IV-326 



environment although, obviously, they can be accommodated 1n other 

 areas as well. Numerous other Inventories Indicate similar expon- 

 ential projections of recreation activity in coming decades. Of 

 particular note here are the Inescapable conflicts generated among 

 recreation users themselves, and on the finite land and water resour- 

 ces of the Nation. For example, the tremendous rise 1n water skiing 

 and high speed motor boating directly conflicts with the more quiet 

 pursuit of sport fishing which is increasing simultaneously. 



It is necessary to distinguish between actual demands and potential 

 demands. The actual demands for certain recreation activities such 

 as hunting, sight-seeing, and boating can be, in a general way, 

 obtained from areas in which these activities are well-established and 

 monitored. However, in many areas the potential for certain recrea- 

 tional activities 1s much higher than Indicated by present use. For 

 example, the Delaware Estuary Comprehensive Study (1966) estimated 

 that the upper Delaware estuary alone had a capacity of over 8,000,000 

 activity days for boating, while only 1,800,000 activity days are 

 currently being used, which amounts to a utilization of the boating 

 potential of only 23 percent. Similarly, only 8 Dercent of the sport 

 fishing capacity in the upper Delaware estuary appeared to be realized, 

 Even though the definition of "capacity" used 1n this and similar 

 studies is open to serious question, future demands will place great 

 pressures even on those areas which appear to be "under-utilized" 

 today. 



