DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 



The self-issued mandatory permit system worked best 

 as a use measurement system for those types of visitors 

 that most people would consider most critical for wilder- 

 ness management decisions—the campers and longer- 

 term day-users. The system measured short-term day 

 users poorly. Although, ideally, managers would like 

 complete counts of all types of visitors, if weaknesses 

 exist, the short-term day-users are the least critical group 

 because of their relatively smaller impact on the area and 

 on other visitors. Use by day-use horseback riders, even 

 for long visits, was not well measured, and this probably 

 is a more serious problem because of the greater potential 

 impacts by horses. 



Self-Issued Permits Compared to 

 Trail Registers 



The self-issued permit system probably provides data 

 that are better than voluntary self-registration. No direct 

 comparison is possible, but table 7 presents available 

 data on registration rates at trail registers, which can be 

 compared generally to data in table 6 and earlier tables. 



A test in Michigan, which alternated mandatory 

 registration (using permit forms) and voluntary registration 

 over 2 years at the same trail, found identical 67 percent 

 compliance rates for both systems (Leatherberry and Lime 

 1980). 



Table 7— Some reported registration rates for voluntary trail registers 



Visitor Registration 



Areas 



State 



Year 



Source 



type 



rate 















Percent 



1. 



Three Sisters Wilderness 



Oregon 



1961-62 



Wenger and Gregersen 1964 



Hikers 



79 





Mountain Lakes Wilderness 









Riders 



40 













Total 



74 



2. 



Mission Mountains 



Montana 



1968 



Lucas, Schreuder, 



Summer 



74 





Primitive Area 









Fall 

 rail 















Hikers 



66 













Horsemen 



44 













Day-use 



63 













Campers 



74 













Total 



65 



3. 



Banff National Park 



Alberta 



1968 



Thorsell 1968 



Total 



35 



4. 



Rawah Wilderness 



Colorado 



1970 



James and Schreuder 1972 



Total 



89 



5. 



Selway-Bltterroot Wilderness 



Montana 



1974 



Lucas 1975 



Day-use 



19 













Campers 



49 













Hikers 



31 













Horsemen 



11 













Total 



28 



6. 



Idaho Primitive Area 



Idaho 



1974 



Personal Communication 



Total 



18 











Earl Dodds, District Ranger 







7. 



Sawtooth Wilderness 



Idaho 



1975 



Mullins 1975' 



Day-hikers 



85 













Camping hikers 



87 













All horsemen 



33 













Total 



78 



8. 



Waterton Lakes National Park 



Alberta 



1976 



Scotter and Bernard^ 



Total 



78 



9. 



Spanish Peaks 



Montana 



1977 



Lucas (unpubl.) 



Day-hikers 



40 





(Spanish Creek, August only) 









Day horsemen 

















Camping hikers 



78 













Camping horsemen 



50 













Total 



50 



'Unpublished report by William H Mullins. 1975, Sawtooth Wilderness visitors study 18 p USDA For. Serv , Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Ketchum, 

 Idaho. 



^Unpublished report by George W Scotter and Joan L. Bernard, no date. Compliance rate at unmanned trail registers, Waterton Lakes National Park. Alberta, 

 Canada 9 p. Canadian Wildlife Service. Edmonton. Alberta 



11 



