Evaluating Effectiveness of Visitor Use Management
by The Interagency Visitor Use Management Council
Visitor use management is fundamental for maximizing benefits for visitors while
protecting resources and high-quality visitor experiences on federally managed lands
and waters. Monitoring is an essential part of managing visitor use, as it provides
feedback for managers to evaluate the effectiveness of management actions in
achieving and maintaining desired conditions. Monitoring is the process of routinely
and systematically gathering information or making observations to assess the status
of specific resource conditions and visitor experiences.
This monitoring guidebook, in combination with the “Visitor Use Management
Framework,” is intended to (1) help managers select a focused set of indicators
and establish triggers, thresholds, and objectives that are relevant, cost effective, and tied to achieving and maintaining desired conditions; (2) develop a monitoring strategy to routinely and systematically collect data to assess any changes in conditions over time; and (3) use the data collected to assess whether
changes in management actions are needed. Indicators, triggers, thresholds, and
objectives should provide useful information to inform decisions about visitor use
management, and a monitoring strategy should be designed so that a consistent
effort to gather information can be sustained over time. As in the framework, the
sliding scale of analysis is discussed throughout this monitoring guidebook to ensure
the investment of time, money, and other resources for a project is commensurate
with the complexity of the project and the consequences of the decision. This
guidebook expands on the framework and is intended to be adaptable to
different agencies’ regulations and policies, as well as different project scales or
analysis areas.
Published June 2019
The Interagency Visitor Use Management Council consists of representatives from each agency:
Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Technical advisors from the six agencies - as well as from the U.S. Geologic Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior - also contribute to the activities of the council.
TRAILS SAFE PASSING PLAN: STOP, SPEAK, and STAND BACK
posted Feb 14, 2023
Horses are prey animals and naturally can be afraid of unfamiliar people and objects. Horses have natural "flight“ survival instincts and prefer to move their feet towards an exit route. Therefore, people with horses should pass at a walk while other trail users remain STOPPED until passed.
ORV – Social & Management Issues
posted Jul 15, 2022
Off-road vehicles can have a substantial impact on the experience of other non-motorized visitors on trails that are shared or even on adjacent forest or park settings.
Informal and Formal Trail Monitoring Protocols and Baseline Conditions
posted Jul 15, 2022
This research developed and applied state-of-the-art trail condition assessment and monitoring procedures and applied them to the park’s formal and informal (visitor-created) trails.
posted Jul 15, 2022
This research investigates horse trail impacts to gain an improved understanding of the relationship between various levels of horse use, horse trail management alternatives, and subsequent horse trail degradation.
