How Many Visitors is Too Many at
Arches?
How Many Visitors is Too Many at
Arches?
• Problem: trampling of fragile soils and vegetation
(microbiotic soil crust); crowding
• Strategies: limit use; reduce the impact of use
• Practices: zoning; information/education; facility
development/site design/maintenance; law
enforcement; rationing/allocation
• Carrying capacity/Visitor Experience and Resource
Protection (VERP)
• Two-fold mission of NPS
• Increasing use of national parks/Arches National Park
• Arches National Park
• Delicate Arch
How Many Visitors is Too Many at
Arches?
• Ed Abbey
• Program of research
▫ Indicator of quality: crowding
▫ Standard of quality: maximum acceptable level of
use (people at one time (PAOT))
• Sizing of parking lots/parking regulations
• Permit systems for other areas
• Information/education: Web site; park newspaper;
film; signs; Visitor Center; interpretive programs;
Facebook and Twitter
• Signs and fencing along trails
• Monitoring
Arches National Park
1. Formulate management objectives and associated
indicators and standards of quality.
2. Monitor indicators of quality.
3. Implement management practices to maintain
standards of quality.
Acceptability
3
2
1
Minimum Acceptable Condition
Range of Acceptable Conditions
0
-1
-2
Norm Intensity or Salience
Optimal or Preferred Condition
4
Crystallization (Dispersion
around points defining the
norm curve)
-3
-4
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Number of Groups Encountered Along A Trail Per Day
Social Norm Curve for Delicate Arch
4
Acceptability Rating
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
0
5
7
12 15 21 22 26 36 45 52 63 66 68 78 108
People at One Time (PAOT)