Recreational Use Effects on Key Pasayten Wilderness Ecosystems

Recreational Use Effects On Key Pasayten Wilderness Ecosystems

March 6, 2019 Where the Heck is the Pasayten Wilderness? The Pasayten Wilderness is 531,539 acres, centered over the 3 Forks of the Pasayten River. North Border: Canada’s Manning and Cathedral Provincial Parks

West Border: Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the North Cascades National Park.

East Border: Loomis State Forest. South Border: Methow Valley Ranger District.

T. Ohlson Photo Today’s Recreational Use Patterns Were Established In The Early 1900’s By Miners, Sheep Herders, and Cattlemen. 1898 the first band of sheep (1,200 to 3,000 ewes with lambs) headed for the alpine 1906 FS separated cattle and sheep grazing meadow pastures. areas to avoid conflicts between the two. By 1920 it became obvious the high country was being overgrazed and numbers of permitted animals was reduced.

1917 numbers peaked when 175,000 ewes with lambs were grazing on what is now the Okanogan NF. By 1902 wool was the principle product shipped out of Riverside WA.

Wool to supply uniforms for soldiers during WWI and WWII kept sheep operations profitable.

Mutton and lamb raised on alpine meadows was known to have better flavor and brought top dollar at the sales. Lamb losses from predation by coyote, cougar, and bear increased resulting in losses as high as 40% in some years.

In 1923 the sheep and cattle men experienced some of their largest losses between Winthrop and the BC border by this grizzly bear.

After a 2 week hunt, this bear was killed near Holman Pass on September 4th 1923. His hind foot measured 13 ½” long and 8” wide. He weighted over 1,300 lbs. His hide resides in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. Getting Around A 1922 FS grazing maps show sheep driveways/trails on virtually every high, open, ridge within the current Pasayten Wilderness.

Photo Okanogan Historical Society

Trails were established and maintained by both miners and herdsmen as supply routes to their camps and grazing areas.

Tungsten Mine (1908 until early 1950’s) between Horseshoe Basin and Cathedral Pass.

L. Dowey Photo

Photo by Dooger.org Largest and most productive Pasayten Mine. In 1916, at it’s peak the mine employed 80 men. Supplies were brought in by a pack string, with 25 horses per pack string. Winter horse drawn Barker Brown’s Miner’s Cabin. sleds also brought in supplies. Sheep Mtn. was used into the 1930’s. Old Tungsten Trail or Snow Road into Horse Basin Nearly all the trails and camps we use today were established as a result of the grazing and mining activity over the last 100 years. Stock Driveway to Bald Mtn

Old Sheep Driveway to Sheep Mtn

Stock Driveway Across Bald Mtn Wildlife Species Have Shifted Over The Last 100 Years As Result Of Grazing.

P. Ohlson Photo

In 1901 Big Horn Sheep were seen in large numbers. Deer were rarely encountered.

Diseases brought in by domestic sheep soon D. Kirkland Photo eliminated the resident Big A small herd of Mtn. Goats Horns. established on Amphitheater S. Ballinger Photo Deer soon became common. Mtn. Human Activities That Influence Pasayten Wilderness Vegetation Today Llama Packing

C. Mehmel Photo Pinterset Photo P. Singleton Photo Pack And Saddle Stock Back Packers

T. Ohlson Photo R. Audett Photo Botanists And The Like Rock Climbing Differences In User Effects On Vegetative Cover

Hikers and Llamas are Similar In Their Trampling Effect.

WHY: A Vibum Soled Boot equals a Llama’s padded foot. Libriscrowe.com photo

Horses and Mules Are 6 to 10 times more likely to cause vegetation cover loss than a Hiker or Llama.

WHY: 1,000 + lb Animal, Packing 200 +/- lbs of gear or humans, with Iron Clad Feet.

T. Ohlson Photo Vegetation Trampling Response Is Mostly A Condition Of A Plant’s Morphology Resilience: is a function of a plant’s chaemaephytic (buds at or slightly above ground level) nature. Woody plants with buds above ground level are the least resilient. Most resilient plants are those with protected buds at soil level (Hemicryptophyte) or with underground buds (Geophyte).

Resistance: is a function of a plant’s stature, erectness and differs between graminoids, forbs, or shrubs. Most resistant plants are caespitose or matted graminoids. The least resistant are erect forbs.

Tolerance: is the ability of a plant to withstand a cycle of disturbance and recovery. It is highly correlated with a plant’s Resilience. Most tolerant plants are those caespitose, matted and rosette hemicryptophytes and geophytes. Basically, those plants with protected buds at or below ground level. And the least tolerant plants are chaemaephytes. Moist Rich Forb Meadows After 500 Passes by a Hiker

Cover after trampling: 24% to 31%

Cover 1 year after trampling: 68% to 96%

T. Ohlson Photo Erect, hemicryptophyte forbs that are the least Resistant to trampling but are both

Tolerant and Resilient. T. Ohlson Photo When the tolerance threshold is exceeded. Timber Oatgrass and Green Fescue Grass Meadows

After 500 Passes by a Hiker on D. intermedia Cover after trampling: 57%

Cover 1 year after trampling: 92%

T. Ohlson Photo Timber Oatgrass (Danthonia intermedia) The grasses are hemicryptophytes with a caespitose growth habit making them both Resistant and Tolerant to trampling resulting in good Resilient qualities. C. Mehmel Photo F. viridula knob likely a recovering historic sheep bed ground.

