Chapter 7: Human Alterations to Riparian Areas
Recreational
Activities
- Larger urban populations will increase recreation-oriented values for public and state riparian areas.
- Recreational activities in riparian areas include:
- hiking,
- cycling,
- golfing,
- horse-back riding,
- bird watching,
- picnicking,
- camping,
- fishing,
- hunting,
- swimming,
- raft floating,
- boating and
- off-road vehicular traveling.
Figure 7.16. There are numerous recreational activities in riparian areas including fishing (top left) bird watching (top right) and boat rafting (left).
- Recreational developments such as boat ramps, fishing access points, golf courses, campsites, trails and roads can eliminate riparian vegetation. In addition, these structures can impact the hydrology and functionality of riparian areas.
Figure 7.17. Adjacent riparian areas along the Colorado River. On the right the riparian vegetation has been eliminated for recreational activities.
- Heavy human, animal, and vehicle traffic can destroy vegetation through trampling and also increase soil compaction (Figure 7.18 and 7.19).
Figure 7.18. Impacts of recreational activities on soil and vegetation.
Figure 7.19. Impacts of all terrain vehicles (ATV’s) on riparian areas.
- Water bodies adjacent to recreational areas have increased loads of sediment, nutrient, bacteria, pesticides, and petrochemicals either.
- directly by recreational activities, or
- indirectly because of increase in overland flow due to recreational activities.
- Motorized boats and watercrafts cause in-stream problems with water and noise pollution and increase stream bank erosion and sediment suspension that impacts aquatic life.
- People, motor vehicles, ATV, horses, etc. act as vectors of dispersal for invasive exotic species to riparian areas.
- Tools for mitigating negative impacts from recreation in riparian areas are:
- Education on proper use by recreationists.
- Monetary fines to recreationists that abuse riparian areas.
- Estimation and enforcement of proper capacity levels of humans for a specific recreational area.
