RFW 263 Outdoor Recreation Operations and Management prepares students for employment in parks and outdoor recreation. Students examine the roles of organizations that provide outdoor recreation opportunities in British Columbia. The course develops practical field skills such as trail and campground design, construction, and maintenance, along with management skills including impact monitoring, public safety assessment, and site planning that balances ecological and social values in protected areas. Current recreation management issues are used to keep the course practical and relevant.
Corequisite: RFW 200
Accessibility Services Notice
Students who would like an academic accommodation and who have a documented disability should contact Accessibility Services, if they have not already done so.Course Details| Total number of weeks | 15 |
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| Total Credits | |
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| Total Hours | 90 |
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Typical hours per week breakdown| Lecture | 2 |
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| Lab (lab, field, computer) | 4 |
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Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the learner will be able to:
- Examine a broad diversity of outdoor recreational opportunities
- Summarize the roles of different outdoor education providers in BC
- Describe the values of wilderness and protected areas for society
- Assess the potential impacts of outdoor recreational developments
- Describe the role of demographics related to past, current and future recreation demand
- Analyze information related to outdoor recreation development to create an appropriate site plan
- Integrate knowledge from other program disciplines in the critical assessment of outdoor recreation developments
- Demonstrate professionalism and ethical decision-making when interacting with others
Teaching and Learning Approach
Topics covered in the lecture will generally be investigated hands-on during weekly outdoor field labs.
Students will work independently on some projects and in small groups on others. Peer and self-evaluation
tools will be applied in conjunction with instructor assessment.Learning Resources
Required:
Assigned readings are a requirement of this course. These will be made available by the instructor on the course
Moodle page.
Examples of relevant textbooks:
Wildland Recreation: Ecology and Management 3rd Ed. 2015. Hammit W., Cole D., and C. Monz. Wiley-
Blackwell.
th
Parks and Protected Areas in Canada: Planning and Management 4 Ed. 2016. Dearden, Rollins and
Needham (eds.) Oxford University Press
Outdoor Recreation Management: Theory and Application 3rd Ed. 1993. Jubenville, Alan and Ben Twight.
Venture Publishing, Inc. State College, PA. (in library)
Internet References:
· BC Parks: env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/
· Parks Canada: pc.gc.ca/eng/index.aspx
· Recreation Sites and Trails BC: sitesandtrailsbc.ca/
· Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter (CPAWS): cpawsbc.org/index.php
· Metro Vancouver Regional Parks: metrovancouver.org/services/parks/Pages/default.aspx
· Capital Regional District Parks: crd.bc.ca/parks/
· World Database on Protected Areas: wdpa.org/Detailed Course Content, Topics, and Sequence Covered
1. Brief intro to the course.
2. Slocan Lake/Valhalla Park fieldtrip (see custom schedule on Moodle RFW 200).
3. A brief history of Outdoor Recreation. Introduction to Outdoor Rec Operations and Management.
4. Accessing the outdoors (Trails) and Protecting Nature (Park Management Plans)
5. Introduction to Trail Standards
6. BRIM - Backcountry Recreation Impact Monitoring
7. No Lecture
8. Mountain Bike Standards
9. Impacts of Recreation / Midterm review
10. Protected Area Diversity in Canada
11. Reading Break
12. Intro to Ecological Integrity
13. Demographics and trends in outdoor recreation (continued)
14. Final Review
15. Final exam weekAssessment
| Title | Learning Outcomes | Value |
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| Task 1: Recreation Site Inspection Form | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 | 5% |
| Task 2: Provincial Park and Rec Site Questionnaire | 1, 2, 3, 8 | 5% |
| Task 3: Trail Design and Impact Assessment | 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 | 10% |
| Task 4: Mid-term test | 1, 5, 6, 4 | 15% |
| Task 5: Mountain Bike Trail Assessment Task 6: Recreation Site Design Proposal | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and | 10% |
| Presentation | 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 | 10% |
| Task 7: Campground Design Quiz Task 8: "Park of the Week" | 5, 6, 8, 9 | 5% |
| presentation/assessments | 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11 | 6% |
| Ecological Integrity / Visitor Trends / Demographics Quizzes | 3, 6, 11 | 10% |
| Task 9: Professionalism | 4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | 4 8, 9 |
| Task 10: Final exam | 11 | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
Grading Table
| Percentage |
Letter Grade |
GPA |
| 90-100 |
A+ |
4.33 |
| 85-89 |
A |
4.00 |
| 80-84 |
A- |
3.67 |
| 76-79 |
B+ |
3.33 |
| 72-75 |
B |
3.00 |
| 68-71 |
B- |
2.67 |
| 64-67 |
C+ |
2.33 |
| 60-63 |
C |
2.00 |
| 55-59 |
C- |
1.67 |
| 50-54 |
P |
1.00 |
| 0-49 |
F |
0.00 |
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DNW |
0.00 |
See the Academic Calendar for General Information including how to withdraw from course(s) and other regulations.
Disclaimer
Information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication. Content of the course is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational, employment and market needs. The instructor will endeavor to provide notice of changes to students as soon as possible. The instructor reserves the right to add or delete material from courses.