Puget Sound Institute Visiting Scholar Bill Labiosa recently co-authored a paper in the journal PLoS ONE examining the relationship between water quality and recreational use at various sites in Puget Sound. The authors considered factors such as park characteristics and travel cost in their study, which found that monthly visitation was negatively related to water quality. The results may contribute to prioritizing improvements at various sites, as well as modification of infrastructure and creation of new parks. Recreational visitation can also be used in ecosystem service assessments.

Read the full paper in PLoS ONE.

Citation: Kreitler J, Papenfus M, Byrd K, Labiosa W (2013) Interacting Coastal Based Ecosystem Services: Recreation and Water Quality in Puget Sound, WA. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56670. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056670