Boulder Creek, MountThielsen, and Rogue Umpqua Divide Wilderness Education Plan

Umpqua, Deschutes, Fremont-Winema,

and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests - 2008

FishLake from Rocky Rim Trail

Prepared by: Lori Depew______

Umpqua Wilderness Coordinator

Reviewed by: Derek Ibarguen, DiamondLake RD__ Roshanna Stone, Tiller RD_

Marvin Lang, Deschutes NF______Faith Brown, Chemult RD__

John Borton, Rogue River-Siskyou NF Kerwin Dewberry, Prospect RD

Approved by: _Scott D. Conroy______7/22/08______

RogueRiver-SiskiyouForest SupervisorDate

_John Allen______8/22/08______

DeschutesForest SupervisorDate

_J.Richard Newton______8/15/08______

Fremont-WinemaDeputyForest SupervisorDate

_Cliff Dils______7/16/08______

UmpquaForest SupervisorDate

Background

The Oregon Wilderness Bill, signed in to law on June 26, 1984 established the Boulder Creek, Mt.Thielsen, and Rogue Umpqua Divide Wildernesses. The Umpqua is the lead Forest for planning purposes and wilderness management plans were included in the 1990 UmpquaNationalForestLand and Resource Management Plan as appendices. The plans provide broad direction under which specific action plans are developed. Communication and education are identified as key tools in gaining support for wilderness management objectives.

A variety of education efforts have been conducted by wilderness managers since wilderness designation and include:

  • School and campground amphitheater programs.
  • Public field trips to discuss management issues.
  • “Share the Shoreline” signs posted at popular lakes.
  • Cooperation with horse groups to recommend suitable horse camp areas.
  • On the ground ranger contacts.
  • Development of wilderness regulation posters for trailheads.
  • Development of a new wilderness map with key messages.

The Chief’s 10-Year Wilderness Stewardship Challenge

The 10-year challenge has set a goal of bringing all wildernesses to a minimum stewardship level by 2014, the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. One of the 10 elements of the challenge is the implementation of priority actions identified in a wilderness education plan.

Goals and Objectives

This education plan is a tool for identifying issues, assigning action items and tracking accomplishments related to the education of wilderness visitors. The desired outcome includes these objectives:

  • Existing and potential visitors have a better appreciation for the importance and protection of the wilderness resource.
  • There are reduced impacts from camping, day use, and stock use.
  • Users and others will understand the value of wilderness beyond recreation.

The Wilderness Resource

Boulder Creekis a 19,100 acre watershed wilderness encompassing a tributary of the NorthUmpquaRiver. Boulder Creek is an important spawning stream for anadromous fish, and a variety of unique geologic formations, wildlife and plants can be found in this rugged drainage. Trail maintenance remains a struggle since wildfires in 1996 and resulting blow down of large trees. Visitor use is low and concentrated on the lower end of the drainage.

Mt.Thielsenis a High Cascade wilderness, with 54,300 acres located on the Umpqua, Winema, and Deschutes. Thirty miles of the Pacific Crest Trail traverse the high elevation forest and scrambling to the top of 9,182 foot Mt.Thielsen is a popular challenge withrewarding views. Volcanic geology and glacial history is present in a myriad of forms. Maidu and Lucille are the only lakes in the area and are summer destinations for campers. The North Umpqua, Deschutes, and Klamath rivers originate in this wilderness. While there are over 70 miles of trails accessing the area, there are many off-trail exploration opportunities. Approximately 23,000 acres of the Winema portion is trail less and managed as pristine.

Rogue Umpqua Dividestraddles an older mountain range, the Western Cascades. Dense conifer forest gives way to a mosaic of big trees and sub-alpine meadows in the higher elevations, with interesting geologic formations and plant diversity. Water is abundant in streams and a handful of lakes. Over 100 miles of trails access this 33,200 acre wilderness, providing loop opportunities and ridge top vistas. The majority of visitor use is in to Fish, Buckeye, and Cliff lakes during the summer, changing to higher elevations during fall hunting seasons.

Issues

Wilderness management issues are varied and include past land management practices, illegal activities, lack of awareness of regulations, biophysicalvisitor use impacts, and social conflicts.

Intentional illegal activities are areal concern, but usually are unpredictable and need to be addressed with law enforcement, not education.

In all three wildernesses there are occasional motorized and mechanized trespasses, illegal outfitter guide activity, hunting and fishing violations, heritage resource damage, over-size groups, campfires during restricted times, user created trails, etc. When these violations occur due to a lack of awareness of wilderness regulations, education can change people’s behaviors and lead to understanding of wilderness values and reduced impacts.

In all three wildernesses there are popular areas where evidence of poor camping ethics is visible: human waste, litter, vegetation damage and mortality, multiple fire rings, poor stock handling, location of campsites next to water, etc. Some of these campsites exceed standards and guidelines for resource impacts and action is needed to bring them back within the “Limits of Acceptable Change” established by the wilderness plan. Education is one tool to reverse these negative impacts.

