2010 Canon Envirothon,
UC Merced

2008 Current Issue Study Concepts (PDF, 10 KB)

2008 Current Issue Summary (PDF, 6 KB)

CURRENT ISSUE SUMMARY

Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources

Recreation, whether active or passive, is vitally important to everyone and offers physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits.  The amount of time and money people spend on recreation is rising, along with the diversity of recreational opportunities.

What impacts might these have upon the natural world?  We need to more fully examine their ‘footprints’ upon our natural resources.  This is especially true in the diverse landscapes of California, where:

• the forested Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, where the majority of National Parks and National Forests are located, bisect the state;

• the arid deserts cover most of the east portion of the state;

• the lush farmlands of the Central Valley cover the center of the state; and

• the west coast is composed of both very rugged sea shoreline and expensive homes.

Webster’s defines recreation as “refreshment in body or mind, as after work, by some form of play, amusement, or relaxation” and includes games, hobbies, sports, and other activities.  For our purposes, we will narrow the focus to outdoor activities within a natural setting.  Examples for California include hunting, fishing, hiking and backpacking, surfing, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, rafting and kayaking, bird watching, and cultural observations/explorations.  These may be low or high tech, low or high impact, and require little or strenuous physical exertion.  No matter the form of recreation, humans are consumers and leave behind some trace upon the earth.

This ‘trace’ often grows considerably as the number of people using that resource increases and can negatively impact vital natural resources.  Recreation is extremely important to the state economy.   

How might recreation impact natural resources?  One impact often gives rise to more, creating a cascading effect that may become difficult for land managers to control.  Changes in water quality and alteration of surface flows impact water.  Compaction and erosion often degrade soils. Non-native flora and fauna can be introduced into the ecosystem, causing shifts in the balance from native to non-native species.  The frequency of wildfire can change, causing shifts in the flora and fauna of an area.  Recreation leads to an increase in the use of energy, especially fossil fuels, leading to air and water pollution.  Noise pollution may alter natural range and habitat especially critical to sensitive species.  How do we manage human waste that is a by-product of our lifestyle?

These are only a few of the potential impacts.  All are intertwined.  A prime example: as soils are disturbed they may erode with resulting debris creating runoff into nearby streams, thus changing the water quality.  The change in water quality may have serious repercussions for native species that rely on cleaner water. Non-native species may out-compete native species if they can tolerate the sediment load while the natives do not.  This, of course, is a simplified version of a possible chain of events.  In reality, the impacts are far more extensive and complicated.

Some questions to ponder:

Ø     What is your favorite recreational activity?  How do you think this activity impacts natural resources?  How might you reduce any negative impacts that directly or indirectly result from this pastime?

Ø     What might be the impact of limiting certain recreational activities?  Is preservation (no use) better than conservation (managed use)?  How can we manage use in order to minimize negative impacts?

Ø     In the face of increasing demand for both traditional and new forms of recreation, how can we balance our need to enjoy the natural world with maintaining the quality of the environment?

Ø     Although recreation can add significantly to both local and state economies, are there options through preservation and conservation to off-set the losses due to decreased recreation?

REFERENCES

Biotic communities and environmental factors

Grand Canyon National Park

http://www.nps.gov/grca/naturescience/index.htm (Nature & Science, includes plants, animals, environmental factors, and Natural Features and Ecosystems)

Views of the National Parks

http://www2.nature.nps.gov/views/#  from this site click on multimedia version,

his will open up another window. Note information for Fort Bowie, Grand Canyon National park, Tonto National Monument.)

Recreation in arid climates

Arizona Game and Fish Department

http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/outdoor_recreation.shtml  

FirstGov

http://www.recreation.gov/index.jsp (As of 2/7/2007, “one-stop shopping” for federal outdoor recreation reservations; information on numerous outdoor activities)

Arizona State Parks

http://www.pr.state.az.us/ (information about Arizona’s State Parks)

Arizona Office of Tourism

http://www.arizonavacationvalues.com (request free visitor’s guide; information on nature-related recreational opportunities)

National Forest Service

http://www.fs.fed.us/ (“Recreational Activities” by state)

Recreational impacts on natural resources economic impacts

Michigan State University

http://web4.canr.msu.edu/mgm2/default.htm (Economic Impacts of Grand

Canyon National Park Visitor Spending on the Local Economy, 2003)

Historic and Cultural impacts

National Park Service

http://www.nps.gov/grca/historyculture/index.htm (History & Culture, includes cultural features, both historical and prehistoric)

Ecological impacts

Grand Canyon National Park

http://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/crmp.htm (Park Planning, includes General Management Plan, North Rim Development Plan, and Colorado River Management Plan)

Bureau of Land Management

http://www.blm.gov  information on outdoor opportunities available on public lands)

Sonoran Desert National Monument

http://www.sonoran.org/programs/pdfs/SDNM%20Rec%20Impacts.pdf

(Sonoran Desert National Monument Recreation Impact Inventory – Final Report)