Thank you for these lovely reflections. Might you be able to share sources re: trail building and its impacts? I told a friend of mine about this newsletter of yours and she was very curious. It would be helpful for her, and other friends of mine, working locally in ecological restoration. Thank you kindly for any further reading.
Hi Anna, this is from my friend who works in conservation. Hoping it will copy in here correctly!
In 2017, Metro Parks and Nature in Portland Oregon published an extensive review of the impact of trails on wildlife and ecology. Some of the key findings around mountain bike use included:
· “Hikers disturb wildlife, with increased effects when talking or stopping to view or photograph wildlife. Fast-moving trail users such as mountain bikers and trail runners are particularly disturbing to wildlife due to the element of surprise.”
· “For trails, the most significant damage usually occurs when a trail is first built, although higher levels of recreational use cause additional damage. For wildlife, negative effects tend to grow stronger with increased trail use.”
· “The physical impacts from formal (planned) trail construction and use are typically limited to a relatively narrow corridor. In contrast, when people use trails the disturbance effects on wildlife may extend hundreds of meters from the trail into natural areas.”
Trails can create ‘edges’ which, while may appear small in the case of bike trails; these are corridors for invasive species. This is not the introduction of seeds of invasive plants but also pathogens that kill trees and cause deadly fungus. The ‘edges’ created by trail can cause avoidance zones for birds and other sensitive species that extend far beyond the actual area of the trail.
There is no shortage of literature looking at the topic of the negative impacts of recreation on wildlife.
· A review of 69 papers from 1978 to 2010 found that 61 of those papers (88%) found negative impacts from non-motorized recreation on bird ecology, including changes in bird physiology, changes in abundance and a decline in reproductive success (Steven, 2011).
· Another study looking at the territories of male Golden-cheeked Warblers showed nest success in biking sites was a third when compared non-biking sites. Nest abandonment was three times greater in biking areas than non-biking areas and nest predation was more than 3 times greater in biking sites than non-biking sites (Davis, 2010).
· A study in Connecticut showed that a stable wood turtle population completely disappeared within 10 years of opening the area to hiking and fishing. (Garber, 1995)
· Comparisons of protected areas with and without recreation in parks in California showed nonmotorized, quiet recreation led to a five‐fold decline in the density of native carnivores and a “substantial shift in community composition from native to nonnative species” (Reed, 2008).
RReferences:
Craig A. Davis, David M. Leslie, W. David Walter, Allen E. Graber; Mountain Biking Trail Use Affects Reproductive Success of Nesting Golden-Cheeked Warblers. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 1 September 2010; 122 (3): 465–474. doi: https://doi.org/10.1676/09-184.1
Garber, S.D. and J. Burger, A 20-year study documenting the relationship between turtle decline and human recreation. Ecological Applications. 1995. 5(4): p. 1151-1162.
Hennings, L. Hiking, mountain biking and equestrian use in natural areas: a recreation ecology literature review, Sept. 2017
Larson CL, Reed SE, Merenlender AM, Crooks KR (2016) Effects of Recreation on Animals Revealed as Widespread through a Global Systematic Review. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167259. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167259
Reed, S.E. and Merenlender, A.M. (2008), Quiet, Nonconsumptive Recreation Reduces Protected Area Effectiveness. Conservation Letters, 1: 146-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00019.x
Steven R, Pickering C, Guy Castley J. A review of the impacts of nature based recreation on birds. J Environ Manage. 2011 Oct;92(10):2287-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.05.005. Epub 2011 Jun 2. PMID: 21640470.
Thank you, Karen for sharing your thoughts on balance, healing & doing damage, which we don't always realize we're doing, & of course, your incredibly beautiful photos. You give to me much to ponder.
My undergrad studies were in environmental policy, and we discussed at great lengths how humans impact the environment and the environment is forced to adjust. There were two points I always felt most attuned to.
1. Environments are designed to rebalance themselves in the midst of change. Nature isn't some careful, delicate balancing act like we often think. It swings wildly out of whack all the time, and then it shifts small things to bring back the right critters for the right nutrients.
