BACKCOUNTRY RECREATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: A COMPARISON OF TWO TRAILS IN MOUNT ROBSON PROVINCIAL PARK by Paul A. Way B.Sc., University of Northern British Columbia, 2000 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (RECREATIONAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT) THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA July, 2004 © Paul A. 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The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privée, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont été enlevés de cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada ‘The battle for wilderness is not over with designation - it is just beginning. J. Bradley (1993) 11 Abstract Mt. Robson Provincial Park serves as a destination for local, regional, and international visitors while also conserving representative and unique natural resources. Trends such us increasing urbanization, globalization, affluence, and changing values toward nature have radically increased the popularity, the importance and the number of parks of protected areas like Mt. Robson Provincial Park. Research, commencing in the 1970s, indicates that large numbers of visitors threaten backcountry recreation resources within the park. Park staff have responded with increasing management attention in high-use areas, and implementing visitor restrictions. This thesis uses a systematic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of facility and visitor management in resolving impacts to backcountry resources. Specifically, it compares a high-use/ management trail (Berg Lake Trail) to a low-use/management trail (Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail). An integrated, multi-parameter survey established 71 paired plots where data was collected on 32 indicators of trail related resource conditions, management features, and locational/ ecological attributes. While trail width and the proliferation of soeial trails increased with use, other impaets, such as vegetation trampling, and trail incision did not increase with the number of visitors. Some impact indicators, such as wet muddy sections, and exposed rocks and roots, improved with use, a key indication that management, locational and ecological factors are important considerations for managing backcountry resources. These findings are ineorporated into a new model for managing backcountry recreation resources. Ill Table of Contents Abstract 111 Table of Contents iv List of Tables vi List of Figures vii List of Plates vii Acknowledgments viii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Research Objectives 6 Study Rationale 7 Chapter 2 Study Area 10 Ecology 11 The Berg Lake Trail 15 Mount Fitzwilliam Trail 18 Summary 21 Chapter 3 Introduction 23 Parks and Protected Areas in a Context of Global Change 24 “More than Empty Shells?” Current Issues in Wilderness 25 Management The Baekcountry Recreation Experience 28 Recreation and Conservation; Paradox or Symbiosis? 29 Recreation and Conservation in the Backcountry 32 Backcountry Trails; vital facility inevitable impacts 37 Eactors Influencing Trail Conditions 44 Trail Impact Assessment and Monitoring Methods 56 Backcountry Management and Planning Erameworks 61 Literature Review Summary 63 Chapter 4 Research Methods 65 Trail Survey Method 65 Selection of Impact Indicators 68 The Survey Process 72 Data Analysis 75 Chapter Summary 78 79 Chapter 5 Results 79 Trail Segments 82 Trail Ecology and Location Descriptions 86 Impact Indicators (Part I) IV 95 Impact Indicators (Part II) Vegetation 102 Management Features; Types Frequency and Condition 106 Ecological and Human Factors 112 Chapter Summary 115 Chapter 6 Discussion 115 Impact Indicators (Part I) 130 Impact Indicators (Part II) Vegetation 137 Management Features 137 Influencing Factors 139 Implications for Managing Backcountry Recreation Resources 149 Backcountry Recreation Resource Management; Toward an Integrated Approach 157 Chapter 7 Conclusions, Recommendations and Future Research 157 Conclusions 160 Recommendations 164 Future Research 167 References 183 Appendix I Draft Backcountry Monitoring Manual 209 Appendix II Survey Plant List 213 Appendix III Plot-by-plot