FEDERAL PROGRAMS 



The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) is the agency with primary respon- 

 sibility for national parks and recreation related programs. Within the 

 Department, the National Park Service (NPS) uses Land and Water Conservation 

 Funds for purchasing parks and recreation sites. The NPS also evaluates and 

 designates natural historic and cultural sites that qualify for the National 

 Registry of Natural Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places. The 

 Service also manages an historic preservation fund that provides matching 

 funds to the states. Since 1965, the State has acquired 73,023 acres of rec- 

 reation areas from funds from the NPS, as well as the designation of six 

 national trails. The National Register of Historic Places in 1980 listed 347 

 sites. In addition, there were 19 NPS registered historic landmarks in Flor- 

 ida in 1980. 



The National Park Service manages national parks and recreation areas, 

 national seashores, and other natural areas. It also designates national 

 environmental studies for these areas in cooperation with educational insti- 

 tutions. Ten of these areas, comprising over 1.6 million acres of land, are 

 in Florida. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 24 national wildlife 

 refuges and wilderness areas in Florida that total over 451,000 acres. The 

 Bureau of Land Management (Minerals Management Services) manages national 

 lands including offshore bottoms beyond Florida's territorial waters. The 

 U.S. Forest Service manages four national forests in Florida that cover about 

 1.3 million acres of land and contain 59 developed public recreation sites 

 that total 1,313 acres. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with 

 flood control and water management projects, developed 13 recreation areas of 

 775 acres. The U.S. Department of Defense allows public hunting within wild- 

 life management areas on certain Air Force facilities in Florida. The U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Interior jointly manage 

 11 designated wilderness areas consisting of 1,379,612 acres in Florida (Flor- 

 ida Department of Natural Resources 1981). The location of national parks and 

 recreation areas in Florida are shown in Figure 5. 



OUTDOOR RECREATION IN FLORIDA 



Most of the data and information in this report were gathered from na- 

 tional surveys of fishing and hunting, marine recreational surveys, and sur- 

 veys taken by the Florida DNR for their five-year outdoor recreation plan. 



The statewide outdoor recreation demand per capita, including residents 

 and tourists for 1970, 1975, and 1980, is given in Table 2 and participation 

 in various outdoor forms of recreation in 1980 are given in Table 3. 



According to data in Outdoor Recreation in Florida (1976), nearly 300 

 million man days of outdoor recreation (27% of the statewide total) were gen- 

 erated by Florida tourists in 1975. Bike riding and beach recreation account 

 for about 50% of the total man days of recreation. Nearly 50% of the State's 

 residents and 67% of the tourists participated at least once in beach rec- 

 reation. 



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