WHY MANAGE RECREATION?Outdoor recreation is fundamental to American culture. Every year, more and more people travel to public lands and waters to pursue a growing variety of recreational activities. To continue to benefit from the opportunities created by expanding recreational use, this nationwide trend requires that all of us—visitors, managers, and citizens—adopt more effective ways to manage visitor access and use that ensure these special places, and the benefits they generate, persist for this and future generations.

Bu

ild t

he

Fou

nd

atio

n

Defi

ne

Vis

ito

r U

se M

anag

emen

t D

irec

tio

n

1. C

lari

fy p

roje

ct p

urp

ose

an

d n

eed

.

2. R

evie

w t

he

area

’s p

urp

ose

and

ap

plic

able

leg

isla

tio

n,

agen

cy p

olic

ies,

an

d o

ther

m

anag

emen

t d

irec

tio

n.

3. A

sses

s an

d s

um

mar

ize

exis

tin

g

info

rmat

ion

an

d

curr

ent

con

dit

ion

s.

4. D

evel

op

a p

roje

ct a

ctio

n p

lan

.

Ou

tco

me:

Un

der

stan

d w

hy

the

pro

ject

is n

eed

ed, a

nd

dev

elo

p t

he

pro

ject

ap

pro

ach

.

5. D

efin

e d

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s fo

r th

e p

roje

ct a

rea.

6. D

efin

e ap

pro

pri

ate

visi

tor

acti

viti

es, f

acili

ties

, an

d s

ervi

ces.

7. S

elec

t in

dic

ato

rs a

nd

es

tab

lish

th

resh

old

s.

Ou

tco

me:

Des

crib

e th

e co

nd

itio

ns

to b

e ac

hie

ved

or

mai

nta

ined

an

d

ho

w c

on

dit

ion

s w

ill b

e tr

acke

d

ove

r ti

me.

8. C

om

par

e an

d d

ocu

men

t th

e d

iffe

ren

ces

bet

wee

n e

xist

ing

an

d d

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s, a

nd

, fo

r vi

sito

r u

se-r

elat

ed im

pac

ts,

clar

ify

the

spec

ific

links

to

vis

ito

r u

se c

har

acte

rist

ics.

9. Id

enti

fy v

isit

or

use

man

agem

ent

stra

teg

ies

and

act

ion

s to

ach

ieve

d

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s.

12. I

mp

lem

ent

man

agem

ent

acti

on

s.

13. C

on

du

ct a

nd

do

cum

ent

on

go

ing

mo

nit

ori

ng

, an

d

eval

uat

e th

e ef

fect

iven

ess

of

man

agem

ent

acti

on

s in

ac

hie

vin

g d

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s.

14. A

dju

st m

anag

emen

t ac

tio

ns

if n

eed

ed t

o a

chie

ved

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s, a

nd

d

ocu

men

t ra

tio

nal

e.

Ou

tco

me:

Imp

lem

ent

man

agem

ent

stra

teg

ies

and

act

ion

s, a

nd

ad

just

b

ased

on

mo

nit

ori

ng

an

d e

valu

atio

n.

Iden

tify

M

anag

emen

tSt

rate

gie

s

Imp

lem

ent,

M

on

ito

r, Ev

alu

ate,

an

d A

dju

st

10. W

her

e n

eces

sary

, id

enti

fy

visi

tor

cap

acit

ies

and

ad

dit

ion

al

stra

teg

ies

to m

anag

e u

se le

vels

w

ith

in c

apac

itie

s.

11. D

evel

op

a m

on

ito

rin

g s

trat

egy.

Ou

tco

me:

Iden

tify

str

ateg

ies

to

man

age

visi

tor

use

to

ach

ieve

or

mai

nta

in d

esir

ed c

on

dit

ion

s.

WH

YW

HA

T2

HO

W3

DO

4

Step

s:St

eps:

Step

s:St

eps:

1Elem

ents

and

ste

ps o

f the

Vis

itor

Use

Man

agem

ent

Fram

ewor

k

Backpackers getting oriented before their hike

Enjoying a guided horseback riding opportunity

V I S I T O R U S E M A N A G E M E N T F R A M E W O R K

A Guide to Providing Sustainable Outdoor Recreation

Edition 1

For more information, please see website visitorusemanagement.nps.gov

WHAT IS THE VISITOR USE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK?The Visitor Use Management Framework (the framework) is a process designed for federal managers to collaboratively develop, implement, and monitor strategies and actions to provide sustainable access to lands and waters. The intent, and ultimate desired outcome, is to provide high quality visitor experiences, while protecting natural and cultural resources. Responsive and effective visitor use management requires managers to:

• Identify desired conditions for resources, visitor experiences and opportunities, and facilities and services;

• Gain an understanding of how visitor use influences achievement of those goals; and

• Commit to active / adaptive management and monitoring of visitor use to meet those goals.

The framework can be incorporated into existing federal agency planning and decision-making processes and is applicable across a wide spectrum of situations that vary in complexity and spatial extent from site-specific to large-scale planning efforts. The framework is a legally defensible and transparent planning and decision-making process that:

• Integrates applicable laws and policy requirements;

• Provides sound rationale upon which to base management decisions; and

• Facilitates adaptive management.

FRAMEWORK ELEMENTS, STEPS, AND OUTCOMESThe framework identifies four overarching elements with discrete steps under each. The graphic below illustrates the sequence (with a more detailed diagram on the back) and outcomes of these elements as well as the necessary steps in achieving each of the elements. It is important to note, these elements and steps are highly iterative in nature. The framework is intended to be applied in a flexible manner using the sliding scale concept. The strengths of this framework are that it is iterative, adaptable, and flexible.

Implement, Monitor, Evaluate, and Adjust

Identify ManagementStrategies

Define Visitor Use Management

DirectionBuild the

FoundationWHATWHAT

HOWHOW

DODO

3

4

WHYWHY 1

2Universal to

the Framework:Law

Agency PolicySliding Scale

Public Involvement

Overview of the Visitor Use Management Framework

Family exploring a trail

Level of Controversy/Potential for Litigation

Impact Risk

THE SLIDING SCALE APPROACHA sliding scale is used to ensure the investment of time, money, and other resources for the planning effort is commensurate with the complexity of the project and the consequences of the decision. Issues with clearly small impacts usually require less depth and breadth of analysis than those with impacts of greater significance. Applying this ‘sliding scale of analysis’ seeks to match the investment made in analysis with the level of uncertainty and risk associated with the issues being addressed. The sliding scale is used in each element of the framework. Regardless of the significance of the situation, all framework steps still apply. That is, the process does not vary with project complexity, rather the investment of time and resources varies.

Use the following criteria to determine the level of analysis for an issue:

• Issue uncertainty: What is the level of uncertainty about the issue?

• Impact risk: Are there considerable threats to the quality of resource conditions and visitor experiences?

• Stakeholder involvement: What is the level of stakeholder interest in the issue?

• Level of controversy/potential for litigation: What is the level of controversy/potential for litigation?

Once the sliding scale of analysis level has been determined, it is then used to determine the amount of effort needed for each element and step.

Issue Complexity

Stakeholder Involvement