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      Attendance at the major county parks exceeded 30,000 visitors in 1962.

The total population of the county is 25,110. In the major tourist centers

of the county, the summer population often doubles and has become as great
as 
3 times the normal resident population. 
 
      State highway car counts indicate that a substantial increase of travel

occurs over the major tourist routes during the summer months. In addition,

the U. S. Forest Service has found it necessary to expand, considerably,
the 
recreation facilities within national forests to care for the increased use-

demand. The development of additional facilities for recreation within our

prime recreation areas and the heavy traffic to, and through, areas having

prime recreation importance, follows a national trend which has been steadily

growing during the past 10 years. 
 
      With the anticipated increase of population, nationally, and more leisure

time, it is safe to assume that the demand for use of the recreation facilities

and areas within the county will increase in proportion to the increased
use 
of such facilities in other parts of the country. 
 
      It would appear that with the potential increase in use and present

overuse of the existing parks, Oconto County should think in terms of additional

recreation area development. The present areas and facilities are not now

adequate to meet the demands placed on them and will be more heavily burdened

in the near future. 
 
 
Problems: 
 
      It would appear that one of the greatest problems in Oconto County

is the need for county and township officials to realize the need for park

development within the county and to act accordingly. The board has an 
obligation to the people within the county to set aside the prime recreation

lands, historic, and scenic areas for public use so that this heritage may
be 
passed on from generation to generation. 
 
      Each governmental organization, from the federal level to the township

level, must assume a certain amount of responsibility for recreation development

within the framework of its specific governmental level. No single agency
can 
supply all of the recreation areas and facilities to meet the tremendous
demands 
more leisure time will bring in the years to come. Therefore, it is important

that all governmental agencies work together in a coordinated program of

recreation area development so that the recreation needs of the public will

be met satisfactorily and without unusual additional costs to any single

agency. 
 
      It is hoped that this report will help the county in the development

of its park and recreation program. 
 
      Another problem in the development of a county recreation program in

 Oconto County is a lack of a concrete operating policy which could be utilized

 throughout the county park system. It is hoped that this report will provide

 a guide for the establishment of such an operating policy. 
 
      Maintenance is also a problem in the Oconto County park system. Lack

 of proper maintenance within the park facility gives rise to unnecessary

 additional expense and a rapid deterioration of the park facilities. It
is 
 hoped that this report will be able to provide a better understanding of