Spring has arrived and people are leaving their winter cocoons to take advantage of the sun and warm weather at their favorite parks, lakes and recreation areas. 

But how do you get those people to be more invested in maintaining their favorite natural hangouts? A Tippie College of Business researcher says encouraging them to give nicknames to a lake is a good start, or tracing the route they’re planning to take on the trails. 

A study from Andrea Luangrath, associate professor of marketing, says those sorts of things help create a sense of psychological ownership of the park itself. As a result, they become more invested in keeping the park in good shape. 

Even something as simple as putting up a sign that says “Welcome to YOUR park” can help, she said. 

Luangrath’s research team worked with staff members at a kayak rental operation to encourage customers to give a nickname to the lake and to write it down. Researchers then watched to see if they were more likely to pick up floating trash they planted in the lake.

They saw 41% of the kayakers who were asked to come up with a nickname picked up the trash, while only 7% of those who were not asked to give the lake a nickname did. Some of the nicknames people came up with were Big Buddy, Lake Lake, and Sunshine.

 In another experiment, researchers worked with staff members at a state park to ask cross-country ski renters to trace their planned route on the trail map. They were then asked if they wanted to add one extra dollar when they paid for their rental.

They found 86% of the skiers who mapped their route agreed to pay an extra dollar for park preservation. Many also agreed to volunteer, make future donations, and promote the park on social media. Only 32% of skiers who were not asked to map their route agreed to the donation.

Luangrath says that coming up with a nickname or planning a route encourages people to invest themselves in the public good which generates a sense of ownership and emotional investment. She said Katmai National Park in Alaska does something like this with its Fat Bear Week competition every fall, which gives people the chance to vote online for the park bear they believe is most impressively bulking up for winter hibernation. It has become an annual tradition and brings national attention to the remote park. 

She said the research provides a simple strategy for government agencies to use as they look for new revenues to preserve recreation land and other common spaces. 

Media contact: Tom Snee, 319-384-0010 (o); 319-541-8434 (c); tom-snee@uiowa.edu