2. Humans impact nature, but we also ARE nature. We're part of the whole thing, everywhere we go. The mountain bikers are nature, and you, the wildlife advocate, are too. We create things, we trash things, we build, we restore, we steward, we invent.
So today I can say I am so grateful for nature's gift of you and your vision and that you share it with us.
“I can feel the sincerity of his words and I feel the healing energy as it penetrates my being. We can all do harm, but we can all heal too, regardless of our place in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps this is the balance I am looking for.” ❤️❤️❤️
Deep thanks, Karen. For the amazing photo of the pileated woodpecker. For your thoughts and your words. For the fisherman's blessings that you shared with us, and with other beings. For the inspiration I derive from each of your posts. May you have a blessed day, too!
I live in (very) rural northern New Mexico where ATVs are a way of transportation for farmers (and hunters...). Plus, kids who don't have driver's licenses yet chase each other up and down the mesas, without any regard for the destruction they cause. It's annoying and sad. But thank you, as always, for your beautiful photographs and the deeply felt words.
Thank you Antonia. Yes, I had not realized it was even happening - or that it was so destructive. It was so disheartening to look at their FB page and see photos of, well, bro's.
"a loon swimming out beyond the buoys. I watch the ring-billed gulls diving for fish. I watch three eastern phoebes chasing each other around, vying"... you write beautifully. thank you.
Hi Karen,
Thank you for these lovely reflections. Might you be able to share sources re: trail building and its impacts? I told a friend of mine about this newsletter of yours and she was very curious. It would be helpful for her, and other friends of mine, working locally in ecological restoration. Thank you kindly for any further reading.
Anna
Hi Anna, this is from my friend who works in conservation. Hoping it will copy in here correctly!
In 2017, Metro Parks and Nature in Portland Oregon published an extensive review of the impact of trails on wildlife and ecology. Some of the key findings around mountain bike use included:
· “Hikers disturb wildlife, with increased effects when talking or stopping to view or photograph wildlife. Fast-moving trail users such as mountain bikers and trail runners are particularly disturbing to wildlife due to the element of surprise.”
· “For trails, the most significant damage usually occurs when a trail is first built, although higher levels of recreational use cause additional damage. For wildlife, negative effects tend to grow stronger with increased trail use.”
· “The physical impacts from formal (planned) trail construction and use are typically limited to a relatively narrow corridor. In contrast, when people use trails the disturbance effects on wildlife may extend hundreds of meters from the trail into natural areas.”
Trails can create ‘edges’ which, while may appear small in the case of bike trails; these are corridors for invasive species. This is not the introduction of seeds of invasive plants but also pathogens that kill trees and cause deadly fungus. The ‘edges’ created by trail can cause avoidance zones for birds and other sensitive species that extend far beyond the actual area of the trail.
There is no shortage of literature looking at the topic of the negative impacts of recreation on wildlife.
· A review of 69 papers from 1978 to 2010 found that 61 of those papers (88%) found negative impacts from non-motorized recreation on bird ecology, including changes in bird physiology, changes in abundance and a decline in reproductive success (Steven, 2011).
· Another study looking at the territories of male Golden-cheeked Warblers showed nest success in biking sites was a third when compared non-biking sites. Nest abandonment was three times greater in biking areas than non-biking areas and nest predation was more than 3 times greater in biking sites than non-biking sites (Davis, 2010).
· A study in Connecticut showed that a stable wood turtle population completely disappeared within 10 years of opening the area to hiking and fishing. (Garber, 1995)
· Comparisons of protected areas with and without recreation in parks in California showed nonmotorized, quiet recreation led to a five‐fold decline in the density of native carnivores and a “substantial shift in community composition from native to nonnative species” (Reed, 2008).
