Twenty-eight years of wilderness campsite monitoring in Yosemite National Park.

Abstract

The research, resource management and wilderness staffs in Yosemite National Park recently completed third 10- year cycle of a wilderness campsite impact monitoring program. Initial results indicate an overall improvement in conditions due to a strong restoration program, decreased use and increased visitor education. Lessons learned point to necessity for ample and appropriate data collection and consistent techniques over time. This paper discusses methodology and findings of this 28-year project. The lure of Yosemite has resulted in profound effects on both those who visit park and natural environments it encompasses. As John Muir said, the galling harness of civilization drops off… those who visit, but their very presence has also modified landscape. Public land man- agers have long recognized that recreational use may pose pervasive and intractable threats to resources, but they have grappled with just how to measure, monitor and man- age those impacts. In early 1970s, research, wilderness and resource staffs realized need to improve their understanding of how recreation affected ecosystems and effectiveness of management. Over course of next 28 years, staff undertook three wilderness-wide inventory and monitoring studies focusing on campsite impacts. Our objectives in this undertaking were three-fold: 1) Establish a baseline for natural conditions and variation; 2) Determine when, where and why significant change occurs, and track that change over time; 3) Understand relationship of natural conditions, visitor experience, and wilderness resource management.