Current condition of standards from the Denali Park road vehicle management plan: 2018 summary report
Clark WC and Bracher TA. 2019. Current condition of standards from the Denali Park road vehicle management plan: 2018 summary report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/DENA/NRR—2019/1934. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Conditions of six Vehicle Management Plan (VMP) indicators, the probability of a visitor observing one of the “big five” wildlife species (caribou, grizzly bear, moose, sheep, and wolf), and statistics related to the number of vehicle entrances on the permit-controlled section of the Denali Park Road were documented and analyzed for the 2018 regulatory year (May 26 – September 13, 2018). The six tier–1 indicators are: (1) Number of vehicles stopped at wildlife in the same place at one time (wildlife stops); (2) number of vehicles parked at rest stops at one time; (3) number of vehicles visible in specific viewscapes at one time; (4) hourly 10–minute gaps in traffic at sheep crossing locations (sheep gaps); (5) nighttime (2200–0600) traffic rates; and (6) amount of time a hiker waits for a bus (hiker wait time). The method for monitoring standards for a seventh indicator, large vehicle traffic (> 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating), has not been implemented. Here we (1) compare current conditions of the VMP indicators to the 1–year VMP standards; (2) use 2014–2018 data to assess 5–year VMP standards; (3) recommend monitoring method improvements; and (4) provide recommendations for meeting the desired conditions of the resource as described by the VMP and measured by the indicators. Collectively, sample size increased 16% from 2017. Eighty–eight percent (36 of 41 metrics) of all VMP standards were met in 2018, an 8% improvement from 2017.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Clark, William; Bracher, Taylor
- Date of Issue
- 2019-06
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- DENA , NRSS
- Keywords
- Alaska, DENA, Denali National Park, Preserve, vehicle management, visitor use
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Human Use | Visitor and Recreation Use | Visitor Use
Series
See also
- Current condition of standards from the Denali Park road vehicle management plan: A summary report 2016
- Current condition of standards from the Denali Park road vehicle management plan: A summary report 2015
- Current condition of standards from the Denali Park road vehicle management plan: 2017 summary report
- Denali Park Road Final Vehicle Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement
- Standards in the Denali park road vehicle management plan — how current conditions measure up: A summary report 2011–2012
- Standards in the Denali Park road vehicle management plan — how current conditions measure up: A summary report 2013
- Standards in the Denali Park road vehicle management plan — how current conditions measure up: A summary report 2014