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Outdoor Recreation Study in Mount Shasta, CA: Public Input to Improve Recreation Experiences Along the Everitt Memorial Highway

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Outdoor Recreation Study in Mount Shasta, CA: Public Input to Improve Recreation Experiences Along the Everitt Memorial Highway Outdoor Recreation Study in Mount Shasta, CA: Public Input to Improve Recreation Experiences along the Everitt Memorial Highway Jennifer Womack, 2018 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to determine what recreational activities are pursued at different locations along the Everitt Memorial Highway at Mt. Shasta (Shasta-Trinity National Forest, CA), how visitors evaluate the quality of their trips, and recreationists’ opinions about management policies and facilities. A brief on-site survey (N=805) was conducted on randomly selected days over a period of one year (form March, 2017, through February, 2018) by stopping vehicles along the Everitt Memorial Highway. The self-administered questionnaire was conducted as recreationists were leaving and took about 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey results describe the current recreation activities and locations where people recreate on Mt. Shasta, users’ motivation for recreating on Mt. Shasta, users’ satisfaction with their experience in the area, and users’ opinions on different management actions, as well as recommendations for improving their experience in this area. Forty-two percent of the survey respondents were local residents, which was defined as having a 96xxx zip code. Bunny Flat was the 1 most visited recreation location (57% of the survey respondents visited this location) followed by Old Ski Bowl (17%) and Panther Meadows (16%). The top primary activities that occur on Mount Shasta were hiking (28%), sightseeing (14%), metaphysical/spiritual/meditation activities (9%), driving (6%), backcountry skiing (5%), mountaineering (4%), camping (4%) and mountain biking (3%). Overall, the majority of the survey respondents did not have many concerns or problems with their trip. Approximately half of the respondents provided comments regarding improvements that they would like to occur, which included improvements in signage (17% of comments), new or improved facilities (14% of comments), more restrooms/improvements of restrooms (10% of comments) and parking (10% of comments). The information gained from the survey will be used along with other information to guide recreation planning on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in order to achieve a sustainable level of recreation on Mount Shasta. 2 Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Outdoor Recreation Activities and Trends ................................................................................................ 5 The Growing Outdoor Recreation Industry and Visitor Use Management .............................................. 9 Sustainable Recreation Management and Challenges ........................................................................... 11 Goal of this Capstone Project ................................................................................................................. 11 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Land Use Description and Designations: ................................................................................................ 18 Climate: ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Vegetation/Hydrology/Fish and Wildlife: ............................................................................................... 20 Social: ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 Cultural: ................................................................................................................................................... 24 Political (Current Management Direction): ............................................................................................ 25 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 33 Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Use Levels during the Survey Year and during Survey Periods ............................................................... 36 Non-response Bias Checks ...................................................................................................................... 37 Demographics of Survey Sample ............................................................................................................ 39 Trip Characteristics ................................................................................................................................. 47 Perceptions of Issues .............................................................................................................................. 55 Opinions about Recreation Opportunities on Mount Shasta ................................................................. 62 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 76 Information, Education, Signage ............................................................................................................. 76 Trail and Trailhead Improvements .......................................................................................................... 77 Vista Points ............................................................................................................................................. 78 Roads and Plowing .................................................................................................................................. 79 Other ....................................................................................................................................................... 79 Discussion.................................................................................................................................................... 79 Key Findings from the Visitor Survey ...................................................................................................... 82 Priority Issues and Recommendations .................................................................................................... 87 3 Challenges ............................................................................................................................................... 90 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................. 92 References .................................................................................................................................................. 94 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... 97 Appendix A: Mount Shasta Survey .............................................................................................................. 98 Appendix B: Full List of Recommendations from the Survey .................................................................... 105 Appendix C: Mount Shasta Watershed Analysis Recreation Potential Opportunities ............................. 128 4 INTRODUCTION Outdoor recreation plays a huge role in the lives of many Americans (Manning & Anderson, 2012; USDA Forest Service, 2016). It provides many people with mental, physical and spiritual health, offers an opportunity to bond with family and friends, and presents many different physical challenges. It can provoke inquiry and interest, generate feelings of wonder and awe of the outside natural world, and provide a sense of well-being, among other benefits (Parry et al., 2014; USDA Forest Service, 2016). Outdoor recreation can even be defined as an ecosystem service, as it benefits society and natural resource management “as a form of resilience-based ecosystem stewardship” (Lehew et al., 2015, p. 58). Outdoor Recreation Activities and Trends The type of recreation activities Americans undertake has changed over time and has evolved rapidly over the last several decades (Cordell, 2012). Research from Cordell (2012) and White et al. (2016) showed the activities projected to increase in the future include motorized water activities, challenge activities, developed skiing, undeveloped skiing, and equestrian activities. Cordell (2012) also found the activities with the lowest expected rate of growth were hunting, fishing, motorized off-road activities, visiting primitive areas, motorized snow activities, and floating activities. Between 1999 and 2009 nature-based outdoor recreation activities increased in terms of participation rates, and activities based on viewing and photographing nature were some of the fastest growing activities (White et al., 2016). Off-highway vehicle travel, kayaking, snowboarding and surfing all increased in participation
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