Contact: Marvin Lang, Deschutes National Forest, Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon
Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon
Background: The Three SistersWilderness (TSW), a 283,402 acre designated wilderness, is located on both sides of the Cascade Mountain range. There are 92,706 acres of the TSW on the Deschutes National Forest. There are 260 miles of trails, including 66 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. The Bend Fort Rock Ranger District manages approximately 62,000 acres of the above total. This area receives approximately 28,000 visits each year, 85% of which is day use. Of the 28,000 visits, 18,000 of them occur within 2 key basins. As expected, most of the challenges occur in this area as well. The following is specific to the Green and Moraine Lakes basins unless otherwise noted.
Impact type: campsite impacts
Strategies: designated campsites and a campfire ban in part of the Wilderness, campsite monitoring, campsite rehabilitation, wilderness education
What we did:
Designated campsites have been in effect for 10 years. Campsites were kept that meet social standards (from LAC) and on-the ground-standards (sight and sound). A sign at each campsite portraying the tent symbol identifies designated campsites. Campsites are visually and spatially separated with a setback away from water. Campsites that were selected by managers for continued use are hardened sites. Managers expected them grow in size with designation and they did grow.
There is a wilderness-wide regulation of no campfires within 100 feet of water, trails and shelters. In addition, no campfires are allowed within a designated area around the lakes in this area but stoves are allowed. Green, Moraine, and South Mathieu Lakes are the only areas within the Three Sisters Wilderness that have designated campsites and a campfire ban.
Self-issuing permits are required at trailheads. Wilderness rangers ask to see the permits.
There is a leash law with a $200 fine for noncompliance within the restricted area zone around Green and Moraine Lakes.
Why we did it?
The Three Sisters Wilderness contains two popular destination areas—Green Lakes and Moraine Lake. Two- thirds of visitor use on the eastern side of the Three Sisters Wilderness occurs here. Approximately 18,000 people per season visit the area. In a ten-year period, visitor use doubled in Green Lakes and quadrupled into Moraine Lake, although use has dropped in recent years with less overnight use. Scenery and easy access attract visitors to Green Lakes. Moraine Lake is scenic and a stopover for climbers to South Sisters Peak.
How well did it work?
Designating campsites has worked. All other campsites have been rehabilitated and are looking better.
There is approximately 80% compliance for self issued permits. Through the permit process, there is good data on visitor use dating back to the early 1990’s that continues today.
A leash law was implemented two years ago and compliance is approximately 50% (optimistically).
Since 1990 there has been a “Host” at the Green Lakes trailhead with coverage 7 days per week from July through September. self-issued permit compliance is about 80-90% due to educational efforts by the hosts. Students comprise a pool for trailhead host positions. In turn, students receive academic credit by fulfilling a 75-hour requirement. Hosts also conduct visitor education on day hikes in the area.
How did you evaluate it?
Through LAC monitoring. What we are seeing is what we expected. The rehabilitated campsites are restored and there is a good wilderness ranger presence to educate visitors. There is a zoned boundary where visitors can camp approximately 1/4 mile away if designated sites are filled. Physical features serve to screen these campsites from the view of other visitors.
Through information and education efforts regarding campsite designations, there are only about 6-12 citations issued annually for violations. As budgets decrease there will be less of a “uniformed, ranger presence” who can issue citations and a greater dependence on volunteers to provide visitor information and education.
Adjacent areas are not heavily used. For example, areas located one mile away only receive 20% of the total visitor use to the eastern side of the Three Sisters Wilderness, or roughly 1,000 to 10,000 visitors.
The first wilderness ranger in the area in 1964 participated in a Forest Service sponsored focus group in the early 1990’s and he states that both overnight camping and day use regulations have improved the biophysical and social conditions of the Three Sisters Wilderness.
What level of public acceptance?
People have to get used to the proposed changes. In the early 1990s, an environmental analysis was done. A Forest Service sponsored focus group was formed with interested individuals who met monthly for a year. They came to consensus on management strategies for the Green Lakes Basin. There was a lot of media coverage of these efforts and it was a smooth public process.
What did NOT work?
With designated campsites, sanitation is an issue but it has always been an issue. Sites are too far apart to put in outhouses that visitors would actually use. The only privacy is behind mature clumps of Hemlock and that’s where people deposit human waste. People are burying their waste but visible toilet paper is a problem. Garbage bags are available at the trailhead to carry out toilet paper but there has been minimal success. Rangers are picking up toilet paper and re-burying human waste that was improperly disposed of.
Leash law compliance is only 50%, at best.
What would you do differently next time?
Managers in the area would be further ahead if a limited entry policy had been implemented in 1995. The forest supervisor at the time did not want to implement this strategy. If there was a permit system with limited entry, there might be better-informed clientele who behave better. With limited entry, there could be fewer regulations since there would be fewer visitors.
Any unexpected effects?
Liability Considerations: What if a hazard tree comes down in a designated campsite and results in injury or death? Will the Forest Service be held liable since visitors were forced to camp here? Continued efforts are in place to monitor the stability of dead trees adjacent to designated campsites.
Contacts—for further information and resources
Marvin Lang, Recreation Forester
Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon, Deschutes National Forest, Bend/Fort Rock Ranger District
E-mail:
Phone: 541-383-4793.
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