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Current Issue

Current Issue 2008:
Recreational Impacts on the Natural Environment

Pennsylvania is blessed with a rich diversity of fish, wildlife, and plants.  More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are known to exist in the Commonwealth.  As inventory efforts continue, it is estimated that the total number of known plants and animals in Pennsylvania will reach 20,000 species.  This diversity of species contributes to Pennsylvanians’ well being by providing important recreational, economic, and biological benefits to the Commonwealth.

Recreation, whether active or passive, is vitally important to everyone and offers physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. The amount of time and money people spend on recreation is rising, along with the diversity of recreational opportunities. 

Webster's defines recreation as refreshment in body or mind, as after work, by some form of play, amusement, or relaxation and includes games, hobbies, sports, and other activities. For our purposes, we will narrow the focus to outdoor activities within a natural setting. Examples for Pennsylvania include hunting, fishing, hiking and backpacking, skiing, mountain biking, rafting and kayaking, bird watching, and cultural observations/explorations.  These may be low- or high-tech, low- or high impact, and require little or strenuous physical exertion. No matter the form of recreation, humans are consumers and leave behind some trace upon the earth. This “trace” often grows considerably as the number of people using that resource increases and can negatively impact vital natural resources.

Recreation is important to the economy. Consider these statistics for Pennsylvania.  In 2005, the PA Fish & Boat Commission sold more than 825,963 fishing licenses and 580,650 trout/salmon and Lake Erie fishing permits.  Fishing has a tremendous impact on Pennsylvania’s economy, generating an economic effect of over $1.65 billion.  More than 2.5 million people boat on Pennsylvania waters each year.  During 2005, 350,599 boats were registered in Pennsylvania.  The Fish & Boat Commission estimates that boating has a total economic impact of $1.7 billion per year.  Hunting is also vital to Pennsylvania’s economy, with an economic impact of $4.8 billion annually, according to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Much of that comes from white-tailed deer hunting, which is the favorite pursuit of many of the state’s sports enthusiasts.  In 2005 alone, the PA Game Commission generated over $35 million on license fees.  Hunting and fishing retail sales generate over $1 billion each year. 

How might recreation impact natural resources? One impact often gives rise to more, creating a cascading effect that may become difficult for land managers to control. Changes in water quality and alteration of surface flows impact water. Compaction and erosion often degrade soils. Non-native flora and fauna can be introduced into the ecosystem, causing shifts in the balance from native to non-native species. The frequency of wildfire can change, causing shifts in the flora and fauna of an area. Recreation leads to an increase in the use of energy, especially fossil fuels, leading to air and water pollution. Noise pollution may alter natural range and habitat especially critical to sensitive species. And, how do we manage human waste that is a by-product of our lifestyle?

These are only a few of the potential impacts. And, all are intertwined. A prime example: as soils are disturbed they may erode with resulting debris creating runoff into nearby streams, thus changing the water quality. The change in water quality may have serious repercussions for native species that rely on cleaner water. Non-native species may out-compete native species if they can tolerate the sediment load while the natives do not. This, of course, is a simplified version of a possible chain of events.  In reality, the impacts are far more extensive and complicated.

Some questions to ponder:

• What is your favorite recreational activity? How do you think the activity impacts natural resources? How might you reduce any negative impacts that directly or indirectly result from this pastime?
• What might be the impact of limiting certain recreational activities? Is preservation (no use) better than conservation (managed use)? How can we manage use in order to minimize negative impacts?
• In the face of increasing demand for both traditional and new forms of recreation, how can we balance our need to enjoy the natural world with maintaining the quality of the environment?
• Although recreation can add significantly to both local and state economies, are there options through preservation and conservation to off-set the losses due to decreased recreation?

Goal

Students will analyze long term and short term enviornmental, social, and economic factors relative to recreational impacts upon natural resources and their management.

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