This is a continuation of 2021 and 2022 CREOi-funded projects. Washington State Parks are increasingly becoming islands within a developed landscape. These islands have become important areas supporting human physical and mental well-being. However, there is concern that higher rates of use of state parks are putting greater pressure and stress on wildlife species for which the parks may provide some of the last remaining habitat. To effectively manage and protect wildlife, as well as provide meaningful ways for people to connect with nature, it is critical to have a better understanding of which wildlife species are present and how recreation impacts their activity. Specifically, the objectives of this project were to determine the temporal and spatial patterns of wildlife use of Washington State parks and whether human recreational use impacts these patterns.
In 2021, researchers installed wildlife cameras at four Washington State parks that receive high levels of recreation, including multiple special recreation events (e.g., trail running and mountain bike races) each year. In 2022, with the addition of a graduate student, Marcela Todd Zaragoza, the study was expanded to include camera installations at four additional parks. At each of the parks, ten cameras were distributed on trails in areas receiving low, medium or high relative recreational use. In 2023, three “game trail” camera locations (~250 m from established trails) were added at each park. The intention of these final locations was to collect data on wildlife activity in the relative absence of human activity. Cameras were deployed until all installations had collected at least one year of activity.
Camera images revealed wildlife in all parks, detecting 20 different species including deer, elk, squirrels, cougars, black bears, coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, pika and fishers. The images of fishers were particularly notable as this is a state endangered species and was the focus of a 5-year reintroduction effort in the Cascade Range (where the photo was taken); the data from these images have been shared with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Researchers found that human recreation influences wildlife species detection probabilities and activity patterns. Raccoons, bobcats, and cougars were more likely to be detected at stations with high recreation, while black bears, elk, black-tailed deer, and coyotes had higher detection probabilities at stations with low recreation. Temporal shifts were evident as well. Human activity across all sites was during daytime and peaked at midday. All wildlife species exhibited some degree of temporal separation from human activity, with greater separation at high-use sites and less separation at off-trail sites. For example, coyote detections were highest all night at high-use sites, followed by low-use sites. During daytime, detections at high- and low-use sites plummeted while detections on game trail sites increased. A similar pattern was visible with elk, with camera data also highlighting their crepuscular activity overall.
These findings can help inform strategies to reduce the impacts on wildlife of human recreation. Areas with minimal or low recreation are serving as spatial refuges within these highly used parks, even for species thought to be highly adapted to people. Preserving areas with minimal recreation in these already fragmented systems can allow spatial separation from humans for wildlife that may be using these areas during the day or at night.
Camera images of human activity compared to Strava Heatmaps (location tracking data from an athletic subscription service) found that “heatmaps” (density of location data) provide an accurate assessment of relative human trail use. These results suggest that this free, easy-to-use platform can serve as an important tool for managers who may not have access to resource-intensive measures such as camera trapping to identify human recreation levels within parks.
In addition to the camera trapping study, Zaragoza conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with land managers in the Pacific Northwest to understand the how research informs recreation and wildlife management. While managers expressed positive attitudes toward science-based decision-making, structural constraints, resource limitations, and communication gaps were barriers to research integration. In contrast, partnerships and accessible science were key facilitators, with Tribal and local community pressures shaping management priorities. As outdoor recreation expands, maintaining spatial and temporal refuges for wildlife and strengthening the integration of science into management decisions will be essential for balancing wildlife conservation with sustainable recreation access. ($20,000)