Stretching from near the Grand Canyon to the Little Colorado River in Northern Arizona is a swath of country that’s nearly the size of Rhode Island. It’s a mix of private, state, and federal land—including the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests—historically part of Babbitt Ranches, a family-owned enterprise that was founded in 1886.

When Billy Cordasco, the great-grandson of the ranch’s original founders, became president in 2002, he wanted to invest in recreation. Rather than see it as an opportunity for development, he treated it as a way to encourage self stewardship through education.

For many recreation, restoration, and wildfire mitigation projects, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) relies on private landowners like Cordasco for support and access. Take the Derffer Forest Restoration Project as an example. The NFF is treating more than 3,000 acres on the Coconino National Forest, including parts of the Arizona Nordic Village, a ski area that Babbitt Ranches acquired in 2012.

We spoke to Cordasco about what it means to encourage responsible recreation.

What was it like growing up on Babbitt Ranches?

I grew up in and around Babbitt Ranches and spent a lot of time on the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests, hiking and hunting deer and turkey. There was no question about getting into forestry and wildlife. It wasn’t until college, in 1986, that I started working with Babbitt Ranches as a cowboy, and through the years, have cycled through many roles.

What kinds of recreation do you have at the ranch?

We host hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, and horseback riders all across Babbitt. We have many miles of trails and dispersed camping. Plus, 20 miles of the Arizona Trail comes through, from the Tub Ranch area to the Kaibab National Forest. And nearby, the Arizona Nordic Village is part of Babbitt and has more than 35 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

What have you learned from managing recreation areas?

When ethics are really high—and I mean everything from relationships to values to accountability—very little direct management and few regulations are necessary. Self-management by recreationists is the only feasible way to achieve sustainable outdoor recreation practices across these vast landscapes.

Have you faced any challenges with over-visitation?

We had a case with SP Crater, a beautiful dormant volcano in the middle of Babbitt Ranches. It got put on Instagram a few years ago and now we have people wanting to hike up the sides and camp on the rim, where a breeding pair of golden eagles keep getting chased off. It’s not that any one of you is doing anything wrong, it’s that they are all here doing it. Rather than create more regulations and enforcement, we’ve tried increasing awareness and investing in education, which is more cost-effective and better for everybody involved, but it takes participation.

What is your outdoor recreation philosophy?

I’ll illustrate it with an example. For a long time, Babbitt Ranches had your usual speed limit signs. Drivers would often go above the limit, so we started thinking about how to get through to them. We decided to switch the signs to: “Please consider driving safely,” and speeding became much less of an issue. We need to encourage a paradigm shift toward the participatory.