Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Disturbance
A Review of Research and Implications for Management of the Colorado Plateau Province
Over the past decade, the rapid expansion of non-motorized recreation on Utah’s public lands, including hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, camping, hunting, and horseback riding, has resulted in increasingly adverse impacts to wilderness values, wildlife, visitor experiences, and natural and cultural resources.
Yet no federal land management agency has conducted a comprehensive review of these impacts, much less made plans for how to address them. Instead of a proactive management strategy, the federal land management agencies are playing whack-a-mole, resulting in piecemeal, temporary, and wholly unsatisfactory outcomes.
A new report, Outdoor Recreation and Ecological Disturbance, A Review of Research and Implications for Management of the Colorado Plateau Province, synthesizes more than 60 years of published scientific research to identify the environmental impacts of non-motorized recreation on the Colorado Plateau. Crucially, it also recommends specific management strategies to accommodate growing recreation demands while maintaining ecological integrity.
The report was authored by Dr. Christopher Monz, a professor of Recreation Resources Management in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University. His research specialty is recreation ecology, with a focus on the integration of biophysical science, soil science, and park planning approaches, which makes his research and analysis in this report particularly relevant. Dr. Monz has considerable experience leading environmental and recreational research at the national level with the National Science Foundation, USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and others.
Based on the findings and recommendations of the report, SUWA is calling on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Utah to establish a non-motorized recreation working group to
The working group should include representatives from Native American tribes, historically underrepresented community organizations, quiet recreation organizations, wilderness and public land conservation organizations, and scientific and academic experts in the fields of recreation management, biology, wildlife, soils, and cultural resources.
Moab area mountain biker.
Non-Motorized Recreation & Environmental Impacts
Cryptobiotic soil crusts.
According to the report, the environmental impacts of non-motorized recreation can be substantial and long-lasting. They include
To minimize these impacts while also meeting increasing public demand for recreation opportunities, the report recommends that land management agencies such as the BLM
As the report states, “unused locations are the most precious and fragile, and thus should be intensively protected and managed to avoid the proliferation of impacts.”
Hiker in Arch Canyon. © Scott Smith
Key findings and management recommendations in the report include the following:
The Future of Public Lands Management
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Unfortunately, the BLM’s recreation strategy has been one of reaction and dispersal. Instead of directing recreationists to existing frontcountry sites, and improving those sites’ trails and infrastructure, the agency is intent on pushing use into previously quiet, less-used backcountry settings, resulting in a proliferation of harmful impacts across Utah’s sensitive landscapes along with diminished visitor experiences.
To maintain healthy functioning ecosystems, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate impacts from climate change, we need to protect large landscapes that connect ecosystems and wildlife habitat. It’s time for the agency to take a step back and proactively manage non-motorized recreation in a comprehensive and holistic way that protects existing, undisturbed landscapes while accommodating increased demand and providing meaningful recreational experiences.
This content was originally published here.
