Non-motorized Recreation (Snow-free): Alpine/Tundra, Forest, and Grasslands
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Introduction
- The following results, desired behaviours, indicators, and limits apply in addition
to any relevant policies or regulations; for example, area-based closures and existing statutes.
- Concerns are ranked according to the potential
risk to wildlife and their habitats, where “potential” is
defined as the probability that the activity will result in either the alteration or
destruction of habitat, or the temporary or permanent abandonment of habitat, in the absence
of guidelines or statutes.
- Non-motorized activities are defined as hiking, mountain-biking, horse-back riding, camping,
caving, climbing or other non-motorized recreational activities in the backcountry that occurs
during the snow-free season.
- Guidelines are summarized by:
- Results – What the guidelines are attempting to achieve.
- Desired Behaviours – Actions by users that are most likely to
achieve the specified results.
- Indicators – What should be measured to determine if the specified
results are being achieved.
- Limits – Acceptable bounds related to the measured indicator.
- Results and Desired Behaviours are identified for low-risk issues.
- Results, Desired Behaviours, Indicators and Limits are
identified for high-risk issues.
- NOTE: These guidelines have been produced as a means of ensuring that environmental values and
tourism recreational activities can co-exist on the landscape. Tourism operators may find these
guidelines useful and choose to adopt them. However, if a licensee chooses to use a different strategy,
and it is accepted by government, the licensee must undertake an effectiveness monitoring program. The
Tenure Management Plan must reflect a commitment to the monitoring program, and opportunities
to partner with government may be explored.
- Safety remains the first priority under all circumstances.
1. Degradation of Soil, Air, and Water Quality
Concern: Water pollution
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
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- Pack out all garbage.
- Use existing facilities for human waste, pack it out, or bury it in holes 10 to 15 cm
deep located at least 100 m from water sources (use group latrines minimum 30 cm deep for
parties of more than 4 persons).
- Use existing bridges and structures to cross streams, or cross at right angles away from
spawning areas where the substrate particle size is cobble or larger, including bedrock.
- Minimize use of pesticides and herbicides near waterways.
- Use biodegradable cleaning products.
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Concern: Soil compaction and erosion
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Minimize soil compaction off established trails.
- Minimize erosion associated with trails.
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- Use existing roads and trails where they exist.
- Avoid traveling on existing trails that show evidence of erosion.
- Avoid widening existing trails.
- Use rock and gravel trails where possible.
- Avoid poorly placed trails (e.g., steep grades with soft substrates).
- Where no trails exist, travel on rock or other durable surfaces or disperse use and avoid areas
where impacts are evident.
- Avoid off-trail muddy conditions.
- Obey all signs and area closures.
- Use designated campsites and/or existing intensive-use sites where they exist, or use rock or
durable surfaces for camping.
- Minimize campfires and use only established fire rings.
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- Existing path widths.
- Trail braiding.
- Evidence of erosion associated with existing trails.
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- No net increase in trail density caused by non-motorized activities.
- No net increase in existing trail widths caused by non-motorized activities.
- No erosion near waterways or in
sensitive sites caused by non-motorized activities.
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Concern: Bank erosion and siltation
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Protect living and non-living substrates.
- Minimize bank erosion.
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- Use existing bridges and structures to cross streams, or cross at right angles away
from spawning areas where the substrate is particle size is cobble or larger or bedrock.
- Avoid existing trails that parallel streams and those that
show evidence of erosion.
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- Trail use near waterways.
- Evidence of siltation near crossings.
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- No net increase in trails near waterways or waterway crossings caused by non-motorized
activities.
- No evidence of persistent siltation near or downstream of crossings caused by
non-motorized activities.
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2. Integrity of Vegetation Communities
Concern: Invasive species
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Minimize spread of invasive plant species (weeds).
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- Use existing trails where possible.
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Learn to identify invasive plants
- Inspect clothing, equipment, pack animals and pets for plant parts
before and after activity.