T. Ohlson Photo Festuca viridula meadow 50 year post grazing study in the Wallow Mountains in Oregon:

Complete recovery in 13-20 yrs of rest when soils remained intact. Very little recovery within 50 yrs of rest when top soil had eroded to gravel pavement. Thresholds of Vulnerability Higher Intensity trampling, associated with excess soil moisture, results in more erosion and poor recovery.

Lower Intensity seasonal trampling allows for good recovery. damage T. Ohlson Photos 6 years of recovery along the Bald Mountain stock driveway in different locations. Erect Shrub Communities: Grouse Whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium) and Pink Mountain Heather (Phylldoce empetriformis)

T. Ohlson Photo

P. Singleton Photo

After 500 Passes by a Hiker T. Ohlson Photo Cover after trampling: WTU026006_md photo 64% P. empetriformis and 31% V. scoparium

Cover 1 year later: T. Ohlson Photo **49% P. empetriformis and 35% V. scoparium Damaged heather

Chamaephyte buds means low Resistance and little Tolerance to trampling. Hummock Pattern Ground A Unique Habitat to the Pasayten Phylldoce empetriformis (Pink Mtn Heather)

These are erosive volcanic ash and lacustrine silt soil mounds over glacial till. The dominant vascular plants Vacinium caespitosum Gentiana glauca are chamaephytic woody erect shrubs results in little (dwarf bilberry) (inky gentian) Resistance or Tolerance to trampling. T. Ohlson Photos Sedge Communities

Carex scopulorum v. bracteosa

Sedges are hemicryptophytes and geophytes which are the most Resistant. Along with the Resilience of a caespitose growth habit it creates a strong Tolerance to trampling. Fellfields and Snowbed Communities Dantonia intermedia grades into Fellfield communities, but cryptograms hold them together on these windswept ridges.

*15 passes reduces cryptogram cover by 50%.

*highly fragile, but moderately resilient.

* 5 years post disturbance are visually recovered, but not structurally. Cryptograms are immediately pulverized by trampling. The small prostrate alpine tundra shrubs like Salix reticulata ssp nivalis are chamaephytes. They have little Tolerance or Resistance to trampling.

Fellfield plants are mainly hemicryptophyte or geophyte and have a prostrate, caespatose, or cushion habit making them fairly Resistant and Tolerant to light intensity trampling. However, the thin gravel soils and harsh alpine environment may T. Ohlson Photos reduce the Resiliency of these communities. This is why it is important for visitors to disperse across a fellfield and avoid single file trekking.

This is also true for any off trail trekking in order to minimize trampling intensity on any given plant.

P. Singleton Photo 2001 Photo Bald Mtn and Spanish Camp Area From Amphitheater

There was little spruce beetle activity. 2009 Sheep Mtn From Above Spanish Camp On Airplane Ridge

Within 8 years the spruce beetle outbreak became epidemic.

2017 Diamond Creek Fire burned 127,498 acres of the Pasayten. Recent Fires Have Created The Largest Disturbance To Vegetation

T. Ohlson Photo

Larger Fires That Have Merged Together In The Pasayten In Recent Years. 2017: Diamond Cr Fire 127,498 ac 2014: Upper Falls Cr Fire 8,120 ac 2006: Tatoosh Butte Fire 51,671 ac 2003: Farewell Fire 81,076 ac 2002: Quartz Mtn Fire 11,598 ac S. Abate Photo 2001: Thirtymile Fire 10,334 ac 2017 Diamond Cr Fire References:

Cole. D.N. 1993. Trampling Effects on Mountain Vegetation in Washington, Colorado, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Res. Pap. Int-464. Ogden, UT: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 56 p.

Cole, D.N. 1990. Trampling Disturbance and Recovery Of Cryptogramic Soil Crusts In Grand Canyon National Park. Great Basin Naturalist. 50(4). Pp 321-325.

Cole, D.N. And Spildie, D.R. 1998. Hiker, Horse And Llama Trampling Effects On Native Vegetation In Montana, USA. Journal Of Environmental Management. 53:61-71.

Cole, D.N. 1987. Effects Of Three Seasons Of Experimental Trampling On Five Montane Forest Communities And A Grassland In Western Montana, USA. Biological Conservation 40:219-244.

Cole, D.N. 1995a. Experimental Trampling Of Vegetation. I. Relationships Between Trampling Intensity And Vegetation Response. Journal Of Applied Ecology 32:203-214.

Cole, D.N. 1995b. Experimental Trampling Of Vegetation. II. Predictors Of Resistance And Resilience. Journal Of Applied Ecology 32:215-224.

Reid, E.H.; Johnson, C.G.; And Hall, W. B. 1991. Green Fescue Grasslands: 50 Years Of Secondary Succession Under Sheep Grazing. USDA FS. PNW Region 6. Wallow-Whitman NF. R6-F16-SO-0591. 37 Pgs.

Washburn, A.L. 1956. Classification Of Patterned Ground And Review Of Suggested Origins. Bulletin Of The Geological Society Of America. Vol:67:823-866.

Zoltai, S.C. And Scotter, G.W. 1982. Earth Hummocks In The Sunshine Area Of The Rocky Mountains, Alberta And British Columbia, Arctic. Vol. 35:3:411-416.