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Recreational Off Road Vehicle (ORV) use became the focus of attention when it made the Chief of the Forest Service list of key threats facing the National Forests. Directives to correct this ‘unmanaged’ recreation use prompted projects like the Loran Campground to implement a programs that would address this issue in a positive manner. Enhancing the recreation experience for enjoyment and safety while minimizing impacts on soil and water quality was the challenge facing this project while keeping in mind the destructive capability of off-road vehicles.

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Location: Louisiana is located in the Southern Region (R8). The Kisatchie National Forest is located mostly in the central part of the state with a small track located in the northern most section of the state. The forest encompasses over 600,000 acres of mostly piney woods. There are five districts which all offer a rich diversity of history, ecology and geography to include rivers, lakes, bayous, hardwood and pine forest, prairies and sandstone bluffs. Each of which support a diverse recreation interest. The Loran Camp project is located near the urban center of Alexandria, Louisiana.

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There were two key directives that stood out among the numerous ones reviewed: 1) Executive Order 11644 (1972), outlines agencies responsibilities to establish policies and provide for procedures that will ensure that the use of off-road vehicles on public lands will be controlled and directed so as to protect the resources of those lands, to promote the safety of all users of those lands, and to minimize conflicts among to various uses of those lands.; 2) The Kisatchie Forest Plan sets objectives to provide a full range of dispersed and developed recreation opportunities (Forest Plan pg.2-3). Forest-wide standards and guidelines FW-326 through 363 address recreation, trails and ORVs.

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Like all Forest in the National Forest System there is a Forest Plan (FLMP) that provides direction and guideline for site specific management of that particular forest.

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This decision document addressed: ‘Recreation sites and trailheads like the Loran Camp had become major impact zones such that many people avoid the area due to rowdiness and deteriorated appearance. There was a growing concern that if no action was taken for long-term management, forest users, both now and in the future, would suffer due to our failure to address safety issues, user-conflicts, erosion, damage to native ecosystems, and trail damages.

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The Environmental Assessment and Decision Document was completed during the winter of 2004.

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Purpose and Need as defined concluded that ‘separate entrance for camping and day-use at the Loran Camp along with defined camp spaces, revegetation, and enforcement were key elements in getting a handle on the erosion problem.

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This chart shows a breakdown of the overall recreation program for the Calcasieu District.

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As noted in the graph in this slide the increase number of ORVs in the state were beginning to make their presence known.

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These are older photos of the site prior to improvements. The activity back then was managed as dispersed recreation.

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Quality recreation opportunities are measured by the user’s expected outcome or satisfaction from the experience. Recreation is often repeated in a characteristic manner. Good management at best mimics the components of that characteristic to reproduce the experience, ie; camping and riding. We had an idea of what we wanted the area to look like.

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Enforcement, Engineering and Education

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This programmatic diagram shows the relationship of proposed activities.

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These are things to consider when developing a site that includes both day-use and overnight camping.

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During each phase of the design these are the elements thought to be essential to success of the project.

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The site plans were prepared along with engineering construction drawings. The improvements to the site would address issues identified in the EA process. The design was evaluated against the design elements mentioned in the previous slide.

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Each campsite would have a minimum amount of space to support the camping experience.

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This site was not constructed in one phase. So as the project moved forward so did the need to hurry and complete all phases of the project. Good intentions went into the planning stages of how to handle the unmanaged off-road vehicle use. Visitors had good intentions also. They thought is was a great idea to have a place to legally ride their machines and finally have the support facilities to accommodate the experience.

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These next few slides will show the type of damage that occurred in a short period of time. This problem was recognized early on and attempts to stop it just wasn’t very effective. It was thought that 24 hour presence would be the only way to stop this type of behavior.

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Perception among some of the riders is that breaking the rules some of the time is all right.

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Inadequate funding, enforcement and staff made the job a challenge that we faced along with other managers.

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That common perception that this is ‘all right’ was believed to be ok especially if someone else had ridden off-route before and cut a visible path.

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This is nothing new to those land managers facing the challenge of being good stewards. This had become a significant public problem because of the destructive capabilities of ORVs.

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No doubt at some point a commitment had to be made to correct the problem. Restoration needs are obvious in areas where damage had occurred.

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Since we knew that the appearance of the site was connected to the behavior of the riders and erosion was an issue that had to be addressed, we started filling the ruts.

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It was surprising to find out just how much soil had been lost due to the damage caused. Dump truck loads of soil.

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It is no simple chore to correct some of the damages that can be caused.

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Restoration can be done will minimum impact to the site using appropriate equipment. We were looking for an immediate response from the visitors as to how the site looked. Again, keeping in mind aesthetics can be link to the behavior of the riders.

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We framed that arrival with vehicle barriers to direct traffic. In most urban settings striping on pavement generally handles directions given to the visitor. Gravel surfacing make it difficult to get that message across.

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Generally speaking, without some type of barrier, vehicles will park on the unsurfaced areas. Which very quickly revert back to unsightly rutted areas.

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A favorable impression given upon arrival can also speak to the quality of experience the visitor can expect. Well maintained grass areas were a big plus to changing destructive behavior habits.

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Making the grass areas functional along with being appealing was well received by visitors. They like riding but they also like a nice clean shaded place to have lunch.

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It was readily apparent upon arrival where to park. Striping and other parking lot graphics are familiar visual directions to visitors. At best, mimicking visual aids through the use of curbs and barriers work really well in defining where and how to park.

