Visitor use and impact patterns on the Isle au Haut, Acadia National Park, Maine

Martin, Burnham; Kimball, Kenneth

'Public Law 97-335 mandates low intensity use for the Isle au Haut unit of Acadia National Park. The Law further requires that a use limit be established to minimize adverse impacts on the visitor's experience, the character of the town, and the Park's resources.' 'The Appalachian Mountain Club Research Department was contracted to provide use limit numbers. The study found that impacts on the character of the town of Isle au Haut are minimized by an active and effective Park Service visitor management program. There is localized resource damage along some portions of high use trails but this damage can be mitigated by trail maintenance within the means of the Park Service.' 'A maximum use number of 90 visitors per day plus 30 campers is proposed based on opportunities for solitude along the coast. Additional management activities are suggested to minimize resource damage and degradation of the visitor's experience. A use limiting system is proposed if visitor pressure threatens to exceed the limit.' HUMAN USE & IMPACTS: Contains visitor numbers on the trails and campground observations for Isle au Haut. Also contains percent cover measurements for vegetation quadrats that were measured from 1985-1988 (quadrats are named but their locations are not given) /STUDY LOCATIONS:/ /ISLE AU HAUT