Increasingly, it is being argued that off-trail travel in natural areas is so destructive that it should always be prohibited. With respect to the draft Boulder OSMP Visitor Plan such proposed ban raises a number of questions.
- What exactly constitutes a trail?
- Are visitors to be exclusively limited to trails marked on the current edition of the official map?
- What about constructed, maintained, and heavily used secondary trails which are not on the map? The unmapped First/Second Flatiron trail, for example? Or, the Eldorado Springs to Shadow Canyon Trail?
- What about informal neighborhood access trails such as those in the Devil’s Thumb area? Are they to be closed to everyone? Everyone but neighbors and others "in the
know"? - What about rock climbers? The vast majority of rock climbing routes are not accessible official trails.
- What about photography and painting? Are artists to be restricted to the trails?
- How about "birders" or others engaged in nature study, geological exploration, or historical inquiry?
- What about folks who just want to sit and enjoy the many viewpoints found just a short distance off the official trails?
- What about visitors whose drive for solitude leads them to seek more private spots away from other visitors?
- What about people who just want to go exploring in an environmentally considerate way? (See Leave No Trace guidelines for off-trail travel below.)
- What limits are to be placed on off-trail travel for management and research purposes?
- Are there risks that people will take advantage of the visitation "vacuum" and engage in
inappropriate activities (squatter's camps, for example) which would otherwise be reported and addressed? - How will all of this be enforced? Will rangers be paid to routinely travel off trail to catch visitors who may be traveling off trail? Would this increase or decrease use?
- Will "big brother" enforcement become a source of resentment and hostility toward OSMP?
- Will such a ban leave OSMP open to the charge of converting "open space" to "closed space?"
All this raises a few more fundamental questions:
- What are the real environmental benefits that a closure policy would seek to achieve?
- Are the problems largely confined to heavily visited areas with braided trails, unsightly shortcuts, widespread vegetation trampling, and erosion in steep areas?
- Might these problems be better addressed through area specific measures such as social trail closure signs, shortcutting barriers, and cairned routes in steep areas (see below)?
Guidelines for Off-Trail Travel
One of the most sought-after pleasures of natural areas is the opportunity for quiet, solitude, adventure, and exploration. The days are gone when minimal population pressures make this goal easy to achieve. We have reached a point where (apart from cold and stormy times) the trails are full of people. Still solitary experiences continue to be available to anyone who wants to leave the trails. Still, off-trail travel presents an undeniable risk of environmental damage. The key to preserving options for solitary visitation is an expansion of the "leave no trace" ethic to include off-trail travel guidelines. The guidelines suggested below are based on the adaptation of the backcountry travel rules used in Arch's National Park to our local ecosystem. Here again the basic principle is simple, "leave no trace" apart, perhaps, for a few temporary footprints.
1. Don't call attention to yourself in ways which detract from the experiences of others.
2. Don't approach or harass wildlife.
3. Take established trails wherever possible. If you don't have a reason to leave the trail, don't.
4. Don't cut switchbacks and don't take braided trails which closely parallel existing trails.
5. Travel in small groups. Large groups can create new paths with astonishing speed.
6. If possible, stick to routes which are free of natural vegetation -- generally rock outcroppings, boulder fields, rocky slopes with plenty of stepping stones, and woodlands with minimal groundcover.
7. Avoid stepping on flowering plants at all stages of the reproductive cycle from developing flowers to mature seedpods.
8. Take well-developed game trails where available.
9. Don't walk in areas were the vegetation appears worn or weakened (especially incipient social trails).
10. Avoid times when the land is especially wet, muddy, and vulnerable.
11. Obviously, no smoking or fires.
12. Pick up any litter you find, you are traveling in areas which are not commonly patrolled.
13. Report destructive, hidden behavior (generally illegal camp sites with fires which threaten the park).
14. If you are breaking twigs, dislodging plants, or are kicking loose rocks and soil you should find a gentler route.
Steep Area Erosion Control
Perhaps the area's greatest environmental damage from existing visitor use is in steep, rock climber access areas not served by existing trails. In these areas the lack of a clearly defined route has led to a proliferation of braided, social trails as everyone tries to pick their own path through the complex terrain. Given the steepness of the terrain, it is easy for minor amounts of traffic to produce significant erosion problems. In these areas the use of cairns to identify the easiest and most environmentally sound route can dramatically reduce impacts while still providing access for rock climbers and others wanting a more challenging experience. The same technique could be used to inexpensively construct the many spur/viewpoint trails proposed here. It could also be used to construct the proposed Eldorado Mountain, and West Flagstaff trails.
No comments:
Post a Comment