SEARCH
Search
STEP 1: LIMIT results to these categories:
STEP 2: Return ONLY resources from:
Select multiple by holding down [control] or [command]
State:
User Type:
Resource Type:
posted Sep 8, 2018
by American Trails Staff
A trail’s area of influence should be planned and managed as an integral part of the trail. This influence zone should provide recreationists with meaningful interactions with nature, without infringing on sensitive habitat.
Protecting large, undisturbed areas of wildlife habitat should be a priority. Deciding whether or not to build a trail that may contribute to fragmentation is a tradeoff that the local community or land manager will have to make.
Looking at resources from a regional or landscape-wide perspective helps identify where trails should go and which areas should be conserved for wildlife.
The construction of a trail is just one impact on the habitat it passes through. The activities of visitors and the response of wildlife are also components of the long-term trail impacts.
Offering wildlife interpretation and environmental education to trail users can play an important role in reducing impacts to wildlife. People more readily protect what they understand and appreciate.
Any trail will have at least some impact on wildlife. Therefore, deciding whether the recreational value of a trail outweighs those impacts is a community choice, or in some cases, a legal question.
Many longer trails cross from one jurisdiction to another. This has ramifications for how the trail is planned and specifically how wildlife issues are considered.
By understanding the relative quality of riparian areas, it may be possible to find places within the riparian zone for trails that will have less impact on wildlife.
While some species (such as bald eagle and Ute ladies-tresses orchids) and habitats (such as wetlands) have legal status that must be respected in the process of trail building, others may deserve special attention because of the value placed on them by a local community.
Page 80 of 81
Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, Washington
Routed and painted wood sign; Arches National Monument, Moab, Utah
Sign helps users find trail beyond point of interest; Arches National Monument, Moab, Utah
See more photo results
Friends of Florida State Forests
Nature Bridges
Nordic Manufacturing Ltd.
See more business results
