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Understanding and Managing Visitor Use on the Virgin River, Utah

2014 North American River Management Symposium

Ericka Pilcher and Tracy Atkins: NPS Denver Service Center Planning Division Kezia Nielsen: Zion National Park Environmental Compliance Specialist

Presentation Overview

• A proactive and adaptive process of planning for and managing characteristics of visitor use and its physical and social setting

• Lessons learned while addressing visitor use management and visitor capacity on the Virgin River

• Guidance from the Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordination Council (IWSRCC) and the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC)

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WSR Management Planning • Comprehensive River Management

Plans required for all federal WSRs

• “[CRMPs] shall address resource protection, development of lands and facilities, user capacities, and other management practices necessary or desirable to achieve the purpose of this act.”

• Protect and enhance river values that led to designation, while allowing for appropriate visitor use and enjoyment

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Defining User Capacity

“the kinds and amounts of public use which the river area can sustain without impact to the values for which it was designated.”

– 1982 Interagency Guidelines

More complex than just numbers of people

Impacts result from many factors including numbers of people, use patterns, activities, behaviors, and resource type

and resiliency Very little use can cause a lot of impact

Need multiple strategies to protect important resources and visitor experiences, including use limits

How Did User Capacity Evolve?

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User Capacity Process River Values

Management Goals and Objectives

Visitor Use Analysis

Indicators and Standards of Quality

Management Actions

Kinds and Amounts of Visitor Use

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River values define why the river was designated as part of the WSR system.

Goals and objectives provide a picture of the desired conditions and quality of visitor experiences.

Indicators are measureable variables that track changes in the condition of river values (as related to visitor use)

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Standards are management decisions on the minimum acceptable condition for indicator variables.

Management actions are implemented, after a problem analysis, to maintain or restore conditions.

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Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009

• Signed into law by President Barack Obama March 30, 2009

• 1st WSR designation in Utah

• Added 165 miles of the Virgin River and tributaries to the NWSRS

• Segments within Zion NP and adjacent BLM lands managed by the St. George Field Office

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North Fork Virgin River

• Wild segment – 9 miles NPS, ¾ mile BLM

• NPS designated wilderness

• 16 mile world class hike through the Narrows

• 2013 – 850 day-use permits issued for 2,887 people; – 1,546 overnight permits

issued for 4,924 people; – 1 permit issued for 2 people

for boating – in 2010 – 182 boating permits were issued for 630 people

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North Fork Virgin River

• Recreational – 9 miles NPS

• Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, Zion Lodge, VC, housing, trails

• 2.8 million visitors – almost all visited Zion Canyon

• Mandatory shuttle system April through October

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River Values Identified for North Fork Virgin River • Free flowing condition • Water quality • ORVs

– Geologic – Recreational – Scenic – Cultural – Fish – Ecological process – Wildlife

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Goals and Objectives

• free flow and water quality

• river-related natural resources and ecological processes

• river-related cultural resources

• river-related recreation, offering a diversity of appropriate recreational opportunities that allow visitors to experience a direct connection to its unique values

• visitor use management program

• land use and development practices to protect and enhance river values

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Visitor Use Analysis

Recreational opportunities & trends • Hiking • Canyoneering • Boating • Climbing • Wildlife viewing, etc. Visitor use levels and trends • Camping • Lodging • Permits • Shuttle ridership, etc. Quality of visitor experience • Crowding • Trail and campsite condition • Satisfaction with facilities and

services, etc.

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Indicators and Standards

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Indicators are measurable variables that are monitored to track changes to river values caused by human activity. Standards are the minimum acceptable condition for the indicators and are protective of river values.

Examples of Standards and Indicators for North Fork Virgin River

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Monitoring and Adaptive Management Strategies for Crowding

Monitoring • Staff will document all visitor encounters

at popular visitor sites • Monitor on 3-year interval Adaptive Management Strategies • Educate visitors about the best times to

visit popular areas • Educate visitors about alternative park

attractions and sites (disperse visitor use) • Educate visitors on Leave No Trace ethics • Rehabilitate social trails • Adjust shuttle timing • Adjust commercial use authorization

(CUA) tours numbers 19

Kinds and Amounts of Use • Amount of use an area can

sustain depends on resource characteristics, the type and quantity of use anticipated, and the effectiveness of management actions

• Maximum amount of visitor use that can be received was estimated based on the management objectives, indicators and standards, and related strategies and tools identified for each planning alternative

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Kinds and Amounts of Use

Keep in Mind: • The number of visitors

that can be accommodated is generally an outcome, not the driver, of the process

• Regulating the number of visitors allowed is just one management strategy

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Kinds and Amounts of Use Process: What do we know about the area (visitor use characteristics &

major issues)?

• What are the desired conditions and related measures and standards?

• How do existing conditions match measures and standards?

• What specific management strategies are needed given existing conditions?

• Based on the above, what are the most limiting factors in terms of amount of use? 22

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Kinds and Amounts of Visitor Use

Management goals • Crowding would not

prevent people from appreciating the resource. Would still be protective of ORVs

Existing use limits • NO

Example segment: North Fork Virgin River above Temple below Orderville / Narrows

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Kinds and Amounts of Visitor Use

Concerns related to kinds and amounts of use / ORV impacts • crowding, • human waste, • trail widening, • visitor created trails, • water quality, • noise from people

Kinds and Amounts of Visitor Use Most limiting factors for the amount of use • Crowding (PAOT)

Target amount of use: Should use increase, decrease, or remain at current levels? • Alt B: decrease • Alt C: maintain • Specific number: based on

PAOT (e.g. 36 people at one time) 25

Lessons Learned

• Data gaps and future data collection needs – Visitor expectations and their actual experience – Actual visitor use numbers

• Conclusion – Multiple strategies were needed to address visitor use

management on the Virgin River. – We worked to put the idea of capacity in it’s proper

context and focused on managing the numbers of people when impacts were directly related to the amount of use.

– Required to address capacity on all segments per the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

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Guidance

Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordination Council (IWSRCC)

Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC)

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• Mission: to provide guidance on visitor use management and to develop legally defensible and effective interagency implementation tools.

• Goal: to improve interagency coordination in administering the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, thereby improving service to the American public and enhancing protection of important river resources.

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Questions?