Big Heath social trails, 2016 - 2017

Jacobi, Charles; Flesh, Rebecca; Anderson, Karen

From the executive summary: "Big Heath in Acadia National Park is an unusual and important wetland ecosystem known as a coastal plateau bog or coastal raised peatland. Since at least 1980, researchers have expressed concerns about visitor use of Big Heath causing unacceptable impacts. We mapped 'social trails' in Big Heath in fall 2016 and spring 2017 and compared our results to one earlier map by McInness (1986). We found ¾ of a mile of 'social trails' in the wetlands of Big Heath. Several of them were clearly trails mapped by McInness in 1986. Only one of them showed enough wear to be of minor concern, and could become a muck hole with substantially more visitor use. Social trails at Big Heath do not appear to be a significant problem now, but may well have shown more impact in the past based on written accounts and the persistence of a few incised trails that are now well vegetated but still easily seen in aerial imagery. The main access routes through the upland forested areas to the heath show, in some cases, more impact than trails in the heath. All trails appear to be used infrequently, and we think most of the visitor use ends at the open ponds located within the heath. It is difficult to separate the impacts of human use and deer traffic and their relative contributions to the persistence of these trails. Routes along the shrub-heath edge and the many wavy linear features in more remote sections of the heath suggest repeated use by wildlife. We do not recommend any immediate action other than visits 2-3 times a season to monitor conditions visually and with photos. The Inventory and Monitoring team should report any changes observed during their site visits. If trail conditions deteriorate, hardening of a few trails with bog bridging or a viewing platform (this would however encourage more use) could be considered and/or some small signs along the main entry trails, or closure. Access might be also consolidated on one designated trail; if so, it would eventually be need to be hardened. Visitor use of the area should not be encouraged as it will only require the park to respond with additional management as described above."

Big Heath social trails, 2016 - 2017

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