- Incinerate or bag and dispose of collected plant parts.
- Obey all signs and area closures.
- Leave gates as you found them.
- Restrict use of areas with invasive plants to times of the year when spread is unlikely (i.e.,
the period from flowering to seed dispersal).
- Invasive plants should generally be cut at the ground rather than
pulled if pulling is likely to result in dispersal of seed.
- Pack-in invasive-plant-free feed for pack animals.
- Avoid grazing animals in infested areas.
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- Extent and frequency of invasive species occurrence within 5 m of existing trails.
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- No net increase in invasive species stem
densities caused by non-motorized activities.
- No net increase in spatial extent of current infestations caused by
non-motorized activities.
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Concern: Soil compaction
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Protect vegetative cover and root systems.
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- Use existing roads and wide trails where they exist.
- Avoid widening existing trails.
- Avoid off-trail muddy conditions
- Use rock and gravel trails where possible.
- Avoid traveling on existing trails that show evidence of erosion.
- Obey all signs and area closures.
- Use designated campsites and/or existing intensive-use sites
where they exist, or use rock or durable surfaces for camping.
- Minimize campfires and use only established fire rings.
- With the exception of invasive plants, do not pick or pull vegetation.
- Do not bury garbage, pack it out.
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- Existing path widths.
- Trail braiding.
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- No net increase in trail density caused by non-motorized activities.
- No net increase in existing trail widths caused by non-motorized activities.
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Concern: Damage to
sensitive sites
(Are these in my operating area?)
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Protect habitats of endangered wildlife species and ecosystems.
- Protect sensitive ecosystems (grasslands, alpine/tundra, and moist-soil
ecosystems such as riparian areas and wetlands).
- Protect nesting/calving sites.
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Learn to identify endangered species and ecosystems
within the operating area.
- Operate in a manner that is consistent with government’s approved
approach to recovery planning for species at risk.
- Use existing roads and trails.
- Avoid muddy conditions.
- Use rock and gravel trails where possible.
- Obey all signs and area closures.
- Do not break or trample vegetation in
riparian areas.
- Avoid known nesting/calving sites (seasonal closures might be necessary).
- Do not damage wildlife trees.
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- Damage to sensitive sites.
- Damage to vegetated alpine/tundra and grasslands beyond existing trail network.
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- No vegetation damage in
sensitive sites
or vegetated alpine/tundra and grasslands beyond existing trails caused by non-motorized
activities.
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3. Direct Disturbance of Wildlife
Concerns: Physiological and behavioural disruption, displacement
from preferred habitats; direct mortality, habituation/sensitization
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
Indicators |
Limits |
- Minimize physiological and behavioural disruption.
- Minimize changes in habitat use resulting from activities.
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- Record wildlife encounters, actions taken, and responses of animals.
- Remain on established trails where they exist.
- Obey all signs and area closures.
- Do not harass wildlife.
- Do not feed wildlife.
- Do not handle wildlife.
- Do not allow dogs to be at large and harass wildlife.
- Pack out all garbage.
- Yield to wildlife on trails and roads.
- Focus activities in areas and at times of the year when wildlife
are least likely to be disturbed (seasonal closures might be necessary).
- Remain still or retreat when animals are encountered and react to your presence.
- Stay at distances sufficient to prevent changes to the behaviour of animals
(at least 100 m in open areas is the default
for large mammals).
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- Proportion of encounters resulting in an alarm response (movement by animals,
usually to safer locations).
- Population abundance and distribution trends of wildlife species.
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- No increase in rate of
alarm responses over time caused by non-motorized activities.
- No harassment caused by non-motorized
activities.
- No abandonment of habitats caused by non-motorized activities.
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4. Integrity of Fisheries Resources
Concern: Damage to fish populations and habitats
Results |
Desired Behaviours |
- Protect fish populations and habitat.
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5. Special Management
Concern: None for this activity.
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