4/1/2009. Wilderness Character

Transcription

1 Monitoring Social Conditions in Wilderness Troy Hall March, 2009 CSS 490 Overview outstanding opportunities Indicators & data collection Data analysis 1

2 Wilderness Character Natural Untrammeled Undeveloped Outstanding opportunities Section 2 (a): Wilderness Act Wildernesses shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness Definition of wilderness Section 2(c): Wilderness has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation 2

3 solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation How do you decide if you are providing high quality experiences? What will you monitor? Interviews with wilderness visitors Primitive = Development Impacts Amount of use (crowding) Unconfined = Lack of regulations Freedom Solitude = Encounters, esp. at camp Behavior Personal space Ephemeral 3

4 Monitoring for solitude opportunities 3 main choices: 1. Document use trends 2. Observe visitors 3. Talk to visitors 7 Documentation of Use Levels Often done for overnight use, but not day Often requires compliance checking Locations User types Can be costly Installation Upkeep Data processing 8 4

5 Documentation of Use Levels Info can be quite valuable May have limited relationship to solitude why? John Muir/Ansel Adams and Dinkey Lakes FEIS 9 Direct indicators of opportunities for solitude Not all indicators are equally useful Significant, Relevant E.g., acres w/o trails vs. % time in sight Measurable/Reliable Typical indicator = Encounters Traveling At camp 10 5

6 RMNP Backcountry/Wilderness Plan Visitors should have the opportunity for a variety of personal outdoor experiences, ranging from solitary to social The visitor experience should relate intimately to the splendor of the wilderness resource of RMNP 11 Cohutta Wilderness Plan Opportunity ClassI: Opportunities for solitude and a true wilderness experience exist Opportunity ClassIII: Visitor encounters on trails and at camp are common with limited opportunity for solitude during peak visitation 6

7 White River NF Plan PRISTINE Opportunities for solitude and self-reliance are excellent No more than two other parties encountered during cross-country travel per day on 80% of the days during each use season No other party within sight or sound of campsites should be encountered on 80% of the days in the summer and fall PRIMITIVE Moderate to high occasions of solitude while traveling and camping outside the trail corridors Moderate-to-high level of risk and challenge No more than 12 parties encountered per day on trail 80% of the time No more than 6 campsites in sight/sound 80% of the days 13 Mt. Hood Forest Plan Encounters with other groups shall be limited to no more than ten groups per day in semi-primitive areas, and no more than six groups per day in primitive areas, during 80 percent of the primary recreational use season. 7

8 Observing Visitors General considerations Specific methods and protocols Staffing General considerations Data collection Data entry Data analysis Clear protocols Explicit it Pilot test Training Consistency! 8

9 Sampling General considerations When & where to monitor Trails? Time of day? Convenience vs. random How much data do you need? Depends on issues Low use/few concerns High use/significant concerns Observing Visitors - protocols What is an encounter? What kind of data would YOU collect about encounters? 18 9

10 19 Observing Visitors Oregon Protocol 20 10

11 Observing Visitors Oregon Protocol Sampling Locations Timing (hours, days) Duration Training/standardization Definitions (group, seen before, on/off trail) Additional data (day/over, permit compliance, dogs, horses, tents, fires) 21 How do you interpret the data, given a standard of 10 encounters per day, 80% of the time? 11

12 Encounters Using the Data Organization by location Standardizing time frame Analysis by day of week 23 Cedar Run Encounter Data Perc ent to 4 5 to 8 9 to to to 20 >20 Groups per 8 Hours 12

13 Shenandoah Ranger Data on Encounters Cedar Run Jones Run Upper Hazel Number/8 Hours Weekend Groups Weekend People Weekday Groups Weekday People Shenandoah Ranger Data on Encounters Cedar Run Jones Run Upper Hazel Number/8 Hours Weekend Groups Weekend People Weekday Groups Weekday People 13

14 Shenandoah Ranger Data on Encounters Cedar Run Jones Run Upper Hazel Number/8 Hours Weekend Groups Weekend People Weekday Groups Weekday People Shenandoah Ranger Data on Encounters Cedar Run Jones Run Upper Hazel Mt. Percent % Time > Std Weekday % Time > Std Weekend 28 14

15 Talk to Visitors Less common as a form of monitoring Often used to help in setting standards 29 Shenandoah Visitor Responses Encounters Per 8 Hours Cedar Run 27.5 Jones Run 9.2 Upper Hazel

16 Talking to Visitors - Issues Debate over using self-reports Recall Validity Difference from observational data Obtaining visitor input OMB clearance What conditions to ask about How to ask specific questions Which people to survey 31 Coping with lack of resources Volunteers? Staggered observations? Internships? Strategic sampling? 32 16

17 Conclusions Mandate to monitor experience quality Consider the scope: How important is the issue? How accurate do you need to be? What is the spatial and temporal scope of needed data Take sufficient time to plan: Understand why yy you are monitoring and how you will use the data before you start Create a pragmatic, effective sampling plan Use the data to inform management 33 Questions or comments? 17