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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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