Reservation for Bear Lake at 10am, Party of Four: A Look into the RMNP Timed Entry Permit System from 2020 to 2021

Topics: 1. Background Overview of rationing and allocation techniques Applications in Rocky Mtn. National Park (RMNP) 2. RMNP visitation trends 3. Timed Entry Permit System (TEPS) Effects on visitation & visitor behavior 4.Future TEPS researc

Orange County Parks Trail Use Designation Pilot Project

This report provides an analysis and summary of the survey research findings from the Orange County (OC) Parks Trail Use Designation Pilot Project conducted during the summer of 2021. Repeat ecological monitoring flights were completed in May 2022 and the analysis and findings of the ecological effects of the Trail Use Designation Pilot Project will be delivered in a forthcoming addendum to this report

Backcountry Campsite Environmental Changes and Effective Monitoring Practices: A Case Study in Kenai Fjords National Park

This report examines existing backcountry campsites’ resource conditions over a five-year period in Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ), Alaska. Using campsite ecological monitoring techniques, 101 campsites were assessed for area size, vegetation cover loss, condition class assessments, as well as other indicator variable measurements. This research utilized parametric, non-parametric, robust linear regression, and principal component analysis statistical approaches to inform park managers of: Spatial and temporal patterns in changing campsite ecological variable conditions. Predicted annual variability of each ecological variable by campsite, beach, and bay. Opportunities for possible improvements in the efficiency of the current monitoring protocol by identifying: An optimal sampling frequency. Key ecological variables to sample. Areas of concern to focus sampling efforts. An optimal sampling frequency. Key ecological variables to sample. Areas of concern to focus sampling efforts. Patterns in changing campsites were difficult to discern until examined by park region (i.e., bay). Tree damage, mineral soil exposure, and root exposure were indicator variables sensitive to change while campsite area displayed changes in some locations. Future monitoring protocols should replace the rapid and complete assessments with a streamlined comprehensive protocol that reduces the number of indicator variables to include: rapid campsite area measurements, tree damage, vegetation cover loss, tent rock counts, trail counts, condition class ratings, and ghost tree damage. Campsite assessments should be conducted at a three to five-year sampling interval and revised if large significant changes occur or there is a significant change in the level of visitor use. As parks and protected areas continue to see increases in visitation and overnight use, the potential for recreational impacts increases without the appropriate management strategies. Our conclusions provide evidence to determine suitable management approaches and can be applied to future monitoring protocols to ease the burden of time intensive and expensive sampling

Spatial Behavior of Backcountry Anglers and Hikers in Rocky Mountain National Park

In Rocky Mountain National Park, managers are concerned about informal trails resulting from off-trail travel in popular backcountry areas. The distribution of informal trails near water bodies raised questions for park managers about the potential impacts of different visitor activities, specifically hiking and angling use. This report examined the spatial behavior of hikers and anglers using GPS tracking and explored hiker experience preferences in relation to their spatial behavior. Anglers on average traveled farther and spent more time during their trip than hikers. Across all study locations, there was no difference in the amount of off-trail travel between hikers and anglers, however one location saw marked differences. Hikers with experiences preferences related to viewing scenic beauty and having an adventure were more likely to travel farther on trails whereas hikers with more varied experience preferences stayed closer to trailheads. With increasing park visitation likely bringing more diverse visitors, park managers need more resources to devote to exploring more diverse management actions

Post-Experience Survey of Backcountry Anglers and Hikers in Rocky Mountain National Park

In Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO), visitation has increased by over 1 million visitors per year over the last 5 years (NPS Stats, 2021). Park managers are especially concerned about the impacts of crowded conditions in the Bear Lake region of the park where hiking and fishing are common activities and those participants may perceive crowding differently (Kainzinger et al., 2015). Therefore, this study focuses on describing the perceptions of crowding and potential displacement of hikers and anglers. Additionally, to aid in park-visitor communication, specifically for hikers and anglers, this study also addresses how visitors are getting information about the park. During July 2017, researchers from Utah State University administered a post-experience survey to hikers and anglers at the Fern Lake, Glacier Gorge, and Bear Lake trailheads (Figure 2). Survey participants were asked about: Demographics Experience use history at the park, group size and activities Sources of information and associated usefulness Expectations of visitation levels, desirability of alternate locations, and what circumstances would make them change their activity, location or both Importance of select experiences, and where they would go in the park to have select experiences One-hundred and sixty-two hikers were asked to complete the hiker survey and 141 surveys were completed, resulting in a response rate for hikers was 87%. Thirty-five anglers were asked to the complete the angler survey, and 31 surveys were completed. The response rate for anglers was 89%. A summary of the report findings is provided below. Neither the hikers nor anglers surveyed resemble the general population in Colorado or the U.S., both groups were younger, less racially and ethnically diverse, more educated, and wealthier on average. Anglers were predominantly male. Both hikers and anglers tended to be repeat visitors, travel in groups of two, and engage in multiple activities such as hiking, photography, and wildlife observation. Hikers also reported planning to participate in scenic driving. Both hikers and anglers most often reported gathering information from park maps and pamphlets. Other common sources were talking with park staff, and previous visits. Both hikers and anglers reported expecting the same amount of visitation they experienced during their trip and rated other locations in ROMO to be equally desirable. Hikers and anglers were both unlikely to change their activity or location if they experienced crowding. Anglers were more likely to leave ROMO in order to fish rather than do a different activity within ROMO. Both hikers and anglers indicated that connecting with nature and viewing scenic beauty were extremely important experiences for them. Anglers also indicated that having an enjoyable fishing experience was extremely important. In general, both hikers and anglers indicated that the Bear Lake Road corridor could offer a variety of experiences. Because visitors reported that the Bear Lake Road corridor could offer many of the experiences they find important, and because visitors reported that they would be unlikely to leave the park if they felt crowded, other measures crowding or congestion like hourly visitation rate for example, may be more useful to managers than visitor perception-based measures and thresholds. In addition, onsite methods for communicating with visitors seem to be effective, and increased efforts to get information to visitors prior to their trip may benefit from focusing on the park website and other online sources

