Leaving Only Footsteps? Think Again!

by Michelle Poolet 

So you think you’re only leaving footsteps when you’re out in the wild? Think again after reading this opinion article in the February 13, 2015 New York Times by Christopher Solomon. Solomon discusses and quotes much of the data that Dr. Sarah Reed presented at PLAN Jeffco’s November 2013 conference. The title of Drs. Reed and Sarah Thomas’ presentation at our conference was “Balancing Recreational Access and Conservation Objectives in Open Space Programs.”The focus of their presentation was that outdoor recreation may enhance human health, but what about the impact on animals? Click to read a summary of their presentation or purchase the complete proceedings of the conference, which includes full write-ups and slides used by the presenters.

Solomon’s article discusses the loss or movement of wildlife away from areas of different forms of recreation in the outdoors. Surprisingly the studies show that motorized vehicles cause less disruption because their noise alerts the animals and they don’t stay around for very long. Read the entire article at: The New York Times

Thanks for your interest in Open Space, and thanks for reading our articles. To become a PLAN Jeffco member and become more involved with our open spaces: Membership