ABSTRACT
Natural resource management is far more complex than it was once envisioned. As W. Bruce. Shepard suggested, the business of natural resource management was once conducted in relative isolation of the general public and decisions were based solely on professional judgement and biological expertise. However, in the 1990s, increasingly recognize the political nature of natural resource decisions. A primary goal of any communication program is to change the behavior of those for whom the communication is targeted. One approach for changing such behavior involves a focus on the attitudes underlying that behavior. There has been a significant amount of research in social psychology which examined the relationship between attitudes and behavior. In general, when developing an information program with the intent to elicit support for a natural resource management policy or to affect recreation behavior, it is necessary for recreation and natural resource managers to address several questions.