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Hotrodding in the parking lot continues to be one of those behavior patterns that are inherent to the sport. But the damages are less.

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As with any task the right tools for the job make things go easy and you end up with a quality job. This attachment was purchased for maintenance needs.

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Vehicles had to be restricted from areas not appropriate for such traffic. This was mostly because of the hotrodding that occurred in grass areas and on paths designed for foot travel. Shown here is a solution to the problem of ATVs damaging the area around the information station and toilet facilities.

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Very little direction now had to be given to visitors. Most commented how much they like the improvements to the site. Safe parking and trail access was important because of the rowdiness that had occurred at the site in the past.

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Rider behavior was changing due to the appearance to the site. This is not to say that all riders followed rules or even stayed within authorized areas.

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There still had to be a continued enforcement presence at the site. A lot of damage can occur in a short period of time.

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In some instances asking violators to leave send the message of what will be tolerated at the site.

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As the project progressed construction was completed in the campground to address overnight camping demand as directed in the EA. This next series of slides will address elements outlined in the design to show how it worked out.

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One of the key concerns was separation between the day-use and overnight users. Thought they had common interest, the way the used the site was different. Complaints of riding in and around campsites by day-use riders was common. The barrier between the day-use and campground helped eliminated that problem.

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It is worth mention that road construction was under contract because of the complex drainage design issues that had to be addressed.

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How run off water is handle on any site will help with erosion and water quality issues. Particular attention was given to grading. We knew that any standing water would also quickly become a ‘play spot’.

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Knowing where vehicles were allowed had to be readily apparent to the visitor. Signage and enforcement let folks know that vehicles were not allowed on the grass. The appearance of the site was linked to the quality of the camping experience.

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The behavior and actions of the riders pointed out in the assessment process lead the thought process of how to stop resource damages. Seeing as how appearance and quality was directly linked to rider behavior and actions, educating riders on where vehicles were allowed proved to be a part of the challenge.

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In the past camping had been allowed among the trees as a dispersed activity. That lead to user conflicts and resource damage. A structured camping experience through the use of a designed campsite proved to resolve that issue. Campsites are perceived to be the personal space of the user and that is the way it would be used. There were an average of 3-5 riders in each camper. We also noticed they would come in groups of 2-4 campers. For this reason we tried to locate some camp units close together so they would have their own campsite but close enough to be a part of their group.

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Of all the campgrounds managed on the forest, none allowed ATVs. The basic requirements for this campground was the same as others with the exception, ‘ATVs are allowed’.

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ATVs would be required to use the campground road. For safety reasons we had to address that issue. But from the resource protection perspective putting them on the surfaced areas was the best alternative.

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So the policy was to ‘Share the Road’ and keep off the grass. The aesthetics of site remain important to the success of the project and the attempt to change behavior in the campground. If the site was grass and un-rutted ‘when they came’ then maybe it would stay that way.

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A good looking place that people would love to visit. People notice how well a place is kept and how particular managers are about keeping it that way. Visitor contact and education go a long way in keeping an attractive site.

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An they will be innovative in their camping experience.

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RV campers come in varied sizes so sites were designed at minimum sizes to have room for the variety.

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One of the primary reasons for coming to a this type of recreation area was to ride the trails. Trail access from the campground was given considerable thought. First), the problem of riders disturbing other campers by riding in and around other than their own campsites, second), the numerous user created routes to and from the campground, and last), the rutting that occurred due to the volume of traffic. The solution was to construct a perimeter trail around the campground with designated access points. The riders would access the perimeter trail from the campground road thus eliminating the need to ride through anyone's campsite or on the grass.

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As noted previously a 50 inch width restriction was placed on ATV use on the trail. Wooden post were used to aid in enforcement of this ruling. By doing so we found that users that exceeded the width limits were not able to get out of the campground (legally that is).

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Developing sites for high impact use will reduce resource damage significantly. Numerous undeveloped trailheads and camping area will only turn into rutted unattractive areas that promote irresponsible behavior. Accommodations that facilitate ATV use have address the destructive capability of the machines. ‘Institutional controls’, barriers, fencing, curbs, and wheel stops readily indicate to the visitor where they are allowed to ride. Enforcement officers find these type of situations safer and more manageable.

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Most riders are going to find a place to play, hotrod, and or challenge their machine. The campground or the parking lot is not the place, however that is where play will occur if no provisions are made for such activity. An area for staging, preferably where sediment can be controlled, help eliminate the problem.

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Again to say, rider behavior and actions are linked to appearance, quality, and challenge. Use this link to behavior in a positive way to structure an activity that is both responsive and responsible.

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They were able to play without disturbing others. Challenge their machines and skills, and practice safe riding. Soil movement can be both contained and monitored.

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By emphasizing the recreation experience managers will come up with ways to achieve the goal though innovative ideas. There are various factors that affect rider behavior but the ones that seem to cause them to act irresponsibly: bad appearance of the site, unstructured activity, and poor quality of the facilities.

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Use of standards that visitors are familiar with are defined in agency standards for outdoor recreation development. The recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) defines the activity suited for the environment, the development scale (1-5) appropriate, and facilities appropriate.

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Enforceable rules make the job of personnel on the ground easier. But most of all it is not difficult for any visitor to understand what ‘unreasonable resource damage’ means.

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The EA prepared for this project described the current conditions as: Off-road riding is an inherently dangerous activity and the actions of the riders are caused by their behavior and attitude. Information and regulations, signs, rider education, area appearance (clean, well managed, and free of trash), staff presence, and patrols help influence rider behavior.

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