Recent research has emphasized the need to professionally manage campsites for long-term use, particularly in light of rising visitation to natural protected areas worldwide. Camping regulations vary considerably along the length of any long-distance trail due to the many land types and management agencies involved. Large proportions of long-distance trails have at-large camping policies, resulting in camping problems associated with visitor-chosen or developed campsites. Several long-term monitoring studies in areas with at-large camping policies indicate the expansion and proliferation of individual campsites, and growth of overall camping related impacts, to be a substantial managerial concern.
This research evaluates the relative influence of environmental and topographic factors, both collected in the field and modeled in GIS using high-resolution topography (LiDAR) data, on areal measures of campsite impact utilizing Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) penalized regression for factor selection and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) for regressions. Chosen variables in regressions explained 64% of the variation in campsite size and 61% of the variation in the area of vegetation loss on a campsite. Results indicate four variables managers can utilize to enhance the sustainability of campsites: use level, overnight site type, and terrain characteristics relating to slope and topographic roughness. Results support indirect management methods that rely on the design and location of campsites and trails and not the effectiveness of enforcement or restricting visitor freedom. In the face of rising use, techniques and concepts presented aid in identifying or creating ecologically sustainable campsites. / Master of Science / Many land management agencies, both in the U.S. and internationally, have dual, competing objectives related to the sustainability of recreation: one to protect the quality of natural resources and one to provide for recreational access and experiences. Increasing visitation has the potential to negatively impact natural resources and threaten the quality of visitors’ experiences on public lands. The majority of recreation impacts occur as a result of visitors spending time on or near recreation sites (e.g. campsites or vistas) or visitors traveling between these recreation sites on trail corridors. A widely accepted and practiced key strategy for managing trail systems is containing use to a sustainably designed and managed formal trail system. Campsites are also key infrastructure for recreational uses, however many protected areas have an inventory of campsites that are mostly visitor selected and created, and are excessively large due to site expansion and present in excessive numbers due to site proliferation.
While the practice of closing undesirable campsites is common in many managed areas, emphasis on actively shifting use to campsites selected or designed for sustainability has been largely ignored. Study objectives were to identify which use-related, environmental, and managerial factors significantly contribute to limiting areal impacts on campsites and to understand the relative influence of each. Field collected data of a 10% sample of campsites along the Appalachian Trail were used in conjunction with data generated using high-resolution elevation data to look at which characteristics relate to areal impacts using multiple regression. Chosen variables in regressions explained 64% of the variation in campsite size and 61% of the variation in the area of vegetation loss on a campsite. Results indicate four variables managers can utilize to enhance the sustainability of campsites: use level, overnight site type, and terrain characteristics relating to slope and topographic roughness. Results support indirect management methods that rely on the design and location of campsites and trails and not the effectiveness of enforcement or restricting visitor freedom. Techniques and concepts presented aid in identifying and creating ecologically sustainable campsites.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/84341 |
| Date | 23 July 2018 |
| Creators | Arredondo, Johanna Rochelle |
| Contributors | Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Marion, Jeffrey L., Wimpey, Jeremy F., Carstensen, Laurence W. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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