Factors Affecting Outdoor Recreation Experiences by Underrepresented Minority Groups (URMs) in Maine

Outdoor recreation is growing across the United States, yet the engagement of members of underrepresented minority groups (URMs) in these activities is still very limited. As Maine contains significant coastal and forested spaces, it holds a unique opportunity to conduct research on understanding how different members of URMs participate and experience outdoor recreation activities. For the purpose of this study, outdoor recreation is defined as englobing a wide array of activities from an outdoor BBQ gathering to lengthier wilderness experiences, from solo trips to large group events. Using a transdisciplinary research approach and in close collaboration with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), this study aims to better understand the motivations and barriers to outdoor recreation as experienced by members of URMs in Maine. This qualitative research targeted three specific groups of URMs: race/ethnic minorities, low socioeconomic status, and people with accessibility challenges. This project employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology to comprehend participants’ lived experiences and to understand multiple interpretations of outdoor recreation while exploring intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints to outdoor recreation. The research included three components; the first component used semi-structured interviews with experts in community organizations or groups that work directly with URMs (race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, and accessibility) in Maine to explore outdoor recreation opportunities and challenges and identify processes and strategies to increase participant recruitment. The second component of the study used focus groups with members of the URMs community to gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the motivations and barriers to the outdoors. Among key barriers shared by participants were accessibility, time, cost/financial barriers, safety, transportation, and a few more. Motivations for outdoor recreation included physical and mental health benefits (e.g. exercise, meditation, mental break, etc.). Findings from this study will be used to inform Maine’s BPL Strategic Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), which is updated every five years. This study provided a unique opportunity to generate information that could impact possible future expansions/adaptations within the State Parks in Maine or capital investments, and lessons learned will have broader implications for engaging URMs in other regions across the United States. The third component used semi-structured interviews to examine facilitators and barriers to engaging transdisciplinary collaborative efforts across higher education systems, more precisely, the University of Maine System. Participants identified several opportunities and rewards of transdisciplinary research, including personal motivation, community involvement, collaboration with faculty, and student engagement in research.