Recreational Trails Have Negative Impact On Wildlife In Boulder's Open Space, Colorado State Researchers Show In Two-Year Study
Tuesday, November 26, 1996
FORT COLLINS--Recreational trails in Boulder's Open Space
and Mountain Parks area play a significant role in reducing
certain wildlife populations, according to a recent study led by
a pair of Colorado State University researchers.
The two-year study, conducted by Colorado State graduate
student Scott Miller and wildlife ecology professor Rick Knight,
documents for the first time the effects of recreation trails on
songbird populations and nest predation in Boulder's popular open
space areas.
The study also offers insight into how recreational trails
affect wildlife in general and where natural resource managers
should place recreational trails in the future, Knight said.
"Most people think outdoor activities are benign to wildlife
because they don't see any visible changes to the landscape,"
Knight said. "This research proves that wildlife is negatively
influenced by recreational trails."
Using a $30,000 grant from the city of Boulder, researchers
focused on songbird populations and nesting patterns along
portions of the 100 miles of open space recreational trails in
grassland and forest habitats.
Twenty species of songbirds were tracked during the summers
of 1994 and 1995, when songbirds nest and breed in open space
habitat. Researchers counted birds and nests along the trail and
at 50 yards and 100 yards from the trail. The study also measured
bird populations 300 yards from the trails, where habitat is free
from people or urban development.
The study concluded that bird populations rose with
increased distance from the trails. For example, the chance of
seeing a western wood-pewee or a western meadowlark was five
times greater 100 yards away from a recreational trail than along
a trail. Sightings of mountain chickadee and pygmy nuthatch were
three times higher 100 yards away from a recreational trail.
One exception was the American robin, where populations were
larger along the trail than away from them. For example, the
chance of seeing an American robin were three times greater along
the trail than 100 yards away. Miller and Knight believe the
higher American robin populations along the trail indicates the
bird's dramatic adaptation to humans.
The study also found fewer birds nesting along trails. Birds
that did nest along the trails had a lower chance of survival
than birds with nests farther away from the trail, which may be
due to songbird predators such as skunks and raccoons using the
trails to hunt for food.
"Not only are songbird populations depressed along the
trails, but there are fewer nests and a greater risk of nest
predation," Knight said. "In the future, natural resource
managers might want to be more proactive when considering where
to put recreational trails in open space areas."
Knight has studied the effects of recreational trails on
wildlife for 20 years and recently co-edited a book, "Wildlife
and Recreationists: Coexistence through Management and Research."
Boulder city officials said the study will help guide future
decisions on where recreational trails should be located.
"This was groundbreaking research," said Clint Miller,
wildlife biologist for the city of Boulder. "We suspected that
recreation had some impact on wildlife, but for the first time we
have hard data to confirm our suspicions. I hope this study will
help more people become cognizant of their impact on nature."
With a growing number of visitors each year, placement and
use of recreational trails will become increasingly important,
Miller said. More than 3 million visits are tallied at Boulder's
32,000 acres of open space each year--the same number of visits
as Rocky Mountain National Park, which is eight times larger in
size.
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