Transcript Trampling, ORVs, and other human impacts Doug Piatkowski and Brannon Quel

Trampling, ORVs, and other human impacts
Doug Piatkowski and Brannon Quel
•People have been using
alternative methods of
transportation to visit the
beach for centuries.
•The advent of motor vehicles
has proved to be no exception.
•Prior to the development of
the Jeep in WWII, people used
“beach buggies” to access
previously distant location on
the beach.
•The beach buggies were
usually beat-up, old cars.
•The tires were oversized,
completely bald, and deflated
to half the recommended tire
pressure.
•If the car stopped working
they were usually abandoned.
•During the late 60s and early
70s there was a boom in off-road
vehicle production.
•ORVs were now being
marketed for recreational uses.
•The boom in ORV use drew the
attention of the U.S. Department
of the Interior during the Nixon
Administration.
•A report to Nixon included the
recommendation that
“Recreation use should be
regulated to minimize conflicts
with natural conditions and with
other uses of public land.
Executive Order 11644 (Feb 1972)
“Ensure use of off-road vehicles on public lands will be controlled
and directed so as to protect the resources of those lands…and to
minimize conflicts among the various uses of those lands.”
•Our beaches attract
millions of visitors and
generate tremendous
revenue annually.
•People bring their vehicles
to the beach and many
believe it is their right to
drive on the beach.
Daytona Beach, Florida
•The beach and dune
ecosystem is a fragile
environment that cannot
cope with the impacts from
off-road vehicles.
Vegetative Impacts of ORVs
•ORVs can directly and indirectly impact dune plant species.
•When ORVs drive directly over the plants, they crush the
stems and can expose the roots.
•When the roots are exposed to the sunlight and high
temperatures it can kill the plant.
•This reduces species abundance and diversity
•When the plants have been removed it increases the
susceptibility of blowouts.
•Blowouts, in turn, can increase the frequency of overwash from
storms and spring tides.
•According to Dr. Paul Hosier, “It’s like the dutchboy taking his
finger out the dike (Coastwatch 1980).”
-dune more susceptible
-multiple channels
Blowout
-low vegetation/damaged vegetation
Impacts on Dune Systems
•When ORVs are driven on the dune, the sand moves
downslope, flattening the dune rapidly.
•Driving at the toe of the dune will destroy the strand line,
which is the growing point of embryonic dunes.
•It takes a matter of days to destroy a dune and years to build
it back.
Driving an ORV on the beach homogenizes the sand and makes
it hard to walk in.
A look at Fort Fisher
Bald Head Island,
no vehicular traffic
Ft. Fisher, beach
is open yearround to ORV
traffic.
Colonial waterbird
nesting area closed
to ORV traffic
Impacts of ORVs on Sea Turtles
•Many beaches are closed to ORV traffic during the sea turtle
nesting and hatching season (May – November).
•The beaches that remain open pose several threats to nesting
females and their hatchlings.
Sea Turtles Con’t.
•ORVs on the beach during the nesting season can increase
the frequency of turtle false crawls (ie aborted nesting
attempts).
•The lights from the ORVs are very bright and may frighten
the turtle off.
•The false crawl to nest ratio of a beach can be an indicator of
beach quality. Ft. Fisher State Park is open year round to
ORV traffic and this past season had 4 nests to 38 false crawls
whereas Bald Head Island had 51 nests and 68 false crawls.
•If a nest is not conspicuously marked, the ORV may run it
over.
•During the hatching season the ORVs can easily run over the
hatchlings.
•Since hatchlings exhibit phototropism, they can crawl
towards the headlights of ORVs.
•The deep ruts from tire tracks can trap the hatchlings,
making it difficult for them to crawl out.
Path hatchlings take when tracks on are a beach
Impacts on Shorebirds
•Many shorebirds nest in open areas of the sand (ie Terns,
Plovers, Skimmers).
•ORVs can directly run over the nests or frighten the mothers
away, leaving the eggs vulnerable.
•Once the chicks have hatched, one defensive instinct is to
crouch in depressions. This can unfortunately be tire tracks
from ORVs.
•This has led to some beach closings due to Piping Plover
nests (a federally protected shorebird)
Environmentally sensitive bird nesting area on Ft. Fisher
Closed from 1 April to 31 August
General Beach Driving Regulations
•Drive on wet sand and observe 25-mph speed limit.
•Avoid wildlife and critical habitats.
•Don’t drive on vegetative areas.
•Don’t overload the vehicles.
•Don’t Drink and Drive!!!! (ie Ft. Fisher)
ORVs should be driven in the
intertidal beach
Use designated crossovers to access the beach
Other Human Impacts
Beach Renourishment
Beach Renourishment
-From 1960 to 1990, the population of coastal areas
increased form 80 to 110 million and is projected to reach
over 160 million by 2015
-Money invested along coastline – permanent structures
-Disruption of natural erosion and accretion processes
-Desire for beach renourishment to protect private
property
-NC has 320 miles of shoreline – 8 miles have
renourishment programs
-Recent large scale project to renourish Brunswick county
beaches – provide sea turtle habitat
Effects on Sea Turtle Nest
-Indirect effects
-Temperature
-Moisture content
-Compaction
-Oxygen diffusion
-Direct effects
-Burial of existing
nests
Effects on Nest Cavity Construction
-Increase in numbers of false
crawls
- Scarp formation
-false crawl
-lay on scarp/collapse
-Inability to dig chamber
-Abandoned egg
chambers
Dune Walkover
ng
-In order to prevent
trampling of vegetation
-Trampling of
vegetation can lead to a
blowout
Defensive Measures
Prickly pear cactus
Opuntia stricta dillerii
Spanish bayonet
Yucca aloifolia
ance
Dune Protection
-Posted signs
-Literature
-education
References
Hosier, P. E., M. Kochhar and V. Thayer. 1981. Off-road vehicle and pedestrian track effects on the
sea-approach of hatchling loggerhead turtles. Environmental Conservation, 8(2):158-161.
Hosier, P. E. and T. E. Eaton. 1980. The impact of vehicles on dune and grassland vegetation on a
southeastern North Carolina Barrier Beach. J. App. Ecol. 17:173-183.
Hosier, P. E. 1980. Recreational Off-road Vehicle Impacts in Coastal North Carolina. Carolina
Planning 6(2):34-40.
Hosier, P.E. and T. Eaton. 1979. Making Tracks: A guide to off-road driving at the coast. UNC Sea
Grant Publication 79-06
Hoover, B. 1973. Proc. Annual Meeting. Assoc. Midwest Fish Game Conervation. 40: 39-49.
Caution: ORVs can be hazardous to a dune’s health. Coastwatch. May 1980
Stick, David. 1985. Bald Head: A history of Smith Island and Cape Fear. Broadfoot Publishing Co.
Wilmington, NC.
Benedict, M. A. 1978. The preparation of an off-road recreational trail map of the province lands,
Cape Cod: Procedures, Observations, and Management Suggestions. National Park Service
Cooperative Research Unit Report Number 27.
Town of Nags Head Regulations Governing Off Road Vehicles 1979-1980.
Badaracco, R.J. 1976. ORVs: Often Rough on Visitors. Parks & Recreation. September 1976.
http://www.seashell.com/kbphotos.htm
http://www.outerbanks.org/generalinfo.htm