In the Mt.Thielsen and Rogue Umpqua Divide wildernesses, social standards are often exceeded on holidays and other weekends. Monitoring during patrols is not based on statistical sampling, but findings are within standards and guidelines (80% probability of meeting party size, trail encounters and campsite density standards). Recentresearch on social crowding and solitude in northwest wildernesses suggests that visitors are more supportive of use limits if the rationale for limits is protection of the environment rather than protection of experiences. Social indicators will continue to be monitored, but have not triggered the need for management action at this time.

Priority Issues

The priority issues identified for the Boulder Creek, Mt.Thielsen, and Rogue Umpqua Divide Wildernesses can be lumped into these categories:

  • Awareness of wilderness regulations
  • Campsite impacts and awareness of Leave No Trace practices

Lack of Wilderness awareness and wilderness regulations:

Visitors are often unaware of the significance of congressional wilderness designation and the values associated with that designation. They are often unaware of use and occupancy regulations that are designed to protect wilderness resources and visitors experiences. Violations lead to citations, warnings, unwanted ranger contacts, as well as impacts to wilderness characterand degradation of social and biophysical environments.

Campsite impacts and lack of awareness of Leave No Trace practices:

Heavily impacted campsites in popular areas exceed standards and guidelines for distance to water, vegetation loss, and tree damage. Other evidence of resource degradation includes litter, human waste, multiple campfires, poor stock handling, caching personal property, etc. These poor camping ethics affect other visitors’ experiences and result in additional costs for rangers to pack out litter, naturalize campsites, and close areas for planting and rehabilitation.

Key Target Audiences:

  • Overnight backpackers
  • Stock users
  • Hunters and anglers
  • Organized groups (schools, churches, scouts)
  • Volunteers and partners

ISSUE / TARGET AUDIENCE / KEY MESSAGE / DELIVERY METHODS
Non-compliance with Wilderness Regulations / All /
  • Special regulations apply in Wilderness. Know these regulations before you go.
  • Legal consequences (fines)
  • Reasons for regulations
/
  • Regulation posters at trailheads and Forest Service offices
  • Regulation information on wilderness map, internet, and recreation guides
  • Field contacts
  • Outreach to organized groups, ODF&W (hunter and angler brochures), appropriate local events and fairs

Campsite Impacts / All /
  • LNT practices
  • Awareness of Wilderness ethics and stewardship
/
  • Provide LNT Information at trailheads and Forest Service offices
  • LNT information on wilderness map, internet, and recreation guides
  • Field contacts
  • LNT and Wilderness Awareness presentations

Implementation of priorities depends on funding each year. When budgets don’t allow for hiring wilderness rangers, trailhead monitoring and field contacts may be accomplished by other recreation and/or trail maintenance personnel, but will not be as frequent or routine. Since issues emerge and change over time, the following table will be reviewed and revised as needed.

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Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Issue / Action Item / Responsibility / Target Date / Completion
Date / Monitoring Results / Evaluation Results
Non compliance with wilderness regulations / Post trailheads / Wild Rangers (or Manager if no Ranger) / 5/15 / XX% of Trailheads
Check/update internet, recreation guides, office displays / Wild Manager / 5/15 / XX Info sources checked
Field contacts / Wild Rangers / Ongoing / XX Contacts
Regulation Compliance / Wild Rangers / Ongoing / XX Violations / # camps in compliance
Outreach to groups or events / Wild Managers and Rangers / As opportunities arise / XX Presentations
Campsite impacts / Provide bags and/or LNT info at trailheads / Wild Rangers (or Manager if no Ranger) / Ongoing / XX% of Trailheads
Check/update internet, recreation guides, office displays / Wild Manager / 5/15 / XX Info sources checked
Field contacts / Wild Rangers / Ongoing / XX Contacts / # camps needing naturalized
Outreach to groups or events / Wild Managers and Rangers / Ongoing / XX Presentations or field trips

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References:

Wilderness Act of 1964

The foundation of wilderness education can be found in the 1964 Wilderness Act. The Act states:

“there is hereby established a National Wilderness Preservation System to be composed of federally owned areas designated by Congress as ‘wilderness areas,’ and these shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness and so to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their wilderness character; and for the gathering and dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness.”

National Strategy

In 1991, a National Strategic Plan for Wilderness Education was developed. This plan states that the Forest Service is at the forefront of Wilderness management and uses education as a primary management tool. The Wilderness education program exemplifies the Agency’s role as a wise steward of wild lands and will fulfill the Forest Service’s mandate to preserve Wilderness quality. A high quality, fully supported wilderness education program, targeted both within the agency and at our publics, will:

  • Foster knowledge and understanding of wilderness values.
  • Influence behavioral changes that promote the preservation of wilderness quality.
  • Instill and strengthen a wilderness ethic that results in informed decision making.
  • Carry wilderness values to those who do not experience wilderness through visitation.
  • Create a constituency, which supports Forest Service wilderness management.

Forest Service Manual Direction 2323.12(2) - Policy

Use information, interpretation, and education as the primary tools for management of wilderness visitors.

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