The Associations Between Visitation, Social Media Use, and Search and Rescue in United States National Parks

Search and rescue (SAR) is vital for visitor safety in US national parks, which are popular destinations for tourists. Previous studies have described SAR and seasonal visitation patterns, but not in the context of overall visitation. In addition, studies on the association between SAR and developed park areas remain limited. Concurrently, social media can be valuable for sharing information about conservation awareness and the joy of being outdoors. However, social media can potentially be an avenue for users to share risky and dangerous behaviors performed during attempts to obtain photos and videos. The associations between SAR and social media have not been discussed in existing literature.

Variables included recreational visits, developed site stay visits, backcountry visits, SAR incidents, and tweets. Data from 2017 were obtained from National Park Service visitor use statistics, the SAR incident dashboard, and the University of California, Irvine, Cloudberry application. Correlation analysis was performed using nonparametric Kendall rank correlation coefficients.

Recreational visits were correlated with SAR incidents (r_τ=0.415, P<0.001). Developed site stays were similarly correlated with SAR incidents (r_τ=0.447, P<0.001), as were backcountry visits (r_τ=0.428, P<0.001). Backcountry visits had a stronger correlation with fatalities (r_τ=0.380, P<0.001) compared to developed site stays (r_τ=0.304, P<0.001). Tweets were correlated with SAR incidents (r_τ=0.468, P<0.001), recreational visits (r_τ=0.403, P<0.001), and fatalities (r_τ=0.367, P<0.001).

Our findings demonstrate associations between national park visitation, SAR incidents, fatalities, and Twitter use and provides a concept framework for future prospective studies to further investigate the relationships between visitation, SAR, and social media.