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Recreation Site Monitoring Toolbox

This toolbox provides an overview of recreation site monitoring in wilderness areas. It features the FS 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge and FS Rapid Assessment protocols, but it includes examples of monitoring programs, protocols, and references for all agencies. In addition to the resources provided here, you may also be able to obtain advice and recommendations through discussion on Wilderness Connect. Date of last update: 11/21/11.

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Introduction
The Wilderness Act does not specifically mention recreation sites or monitoring but it does indicate that wilderness areas are "...for the use and enjoyment of the American people..." and they offer "...outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation..." in settings where wilderness character is preserved and natural conditions protected. Recreation site monitoring and the necessary management of recreation sites help ensure that opportunities for wilderness experiences are preserved while adverse impacts to the biophysical components of the wilderness resource as well as wilderness experiences themselves are minimized.

Recreation site monitoring, most often applied to campsites, is the systematic collection and evaluation of site inventory and condition data to establish a baseline and/or identify changes and trends over time. This information is used for visitor use management and resource protection and help managers prioritize wilderness ranger assignments and project work. The primary purpose of recreation site monitoring in wilderness is to provide essential information for identifying and minimizing the biophysical and social impacts of these sites.

Policy

FS
1. FSM 2323. 11-14
2. Wilderness Stewardship Desk Guide

FS 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

Guidelines

Examples of Recreation Site Monitoring Programs

Bob Marshall Campsite Inventory Form - Long
Campsite Inventory Form
Cloud Peak Wilderness
1. Campsite Inventory Form
2. Fuelwood Inventory Form
Daniel Boone NF
1. Campsite Monitoring Manual
2. User Trail Census Manual
Dixie NF
1. Wilderness Campsite Monitoring Manual
2. Ashdown Gorge Wild Campsite Inventory Spreadsheet
3. Monitoring Data Dictionary for Trimble GPS, Note: Once extracted, open ddf file using Pathfinder Office
Eagle Cap Wilderness
FS Alaska Campsite Definitions and Protocols
FS Region 2 Rapid Assessment
Glacier NP Backcountry Campground Evaluations
Rocky Mountain National Park
San Juan NF
Sawtooth Wilderness Campsite Restoration Project Monitoring
1. 2002
2. 2003
Sierra and Inyo NFs

References

Other Relevant Toolboxes
1. Monitoring Plan Toolbox
Selected Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute Publications:
1. Cole, D. N. 1989. Wilderness Campsite Monitoring Methods: A Sourcebook. Gen. Tech. Rpt. INT-259. Ogden UT: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station 60p.
2. Cole, D. N. 1989. Area of Vegetation Loss: A New Index of Campsite Impact. Res. Note INT-389. Ogden, UT: USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station 51p.
Hall, T. E. and Farrell, T. A. 2001. Fuelwood Depletion at Wilderness Campsites: Extent and Potential Ecosystem Significance. Ecosystem Conservation, 28(3):241-247.
Developing a Natural Resource Inventory and Monitoring Program for Visitor Impacts on Recreation Sites: A Procedural Manual, Marion, Jeffrey, Natural resources Report NPS/NRVT/NRR-91/06, October 1991
1. Appendix and References