“Authority of the Resource” By Dr. George N. Wallace
According to Webster, “authority” means “the power to influence or command thought, opinion or behavior.” Wild nature can be said to have its own authority. Nature has her own rules, operates in certain ways, and has certain laws; there are consequences when we violate that order. Wilderness areas are among the few places on earth where we have agreed to allow nature, for the most part, to operate on her own terms. Desirable behavior is more likely to occur if people understand how their actions affect the way nature operates.
Much of the undesirable behavior which managers must deal with in the wilderness is behavior that disrupts the natural order or the ability of others to experience wild nature. All too often, in dealing with visitors who are causing some sort of impact to soil, vegetation, water quality, wildlife or the experience of others, we tend to focus on the authority of the agency. By this we mean the visitor ends up thinking about laws, regulations, badges, and the ranger’s presence, rather than focusing on the natural authority in the requirements of a healthy ecosystem.
The “Authority of the Resource Technique” (ART) attempts to compensate for this tendency. It transfers the authority (or that which asks a person to think or behave in a certain way) from the manager, ranger, or agency, to those things in nature (resources) that have their own requirements. Where Hammed and Cola (1997) and Headed et al. (1990) have rightly emphasized the need to explain the reasons for wilderness regulations and the expected behavior, the ART goes one step further and asks the ranger/manager to subtly de-emphasize the regulation and transfer part of the expectation back to the visitor by interpreting nature’s requirements.
The following is a comparison of the two styles of addressing a visitor who is camped 30-feet from a stream in the wilderness. Wilderness regulations prohibit campers from being any closer than 200-feet from any water source. The Peak Steward approaches the visitor’s camp:
Authority of the Agency
Peak Steward: Good afternoon, my name is Billy Bob, I’m a volunteer Peak Steward with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (pause for small talk). I noticed your camp is about 30-feet from the stream. I’m going to have to ask you folks to move your camp. The Forest Service has regulations, which are clearly posted at the trailheads, that all campsites must be at least 200-feet from any water source.
Visitors: We always camped as close to water as possible, it just makes it a lot easier to wash our dishes, and get water for camp.
Peak Steward: Well I can understand but regulations are for everyone. I will be passing back by this way later this afternoon. Do you have any questions, or is there anything I can help you with?
Visitor: No. I don’t believe so.
Peak Steward: Well, I won’t bother you anymore. You folks have a nice day.
Authority of the Resource
Peak Steward: Hello. How are you folks today? My name is Billy Bob and I’m a volunteer Peak Steward with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.
Visitor: Fine. Thanks.
Peak Steward: (after some more icebreakers) I noticed your camp is located about 30-feet from the stream here. With the fragile habitat along and around water sources we ask that all campsites be located at least 200-feet from all water sources. We have found that repeated trampling in these areas influenced by water does a great deal of damage to the fragile vegetation. Also a buffer zone puts less pressure on wildlife that lives here and depends on this habitat for water.
Visitor: Well I guess I never thought about that, but it certainly makes sense to me. I’ll be more careful in the future.
Peak Steward: Well, that’s quite all right. There’s a nice campsite just over that ridge. If you like, I would be glad to help you move your camp.
Visitor: Thank you, I would appreciate that.
When the person using ART is both interested in and concerned about what is happening, it is acceptable to state how you feel about the implications or probable results of the undesirable behavior. Since you are wearing a uniform, the visitor can assume that what you say is also a statement of how the agency feels and what actions are desirable in the agency’s eyes.
