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1 <br /> ATTACHMENT G <br /> 25 <br /> Little River Regional Park: Impacts of Proposed Uses <br /> Prepared for the Little River Advisory Committee <br /> March 19, 2001 <br /> Proposed Uses: <br /> • Hiking <br /> • Hiking with companion dogs <br /> • Mountain biking <br /> • Horseback riding <br /> Challenges: <br /> • Protecting natural resources <br /> ■ Providing high quality user experiences <br /> • Maintaining user safety <br /> Protecting Natural Resources <br /> General Impacts of Trails and Human Use <br /> ♦ Trails can impact soils, vegetation, wildlife, and water quality <br /> ♦ Compaction of soils <br /> • Reduces water infiltration <br /> • Increases erosion <br /> • Reduces ability for plants to grow <br /> • Impacts on vegetation <br /> • Trampling and compaction reduce plant diversity <br /> • Introduction of exotic plants <br /> ♦ Impacts on wildlife habitat <br /> ■ 1 mile long, 10 foot wide trail 4 loss of an acre of wildlife habitat <br /> ■ Creation of an ecological edge <br /> ■ Alteration in plant species composition <br /> ■ Fragmentation <br /> ♦ Disturbance of wildlife <br /> • Impacts depend on frequency, predictability, and timing of the disturbance <br /> • Displacement from roosting, feeding, mating, nest building and rearing of young <br /> • Can lead to long-term abandonment of an area by a species <br /> • Can affect ability to survive and reproduce <br /> • Stress and flight 4 increased use of energy <br /> • Passive-defense response + less time to feed 4 less energy intake <br /> • Can reduce biodiversity <br /> • Sensitive species will be displaced <br /> • Replaced by generalist species <br /> ♦ Impacts on water quality <br /> • Increased sedimentation in the river <br /> • Pollution—trash, excrement <br /> G-I <br />