ABSTRACT
The study examines the effectiveness of environmental messages in relation to demographic, trip characteristics and possible management actions. Three environmental messages were designed to encourage positive behavior and reduce environmentally destructive behavior in a natural recreation area. The study included a survey of actual resource users to determine which symbols in the presentations of the content of the message would evoke a positive response. Research revealed that communication effectiveness can be enhanced by manipulating various symbols in messages and depends upon demographic and trip characteristics as well as environmental orientations of users.