RReferences:
Craig A. Davis, David M. Leslie, W. David Walter, Allen E. Graber; Mountain Biking Trail Use Affects Reproductive Success of Nesting Golden-Cheeked Warblers. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 1 September 2010; 122 (3): 465–474. doi: https://doi.org/10.1676/09-184.1
Garber, S.D. and J. Burger, A 20-year study documenting the relationship between turtle decline and human recreation. Ecological Applications. 1995. 5(4): p. 1151-1162.
Hennings, L. Hiking, mountain biking and equestrian use in natural areas: a recreation ecology literature review, Sept. 2017
Larson CL, Reed SE, Merenlender AM, Crooks KR (2016) Effects of Recreation on Animals Revealed as Widespread through a Global Systematic Review. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167259. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167259
Reed, S.E. and Merenlender, A.M. (2008), Quiet, Nonconsumptive Recreation Reduces Protected Area Effectiveness. Conservation Letters, 1: 146-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00019.x
Steven R, Pickering C, Guy Castley J. A review of the impacts of nature based recreation on birds. J Environ Manage. 2011 Oct;92(10):2287-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.05.005. Epub 2011 Jun 2. PMID: 21640470.
Thank you, Karen for sharing your thoughts on balance, healing & doing damage, which we don't always realize we're doing, & of course, your incredibly beautiful photos. You give to me much to ponder.
Thank you Cheryl
Thoughtful and beautifully written, Karen! Your words always give me a place to rest...
Thank you Ken, that’s the nicest compliment.
Fantastic photographs
Thank you George
My undergrad studies were in environmental policy, and we discussed at great lengths how humans impact the environment and the environment is forced to adjust. There were two points I always felt most attuned to.
1. Environments are designed to rebalance themselves in the midst of change. Nature isn't some careful, delicate balancing act like we often think. It swings wildly out of whack all the time, and then it shifts small things to bring back the right critters for the right nutrients.
2. Humans impact nature, but we also ARE nature. We're part of the whole thing, everywhere we go. The mountain bikers are nature, and you, the wildlife advocate, are too. We create things, we trash things, we build, we restore, we steward, we invent.
So today I can say I am so grateful for nature's gift of you and your vision and that you share it with us.
Thank you for offering me this perspective.
may you have a blessed day as well! thankyou for the salutations, the words and the amazing moments you held still
Thank you Natasha
I forgot how good that feels to bless each think that crosses your path. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks Chelsea
“I can feel the sincerity of his words and I feel the healing energy as it penetrates my being. We can all do harm, but we can all heal too, regardless of our place in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps this is the balance I am looking for.” ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks Kara
Deep thanks, Karen. For the amazing photo of the pileated woodpecker. For your thoughts and your words. For the fisherman's blessings that you shared with us, and with other beings. For the inspiration I derive from each of your posts. May you have a blessed day, too!
Thank you Jeanne
What a beautiful post this was.
And thank you for sharing it. :).
Thank you Olga
Thank you for this. I’m headed out for a walk and taking your idea of blessing all I meet with me.
Thank you Sara
I live in (very) rural northern New Mexico where ATVs are a way of transportation for farmers (and hunters...). Plus, kids who don't have driver's licenses yet chase each other up and down the mesas, without any regard for the destruction they cause. It's annoying and sad. But thank you, as always, for your beautiful photographs and the deeply felt words.
Sigh, yes, I can imagine. :( Thank you Jessica
Beautiful. And where I live, too, there has barely even been mention of the impact from hundreds of miles of mountain biking trails.
Thank you Antonia. Yes, I had not realized it was even happening - or that it was so destructive. It was so disheartening to look at their FB page and see photos of, well, bro's.
😕
This is the best writing and pictures Karen~ this was so heart felt and deep~ kindness matters and you spoke to us~ thank you ~ the world needs you❤️
Thank you Catherine
Beautifully written nature post with a strong dose of deep, penetrating thoughts. I really enjoyed this - and the photos!
Thank you Jim
My pleasure.
"a loon swimming out beyond the buoys. I watch the ring-billed gulls diving for fish. I watch three eastern phoebes chasing each other around, vying"... you write beautifully. thank you.
Thank you so much!