OCR Text |
Show back country trail system is a particular challenge and management has instituted a program of area and time of use limitations. The park has an independent, outside Wildlife Committee to advise management on resource- based issues. The park is initiating social carrying capacity and wildlife protection studies in an attempt to quantity and safeguard the quality of visitor experience. Other significant issues facing the park include the potential development of a southern road access to the island, separation of waterfowl hunters from traditional park visitors, overflights from aircraft and increasing visitation and use. Davis County Causeway ( Davis County) In return for maintaining the causeway from Syracuse to Antelope Island, the State of Utah deeded the roadway to Davis County. Davis County now manages this causeway in cooperation with DPR. The Davis County Causeway is one of the most scenic drives around GSL, and is an outstanding birding area. The bike lanes provide one of the most popular cycling tours in northern Utah and, when combined with the new east side road on Antelope Island, offer a 36- mile round trip. Davis County has developed a trail head parking lot for cyclists and other areas with interpretive information on GSL. The primary issue facing the causeway is maintaining the roadway at high lake levels. The causeway was constructed at elevation 4208.75 feet. The causeway is essentially a toll road, and $ 7.00 per vehicle collected is by AISP. Of this $ 2.00 is returned to Davis County. Davis County utilizes these funds to maintain the causeway. There has also been some concern that the causeway restricts water flow from Farmington Bay to the south arm of the lake and inhibits brine exchange between the bay and the main body of the lake. This results in freshening of Farmington Bay relative to the rest of the lake. This issue is discussed more completely in the " Hydrology" section. Southern Causeway ( KUC/ Private) This unpaved causeway fill was constructed to provide a transportation route for material to complete 1- 80 reconstruction and to stabilize the island access road. The southern causeway provides administrative access to the south end of AISP. Occasionally, a few private landowners allow recreational activities. At the present time, DPR does not have plans for major improvements of the existing corridor. The division would support minimal development for management access for emergency ingress and egress as well as access for non- motorized ( hiking, biking) use. The division supports " low- impact" use of the corridor because of the various recreational and wildlife viewing opportunities in the area. While the development of an access road is feasible in terms of engineering and function, development of an enhanced causeway for general access to Antelope Island would entail expenditures that are beyond the division's current budgetary scope and priorities. Similarly, the current operations, maintenance and law enforcement resources necessary to effectively manage a developed causeway would be pressed beyond reasonable limits. 131 |