notion of recreation is complex, and many definitions have been suggested to capture its meaning.
In general, the term recreation carries the idea of purpose, usually restoration of the body, mind, or spirit. Modern
definitions of recreation often include the following elements:
(1) it is an activity rather than idleness or rest, (2) the choice of activity or involvement is voluntary, (3) recreation
is prompted by internal motivation to achieve personal satisfaction, and (4) whether an activity is recreation is
dependent on the individual’s feelings or attitudes about the activity.

2. The terms leisure and play are often confused with recreation. Recreation is one kind of leisure, but
only part of the expressive activity is leisure. Leisure may also include non-recreational pursuits such as
religion, education, or community service. Although play and recreation overlap, play is not so much an activity
as a form of behavior, characterized by make-believe, competition, or exploration. Moreover, whereas
recreation is usually thought of as a purposeful and constructive activity, play may not be goal-oriented and in
some cases may be negative and self-destructive.

3. The benefits of recreation include producing feelings of relaxation or excitement and enhancing self-reliance,
mental health, and life- satisfaction. Societal benefits also result from recreation. Recreation can contribute to
improved public health, increased community involvement, civic pride, and social unity. It may strengthen family
structures, decrease crime, and enhance rehabilitation of individuals. Outdoor recreation promotes interest in
protecting our environment and has played an important educational role.
However, recreational activities have also damaged the environment. Edward Abbey, among others, have
decried the tendency of industrial tourism to destroy wild areas and animal habitats. For example, some cite
the damming of wild rivers to create lakes for boating and skiing or defacing mountain sides for ski runs and
ski lifts as putting human recreation over environment.

4. Recreation is big business, creating jobs and economic vitality. In 2001 American consumers spent $100
billion on recreation and leisure activities. Much of these expenditures are for wildlife-related recreation. In
2001, more than 80 million Americans age 16 or older enjoyed some sort of recreation related to wildlife like
fishing, hunting, bird- watching, or wildlife photography. More than 13 million adults hunted in 2010. Wildlife
watching remained a popular outdoor activity and more than 66 million people age 16 or older fed,
photographed, or observed wildlife, spending some $40 billion on their wildlife activities.

5. More adults participate in walking for pleasure than any other recreational activity. Driving for pleasure,
sightseeing, picnicking, and swimming are also among top recreational activities. Canoeing has been the
fastest growing activity over the past 30 years.

6. Outdoor recreation also stimulates tourism. In 2010, there were over 270,000,000 recreation visits made to
our national parks. The United States has approximately 800 million acres of publicly owned recreation lands.
An area equal to one-third of the contiguous United States is public recreation land; however, these lands are
not evenly distributed. Most of these lands are in the sparsely populated western states. Over 90 percent of all
U.S. public lands are administered by the federal government. However, when number of sites, rather than
acres, is considered, the recreation supply picture changes considerably. Almost 62 percent of all recreation
sites, such as local parks, are municipal.
7. The private sector is also a major recreation supplier, particularly for certain activities. For example, there are
more than 10,000 private campgrounds, 600 ski resorts, and 4,789 privately owned golf courses in the United
States.

8. Several important trends will affect the supply and demand of future recreation opportunities in the United
States. Increasing populations, increasing ethnic diversity, the aging of the population, changes in leisure time,
disposable income, and mobility will affect the demand for recreation. The loss of open spaces; pollution of our
lakes, rivers, and coastlines; increasingly limited access to private lands; and increasing liability concerns will
make the task of meeting future demand for recreation more difficult.

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Resources
Books
Dickson, Barney, Jonathan Hutton, and W. M. Adams. Recreational Hunting, Conservation and Rural Livelihoods:
Science and Practice / Edited by Barney Dickson, Jon Hutton and William M. Adams. Conservation science and practice
series, no. 4. Chichester, UK: Blackwell, 2009.

Mood, Dale. Sports and Recreational Activities. London, UK: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Other

Recreation.gov. Homepage. https://www.recreation.gov (accessed August 12, 2017).

Full Text: COPYRIGHT Gale, Cengage Learning

Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)
"Recreation." Environmental Encyclopedia, edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield, Gale, 2011. Gale In Context:
Science, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2644151150/SCIC?u=ucchile&sid=bookmark-SCIC&xid=39d8261c.
Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
Gale Document Number: GALE|CV2644151150