Exploring the Fate of Freshwater and Riparian Ecosystems Within National Forests and Developing Sustainable Recreation Patterns Across the American Intermountain West

Abstract

Public parks and protected areas across the United States provide critical opportunities for nature and society, and as the burgeoning population continues to grow, protecting inland freshwater and riparian systems from overuse will require new conservation strategies. Especially considering rapidly developing regions like the Intermountain West, which retains some of the nation's most ecologically and recreationally important resources, finding long-term solutions aimed at sustainable outdoor recreation and visitor-use behaviours will assist in natural area conservation. Multiple-use protected areas like national forests have received less attention as opposed to national parks and national recreation areas. In this work, I highlight how various outdoor recreational activities (e.g., shoreline hiking, boating, and angling) influence natural integrity across freshwater and riparian ecosystems. I cover outdoor recreation activities and influences across the United States Forest Service's Regions 1 and 4. Namely, the Intermountain West National Forest System, management aligns with multiple uses including timber extraction, water resource conservation, grazing, mineral usage, and the retention of biological diversity through habitat protection and recreational opportunities. I contend that this region's conservation planning initiatives must consider how growing outdoor recreational uses reliant on freshwater and riparian nature might induce ecosystem changes. Moreover, I also discuss how research from the fields of conservation psychology and the humanities can develop sustainable behaviour changes necessary to propagate meaningful change across protected areas.