summaries List of Tables 2.1 Important Human Use Management Events 13 2.2 Information Summary by Trail 21 3.1 Common Forms of Backcountry Visitor Impacts 33 3.2 Characteristics of Trampling Resistant Vegetation 42 3.3 Trail Related Impacts 44 3.4 Influencing Factors 46 3.5 Influence of Topographic and Climatic Factors on Trail 48 Conditions 3.6 Influence of Vegetation on Trail Conditions 50 3.7 Influence of Soil on Trail Conditions 53 3.8 Influence of Use Factors on Trail Conditions 56 3.9 Comparison of Trail Survey Techniques 61 4.1 Assessment Parameters (station data) 70 4.2 Continuous Survey Indicators 71 4.3 Vegetation Indicators 71 5.1 Trail Segments 80 5.2 Use Level and Management Indicators 81 5.3 Trail Ecological and Construction Variables 83 5.4 Trail Ecological and Location Variables 84 5.5 Trail Impact Indicators by Trail Segment 87 5.6 On Trail and Control Soil Penetration Resistance 89 5.7 On Trail and Control Soil Moisture Content 90 5.8 Frequency of Areas with Unacceptable Impacts 92 5.9 Length of Wet and Muddy Areas 93 5.10 Unofficial Trails 94 5.11 Differences in Species Richness by Growth Form 96 5.12 Species Richness by Trail Segment 98 5.13 Relative Ground Cover 99 5.14 Floristic Dissimilarity Index 99 5.15 Plants Found in Only Trailside or Control Quadrats 101 5.16 Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail Management Features and Effectiveness 103 5.17 Berg Lake Trail Management Features and Effectiveness 105 5.18 Ecological Factors and Trail Degradation 108 5.19 Ecological Impacts by Ecological and Construction Variables 109 5.20 Impact Indicators and Use Level III 5.21 Segment Rankings for Each Impact Indicator 112 5.22 Key Findings 114 VI List of Figures 1.1 Conceptual Framework 5 2.1 Mount Robson Provincial Park 14 2.2 Berg Lake Trail Map 15 2.3 Berg Lake Trail Profile 17 2.4 Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail Map 19 2.5 Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail Profile 20 3.1 Literature Review Flow Chart 24 3.2 Change in Campsite Impact Parameters 34 3.3 Effects of Wear by Hikers, Motorcycles and Horses 45 3.4 Contemporary Management Planning Framework 62 4.1 Diagram of the Survey plot 72 5.1 Tread Substrate Characteristics by Trail Segment 85 6.1 Integrated Approach to Backcountry Recreation Resource 153 Management List of Plates 4.1 Trailside vegetation Quadrat 73 4.2 Trail Tread Measurement 73 4.3 Locator Tag 74 4.4Control Quadrat 74 4.5 Using the Measuring Wheel 75 6.1 Berg Lake Trail Widening 116 6.2 Mt. Fitzwilliam Trail 116 6.3 Change over time Muddy Sections (1974) 141 6.4 Change over time Muddy Sections (2003) 141 6.5 Change over time Soil Erosion (1974) 142 6.6 Change over time Soil Erosion (2003) 142 6.7 Change over time Durable Surfaces (1974) 143 6.8 Change over time Durable surfaces (2004) 143 7.1 Mt. Robson Provincial Park Gate 165 Vll Acknowledgements There are a number of people whose assistance and support should be acknowledged. First, my supervisor Sanjay Nepal provided vital guidance throughout the process. I enjoyed working with you and I will always remember the conversations on the road and in the backcountry. The members of my supervisory committee, John Shultis, for being a long-term mentor, friend and teacher since 1994, and Lito Arocena for reviewing the thesis and providing vital comments on the quantitative data and soils. The staff at the Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection in Prince George and at the park also provided background information and logistical support. The National Science and Engineering Research Council funded this work. I would also like to thank the founders of Mount Robson Provincial Park (the second park in BC) for their forethought in conserving the area for future generations to enjoy, and study. Lastly, I would like to thank my wife Laura, for initially supporting my decision to return to university and her continuous support throughout the process. Vlll Chapter 1 Introduction On July 31, 1913 Conrad Kain, William Foster, and Albert McCarthy stood atop Mt. Robson, the first to successfully climb the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (BC Parks, 1990). “Gentlemen, that is as far as I can take you” (Tanod 2003 pp.