scholarly journals Trail impact monitoring in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

Solid Earth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Svajda ◽  
S. Korony ◽  
I. Brighton ◽  
S. Esser ◽  
S. Ciapala
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impact Monitoring ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. This paper examines impacts of increased visitation leading to human trampling of vegetation and soil along several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to understand how abiotic factors and level of use can influence trail conditions. RMNP is one of the most visited national parks in the USA, with 3.3 million visitors in 2012 across 1075 km2 and 571 km of hiking trails. 95 % of the park is designated wilderness, making the balance between preservation and visitor use challenging. This research involves the application of trail condition assessments to 56 km of trails to determine prevailing factors and what, if any, connection between them exist. The study looked at a variety of inventory and impact indicators and standards to determine their importance and to develop a baseline condition of trails. The data can be used for future comparison and evaluation of development trends. We found that trail widening (mean trail width 88.9 cm) and soil loss (cross-sectional area 172.7 cm2) are the most visible effects of trail degradation. Further statistical analyses of data identified the role and influence of various factors (e.g., use level and topography). Insights into the influence of these factors can lead to the selection of appropriate management measures to avoid or minimize negative consequences from increased visitation.

scholarly journals Trail impact monitoring in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 3117-3149
Author(s):  
J. Svajda ◽  
S. Korony ◽  
I. Brighton ◽  
S. Esser ◽  
S. Ciapala
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Impact Monitoring ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
The Usa

Abstract. This paper examines impacts of increased visitation leading to human trampling of vegetation and soil along several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to understand how abiotic factors and level of use can influence trail conditions. RMNP is one of the most visited national parks in the USA with 3.3 million visitors in 2012 across 1075 km2 and 571 km of hiking trails. 95 % of the park is designated wilderness making the balance between preservation and visitor use challenging. This research involves the application of trail condition assessments to 56 km of trails to determine prevailing factors and what, if any, connection between them exist. The study looked at a variety of inventory and impact indicators and standards to determine their importance and to develop a baseline condition of trails. The data can be used for future comparison and evaluation of development trends. We found that trail widening (mean trail width 88.9 cm) and soil loss (cross sectional area 172.7 cm2) are the most visible effects of trail degradation. Further statistical analyses of data identified the role and influence of various factors (e.g. use level and topography). Insights into the influence of these factors can lead to the selection of appropriate management measures to avoid or minimize negative consequences from increased visitation.

Factors Influencing Behavioral Intentions for Leave No Trace Behavior in National Parks

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Lawhon ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
Derrick Taff ◽  
Jerry Vaske ◽  
Wade Vagias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
National Park ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Behavioral Intent ◽  
Visitor Behavior ◽  
Leave No Trace ◽  
Bear Lake ◽  
Resource Degradation ◽  
Site Survey

Resource degradation resulting from visitor behavior continues to be a significant concern for land managers, and effective educational messages such as those promoted through Leave No Trace, which target depreciative behaviors, are imperative. This study examined psychological and knowledge variables that were hypothesized to influence future Leave No Trace behavioral intent of visitors in Rocky Mountain National Park. Data were obtained from an on-site survey administered to individuals ( n = 390, response rate 74%) in the Bear Lake corridor of the park. Results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that perceived effectiveness of Leave No Trace practices is a significant predictor of future behavioral intent (β > .21, p < .001, in all cases). Frontcountry visitors like those at Bear Lake are more likely to practice Leave No Trace if they perceive the practices to be effective at reducing impacts.

YMCA Hiking Patterns at Rocky Mountain National Park: Implications for Public Health

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Collingwood ◽  
Alicia Adcock ◽  
John Librett
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
National Park ◽  
National Park Service ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Park Service

Background:There is little data on hiking patterns in national parks to support hiking behavior as a vehicle to meet the joint YMCA, CDC, and National Park Service initiatives to encourage physical activity through public land use.Methods:The YMCA of the Rockies hiking program provided data from Hike Report forms completed after 343 supervised hikes for one summer season in Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) to assess visitor hiking patterns.Results:Of the total hikes, 64.4% were categorized as easy, 27.1% moderate, and 8.5% difficult. There were 1937 individual hikers which represented 13.3% of the estimated potential hiker sample. The majority of hikers (69%) only took easy hikes with 72.7% participating in only one hike and 27.3% doing two or more hikes. Energy cost estimates for hike categories indicated mean MET levels between 4.0 to 5.7.Conclusion:Hiking patterns at ROMO may be reflective of general population inactivity suggesting the need to design strategies to promote visitor hiking.

scholarly journals Assessment of High Resolution Air Temperature Fields at Rocky Mountain National Park by Combining Scarce Point Measurements with Elevation and Remote Sensing Data

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Antonio-Juan Collados-Lara ◽  
Steven R. Fassnacht ◽  
Eulogio Pardo-Igúzquiza ◽  
David Pulido-Velazquez
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
National Park ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Rocky Mountain National Park ◽  
Temperature Fields ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Validation Experiment

There is necessity of considering air temperature to simulate the hydrology and management within water resources systems. In many cases, a big issue is considering the scarcity of data due to poor accessibility and limited funds. This paper proposes a methodology to obtain high resolution air temperature fields by combining scarce point measurements with elevation data and land surface temperature (LST) data from remote sensing. The available station data (SNOTEL stations) are sparse at Rocky Mountain National Park, necessitating the inclusion of correlated and well-sampled variables to assess the spatial variability of air temperature. Different geostatistical approaches and weighted solutions thereof were employed to obtain air temperature fields. These estimates were compared with two relatively direct solutions, the LST (MODIS) and a lapse rate-based interpolation technique. The methodology was evaluated using data from different seasons. The performance of the techniques was assessed through a cross validation experiment. In both cases, the weighted kriging with external drift solution (considering LST and elevation) showed the best results, with a mean squared error of 3.7 and 3.6 °C2 for the application and validation, respectively.

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