• This document is contained within the Visitor Use Management Toolbox on Wilderness.net. Since other related resources found in this toolbox may be of interest, you can visit this toolbox by visiting the following URL: http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=toolboxes&sec=vum. All toolboxes are products of the Arthur Carhart National Wilderness Training Center.

Inventory ConditionsInventory Conditions

Tim ElingTim ElingDaniel Boone National ForestDaniel Boone National Forest

The Nine-Step LAC Process1. Identify area issues & concerns2. Define & describe opportunity zones3. Select indicators of resource & social conditions4. Inventory resource & social conditions5. Specify standards for both6. Identify alternative opportunity zone allocations7. Identify management actions for each alternative8. Evaluate & select a preferred alternative9. Implement actions & monitor conditions

What level of impact are we willing to accept?

What is Limits of Acceptable What is Limits of Acceptable Change?Change?

• LAC is a process to define:• What kind of Resource conditions

and• What kind of Social conditions are

acceptable? and

• To prescribe Actions to protect or achieve those conditions.

You cannot determine what the You cannot determine what the actions are to protect and achieve actions are to protect and achieve desired conditions until you obtain desired conditions until you obtain baseline inventory data and then baseline inventory data and then

monitor for changes over timemonitor for changes over time

There are three LAC steps prior to the inventory:

Step 1 - Identify area issues & concernsStep 2 - Define & describe opportunity zonesStep 3 - Select indicators of resource & social conditions

Indicators from Step 3 will help guide the inventory process:

• Indicators are things we can measure which tell us if desired resource & social conditions are changing from human use.

Step 4 is “Inventory resource and Step 4 is “Inventory resource and social conditions”social conditions”

• What is out there and what is its condition?

Once you get an inventory of resource & social conditions you can move on to setting standards

(Step 5)

Step 1 - Identify area issues & concernsStep 2 - Define & describe opportunity zonesStep 3 - Select indicators of resource & social conditionsStep 4 - Inventory resource & social conditionsStep 5 - Specify standards for resource & social conditions

Step 4 - Inventory Existing Resource & Social Conditions

• You must obtain baseline data before you can set standards

• Indicators from Step 3 guide the Inventory process.

Indicator(Step 3)

Unit of Measure

Inventory(Step 4)

Density of campsites

Per 1,000 acres

5.85 per 1,000 acres (117 total)

Proximity of campsites to trails

Distance in feet between trail and campsites

<100’ = 62%>100’ = 38%

What data do you already have collecting dust?

• Old campsite surveys?• Old wilderness ranger visitor use logs?• Maps• Trail counter data• Visitor surveys

Inventory is a BIG step

• Time consuming

• There will never be enough data collected

• Inventory includes resource conditions and social conditions

• Funding and staffing challenges

Example of an inventory process

• We are inventorying recreation impacts• We will follow corridors of use such as system

trails & user created trails• As recreation impacts are encountered, we will

document its location and assess its condition:– Campsites– Climbing areas– Destination Points (vistas, waterfalls, rappel areas)– Rockshelters

What equipment?

• If possible, use GPS units and incorporate data into GIS system

• Gather maps• Any guidebooks• Old inventory

FS Designated System Trails (red)

A sample survey of user-created trails (blue)

A sample survey of user-created campsites

When inventorying recreation related impacts, look for a variety

of impacts

GraffitiGraffiti

User-created trailsUser-created trails

Where are user created trails and what level of impact is associated with them?

Campsites – where are they and what is the level of impact (damaged trees, bare soil, human waste, etc)

Bolts and chalk from climbing activities Bolts and chalk from climbing activities

Don’t forget to inventory social Don’t forget to inventory social conditions!conditions!

Do visitors feel Do visitors feel crowded?crowded?

Are there conflicts Are there conflicts between user between user groups?groups?

Inventory Social ConditionsInventory Social Conditions

Visitor surveys through universitiesVisitor surveys through universitiesTrail countersTrail countersVisitor countsVisitor countsDevelop a visitor use sampling planDevelop a visitor use sampling plan

Groups greater than 10Groups greater than 10

90%

10%Dayhikers [28/3]

95%

5%Backpackers [130/7]

Do you have non-recreation related inventory information?

ologists often have this information

Where are the sensitive resources like T&E species and cultural sites?

Do you have access to water and air quality monitoring?

So, how can you possibly do all this inventory work?

• Existing staff (probably not enough)• Volunteers – LAC Task Force participants,

volunteer interns, Student Conservation Association, other interested groups

• Universities – recreation ecologists, social scientists

• Get help from other resource areas – wildlife, hydrology, soils, archaeology etc…

• Be ready for unexpected opportunities

Now, how to pay for all this stuff?

• Start early working on obtaining funding (don’t wait until Step 4)

• Get line officers support• Think of other funding areas besides

wilderness and recreation (Inventory & Monitoring funding)

• Grants

Summary of Inventory Conditions

• Inventory existing resource & social conditions• Step 4 of LAC process• Guided by the indicators selected during Step 3

of LAC process• Be organized in the way you gather spatial data

-- and have a reason for the data gathered• Find out what data is already available• Prioritize data needs - i.e. gaps• There is never enough information available

(accept it & do best you can)

Questions?