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Show Salt Lake City Watershed Management Plan 99 Explanation: Users may bypass interpretive displays, but it is more difficult for them to bypass an interpretive specialist who is speaking directly to them. Interpretive personnel perform a wide variety of essential functions in the front and back country. Their primary role is to educate the public regarding watershed and natural resource issues. They may alert law enforcement about watershed violations. They may also provide first aid care if necessary. Interpretive specialists may be used to accurately count visitors as well as monitor recreation impacts along trails and at campsites. The use of interpretive personnel in the Salt Lake City Watershed is paramount to the success of educating visitors and managing their behaviors. Funding will be secured to establish an adequate force of rangers in the watershed. Partnerships would be fully utilized to optimize allocation of funds and resources. Salt Lake City would continue to work closely with the Forest Service to manage dispersed recreation. Partnerships will be developed with other jurisdictional agencies, university and civic organizations to complement the Forest Service's efforts. • Recommendation: Study the merits of developing an overnight, back country use permit system for the lake basins. Implementation: Implement a new, overnight, back country use permit system upon determining the feasibility of the system by Salt Lake City and the Forest Service. Explanation: The lake basins in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons have received heavy camping pressure. Despite posted regulations, people are still found camping too close to the lakes. In receiving a permit, users would also be provided education information and materials on the watershed and how they will be responsible to mmimize impacts to water quality. One goal of the permit system is to educate people to minimize their impact on the watershed. Another goal is to better track the usage around the lake basins and more accurately count the number of users in these areas. Page 65 |