Archived Workshops/References

Managing Visitor Use in Natural Areas

Description

California's Central Coast is both a hot spot of biological diversity and one of the most popular tourist destinations in California. Natural lands managers in this area are attempting to balance the needs of numerous endangered species with a burgeoning number of hikers, bikers, surfers, hang gliders, tide poolers, birders....etc...and their pets.

The Coastal Training Program recognizes a need to provide the latest science to audemars piguet replica managers of public access in natural areas. We provide ongoing training on access planning, best techinques to alleviate visitor impacts, and professional sharing of the many managers who face such similar issues in our region.

If you have particular questions or issues with visitor impacts in natural areas, please feel free to drop us a line to see if we can help.

Training Programs


Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas	Jan 12, 2004 - Jan 14, 2004
Managing Visitor Use for Snowy Plover Recovery on the Monterey Bay	Jun 14, 2006
Managing Visitor Use in Coastal and Marine Protected Areas	Jan 11, 2017 - Jan 12, 2017

Documents and Publications

TITLE DATE ADDED	AUTHOR SOURCE	DESCRIPTION
WORKSHOP MATERIALS
Otter's Recreation Impact Theorem PDF, 11KB Jul 17 07	Lee Otter 2003
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Evidence that human disturbance reduces Snowy Plover chick survival PDF, 119KB Jun 13 06	Tamiko D. Ruhlen, Sue Abbott, Lynne E. Stenzel, and Gary W. Page Journal of Field Ornithology 74(3):300-304 2003	Disturbance from human recreation may impact vulnerable life stages of beach-nesting plovers (Charadrius spp.). Although human recreation may decrease hatching success of Snowy Plovers (C. alexandrinus), we are unaware of any studies indicating an impact on chick survival. We tested whether the rate of chick loss in a breeding population of Snowy Plovers was lower on weekdays than on weekends and holidays, when beach visitation increases in most coastal areas. We used data collected on chick survival and the timing of chick loss in 1999 and 2000 at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. Observed weekend and holiday chick loss was 72% greater than expected in 1999 and 69% greater than expected in 2000. This suggests that increased human recreation on Point Reyes beaches over weekends and holidays negatively affected Snowy Plover chick survival.
The effect of human activities on migrant shorebirds: successful adaptive management PDF, 521KB Feb 23 07	Joanna Burger, Christian Jeitner, Kathleen Clark, and Lawrence J. Niles Environmental Conservation 31(4):283-288 2004
OTHER INFORMATION
Bird species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act PDF, 36KB May 25 06		This is a list of which bird species are protected in which regions covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
California Recreational Trails Plan (Phase 1) PDF, 1.1MB May 25 06	California Department of Parks and Recreation California Department of Parks and Recreation June 2002	"Phase One of the California Recreational Trails Plan update provides the initial sketch pad for the subsequent development of a more comprehensive Phase Two plan. It serves as a general guide for trail advocates and local trail management agencies and organizations in planning future trails and developing trails-related programs. The Phase Two plan will utilize the best of this plan as a guide, and will incorporate hard data and generally accepted planning strategies and practices, including additional public input and comment."
California State Parks Carrying Capacity Regulatory Language DOC, 24KB May 25 06	State of California Public Resources Code	This is the exact language of the California regulation requiring Califoria State Parks to undertake a carrying capacity analysis when planning for their parks.
Examples of California State Parks' Carrying Capacity Analysis DOC, 40KB May 25 06	Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program 2004	Castle Rock and Anza Borrego State Park carrying capacity analyses as required by California State Law.
Maintaining the quality of park resources and visitor experiences: A handbook for managers PDF, 2.2MB May 25 06	Dorothy Anderson, David Lime, and Theresa Wang Cooperative Park Studies Unit, Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota September 1998	The purpose of this handbook is twofold: (1) to provide resource managers with a step-by-step, easy to use process for identifying and defining unacceptable impacts to biological and cultural resources and to visitor experiences, and (2) to identify a range of strategies and tactics managers can use to address unacceptable impacts to resources and experiences. The handbook was commissioned by the National Park Service (Denver Service Center) as a complement to its Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) framework, which was developed to address carrying capacity questions concerning visitor-caused resource impacts and impacts to the quality of visitor experiences (USDI, NPS 1997a,b). Although the handbook can be used by managers who have implemented VERP or other planning frameworks, such as Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) and Visitor Impact Management (VIM), it also can be used by managers where such frameworks have not been applied or used to address visitor-caused problems.
Notes on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act DOC, 39KB May 25 06	Various Elkhorn Slough Coastal Training Program	Some notes outlining portions of the language of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Public access and wildlife compatibility PDF, 142KB May 25 06	San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission March 2001	This document reviews what is known about wildlife disturbances and public access; it also sets forth new legislation and regulations for the San Francisco Bay area.
VERP Handbook PDF, 821KB May 25 06	US Department of Interior, National Park Service US Department of Interior September 1997	In 1992 the National Park Service (NPS) began developing the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection (VERP) framework to address visitor use management and carrying capacity issues in the units of the national park system. Arches National Park was the first unit in which the VERP process was tested. Interest in the VERP framework in the National Park Service has subsequently soared, and additional applications are now underway in several park units. Interest has also been expressed by other management agencies both in this country and internationally. This handbook is intended to provide sufficient guidance so that a NPS planner, resource manager, or other practitioner assigned to undertake VERP planning can do so with confidence. However, even with this handbook a practitioner will need to have initiative and creativity, be willing to experiment, and be able to make judgement calls in order to successfully carry out a VERP effort. Frequent communication with individuals involved in other VERP efforts may also be helpful. It must be stressed that this handbook is not meant to be a complete guide on how to do general planning for parks. Many important topics that should be considered in the development of park plans, such as the treatment of issues, public involvement, and the assessment of alternatives, are discussed briefly or not at all. Readers should refer to the NPS Park Planning Guidelines and the Park Planning Sourcebook (both in preparation) for more details on park planning.