Wildland Recreation Disturbance: Broad‐Scale Spatial Analysis and Management

Wildland recreation that does not involve animal harvests (non‐consumptive recreation) often influences various components of natural systems, including soils, water, air, soundscapes, vegetation, and wildlife. The effects of non‐consumptive recreation on wildlife have typically been assessed at spatial scales that are not only much smaller than the overall distributions of this disturbance but also much smaller than the areas that species use during a season or year. This disparity in scales has prevented effective assessment and management of broad‐scale recreation disturbance for many species, especially wildlife. We applied three software systems (ArcGIS, FRAGSTATS, and Conefor) to demonstrate how metrics commonly measured by landscape ecologists can be used to quantify broad‐scale patterns of non‐consumptive recreation. Analysts can employ such metrics to develop predictive models of how recreation disturbance – by itself and in additive or interactive combinations with other landscape characteristics – may affect wildlife responses across large areas. In turn, these models can inform decision making in broad‐scale recreation management

Pan-Arctic Analysis of Cultural Ecosystem Services Using Social Media and Automated Content Analysis

In the Arctic, as in many parts of the world, interactions with the natural world are an important part of people\u27s experience and are often recorded in photographs. Emerging methods for automated content analysis of social media data offers opportunities to discover information on cultural ecosystem services from photographs across large samples of people and countries. We analysed over 800,000 Flickr photographs using Google\u27s Cloud Vision algorithm to identify the components of the natural environment most photographed and to map how and where different people interact with nature across eight Arctic countries. Almost all (91.1%) of users took one or more photographs of biotic nature, and such photos account for over half (53.2%) of Arctic photos on Flickr. We find that although the vast majority of Arctic human-nature interactions occur outside protected areas, people are slightly more likely to photograph nature inside protected areas after accounting for the low accessibility of Arctic protected areas. Wildlife photographers travel further from roads than people who take fewer photographs of wildlife, and people venture much further from roads inside protected areas. A large diversity of nature was reflected in the photographs, from mammals, birds, fish, fungi, plants and invertebrates, signalling an untapped potential to connect and engage people in the appreciation and conservation of the natural world. Our findings suggest that, despite limitations, automated content analysis can be a rapid and readily accessed source of data on how and where people interact with nature, and a large-scale method for assessing cultural ecosystem services across countries and cultures

Drones as a Tool to Monitor Human Impacts and Vegetation Changes in Parks and Protected Areas

Increased visitation to protected areas could have adverse impacts on the conservation values in the protected areas, and therefore effective visitor monitoring methods are needed to meet the complex management challenges that arise. Collecting data on human impacts is highly time consuming, thus requiring more effective tools that allow for high-quality and long-term measurements. In this study, we show how unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. UAV or drones) could be used to monitor tourism impacts in protected areas. Tourism has boomed in national parks in Norway in recent years, such as in Jotunheimen National Park for which this study applies. We test the use of drones on a site where new tourist facilities will be established to set a baseline to identify future changes. We demonstrate how drones could help protected area management by monitoring visitor use patterns and commonly associated impacts such as trail condition (width and depth), vegetation structure and disturbances, informal trail proliferation, trampling, and trash and other impacts along the trails. We assessed accuracy and reliability compared with intensive field measurements of impacts and found low-cost drones to be effective in mapping the study area with a resolution of 0.5 cm/pixel: drone derived trail measurements were comparable to traditional measurements with a negligible divergence on trail width measurements and a consistent 1.05 cm divergence on trail depth measurements that can be corrected with a few validation points. In addition, we created a high-resolution vegetation classification map that could be used as a baseline for monitoring impacts. We conclude that drones can effectively contribute to visitor monitoring by reducing time spent in the field and by providing high-resolution time series that could be used as baseline to measure tourism impacts on conservation values in protected areas

Outdoor Recreation Use and Indicators of the Ecological, Physical, and Social Characteristics of Recreation Settings in the Central Wasatch: Phase 1 Interim Report

The purpose of this study is to explore how outdoor recreation use and its associated impacts can be quantified and monitored over time within the canyons. Establishing indicators of the ecological, physical, and social characteristics of recreation settings throughout the canyons is an essential first step to quantifying and monitoring change. Our goal is to establish a set of indicators that are collaboratively generated and grounded in the best-available science and reflect the unique needs and concerns of the diverse stakeholders and interest groups who use, manage, and depend on the canyons. Through the work detailed below, the Central Wasatch Commission, the State of Utah, and the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest will gain a clear understanding of what data on outdoor recreation use currently exist and what data are essential to understand the ecological, physical, and social characteristics of recreation settings