A Comparison of Sampling Designs for Monitoring Recreational Trail Impacts in Rocky Mountain National Park |
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Authors: | David Pettebone Peter Newman David Theobald |
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Institution: | (1) Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 129 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;(2) Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, 233 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;(3) Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Colorado State University, 245 Forestry Building, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA |
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Abstract: | The dual goals of the Organic Act of 1916 and Wilderness Act of 1964 are to protect natural resources and provide quality
visitor experiences. Park managers need metrics of trail conditions to protect park resources and quality of visitor experiences.
A few methods of sampling design for trails have been developed. Here, we describe a relatively new method, spatially balanced
sampling, and compare it to systematic sampling. We evaluated the efficiency of sampling designs to measure recreation-related
impacts in Rocky Mountain National Park. This study addressed two objectives: first, it compared estimates of trail conditions
from data collected from systematic versus spatially balanced sampling data; second, it examined the relationship between
sampling precision and sampling efficiency. No statistically significant differences in trail condition were found between
the 100-m interval and the spatially balanced datasets. The spatially balanced probability-based dataset was found to be a
good estimate of trail conditions when analyses were conducted with fewer sample points. Moreover, spatially balanced probability-based
sampling is flexible and allows additional sample points to be added to a sample. |
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Keywords: | Trail impacts Trail condition sampling Geographic Information Systems Recreation Rocky Mountain National Park Spatially balanced sampling |
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