Valley Women's Club | Environmental News

Environmental Committee

Fall 2010

Big Basin General Plan – Considering Our Impact as Visitors

By Don Alley and Steve Singer

Although two of the Plans would reduce vehicular traffic and public access points to the Park, none include reduction in existing services, human use areas or trail access. The plans seem to be aimed at maintaining the present level of services/use or increase it. We question the success of any proposed measures designed to mitigate for the present intensity or increased human use that may be stimulated by the proposed plans. With the dwindling budget available to maintain California State Parks and to protect their biotic integrity and environmental quality, a Plan should be considered that will actually reduce human impacts (picnicking, camping, tent-cabins, multi-use trail traffic, recreation facilities, meeting lodges, horse facilities, etc). Without considerably more staff and a heretofore unprecedented effort to protect the biodiversity and health of Big Basin State Park, it would be contrary to the original purpose of environmental protection to do otherwise. You cannot provide more services with less funding without sacrificing the natural value of the land.

The greatest environmental consideration for planning in Big Basin State Park is protection of the biodiversity of plants and animals, with special attention to the federally protected Marbled Murrelet, California Red-Legged Frog, Coho Salmon and Steelhead, all of which evolved in an old growth redwood forest that the Park was designed to protect. It is our understanding that only a small number of Marbled Murrelets still use the old growth forest in Big Basin. Without reduced human impact, they may soon be gone.

Inadequate control of human food waste is a significant environmental impact upon biodiversity. It should be addressed and reduced as an outcome of any new Plan. A common threat to all nesting birds is egg and chick predation by ravens, jays and raccoons. All three are likely more abundant within the Park due to increased access to human refuse. Despite the use of critter-proof garbage cans, park visitors feed the wild animals and leave food around their picnic tables and campsites to attract these destructive predators. It is our understanding that ravens may travel as much as 10 miles from their group roosting areas that may be located within or just outside the Park. The same ravens may forage at the City of Santa Cruz Dimeo landfill and also raid bird nests in Big Basin during their breeding season. Marbled Murrelet eggs can be raided from the nests, if the brooding adult leaves the nest or is scared off by a predator. Murrelet chicks sit unprotected on those same branches. Stellar jays are ubiquitous within the park, fearlessly approaching visitors who are eating, seeking handouts, and are well-known egg predators. Raccoons are notorious garbage scavengers and skilled predators upon bird nests, as well as frogs, fish and other vulnerable aquatic species; raccoon numbers increase and are concentrated in areas where humans leave food scraps, increasing their destructiveness. The banks of streams are often covered with raccoon tracks. Some state parks have instituted active trapping and removal of raccoons from camping areas. Unwanted predatory populations of feral cats may also develop where permanent tent cabins and dining halls exist and are planned.

Noise pollution is another negative human impact in Big Basin State Park that should be addressed and reduced from any new Plan implementation. Marbled Murrelet may avoid areas new or threatening noises and be forced to abandon some old growth redwood stands. No Plan should include increased tent cabins, campsites or picnic areas in old-growth redwood groves, such as those along upper Opal Creek. Although some animals may become habituated to foot traffic and hikers’ conversations, some shy animals retreat from sudden, unpredictable and loud noises produced by such things as diesel engines (from recreational vehicles, shuttle buses, large trailer-pulling pickups, maintenance trucks and garbage trucks) and clanging lids of trash cans and garbage dumpsters. Animals hear over a wider range of sound frequencies than humans. If the new Plan requires new construction, this will also add to noise pollution from power tools, heavy equipment, etc. Can these noises be adequately baffled?

The mere presence of humans may disrupt activities of some mammal predators, such as coyote and mountain lion, thus reducing their predation upon deer and pig populations. A large deer population degrades plant communities by over-browsing understory plants. Feral pigs disturb the forest floor, especially where creeks, water seeps and springs occur. Environmental damage by feral pigs is increasing in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Cars and rural residents with depredation permits increasingly kill mountain lions. Mountain lions who attack hikers are hunted down and killed. Any new Plan that increases human use of Big Basin may well lead to reduced mountain lion populations and larger deer and pig populations, resulting in greater forest damage within the Park.

Unnatural lighting in camping areas undoubtedly affects feeding behavior by native owls and other nocturnal species. Some rodent prey species, such as wood rats, tend to avoid lit areas. Any Plan that increases overnight human use that requires more night lighting will have increased impacts.

Any Plan that increases pedestrian, bicycle and horse traffic on multi-use trails will have increased negative environmental impacts if trail maintenance is not increased to prevent trampling of native vegetation at switchbacks, trail widening, more erosion and sedimentation of streams, and introduction of non-native plant species. Horse traffic has the highest potential negative impact, especially during wet winter months, followed by bicycles and then foot traffic. Federally protected Coho salmon and steelhead inhabit the Waddell Creek drainage. Increased stream sedimentation from increased erosion will degrade rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and spawning habitat of adult salmonids. Horse traffic loosens the soil on the trail, leading to ruts that carry water and sediment to streams during winter storms. Mountain bikes deepen the ruts, leading to more trail erosion and stream sedimentation. Any Plan that recommends expansion of the trail system to connect with other trail systems can only multiply the impacts listed for existing trails. Longer, interconnected trail systems will encourage increased horse and bicycle traffic and will require even higher maintenance costs and have even greater impacts on wildlife behavior. This occurred when trails in the Soquel Demonstration State Forest were connected with those in Nisene Marks State Park, to the detriment of native species.

Greater water turbidity will reduce feeding efficiency of drift-feeding salmonids, and also impacts water sources for local residents. Some trails pass through creek beds, resulting in turbidity when horses or mountain bikes pass through. Some equestrians enjoy riding up and down the streambed. Visitors commonly use streams to throw objects into for their dogs to retrieve. This also increases turbidity.

If mountain bike and horse traffic on trails expands as a result of a new Plan, additional staff time will be required to control non-native, invasive plants and trail erosion. Non-native seeds are present in horse manure. Trails located near camp sites, creeks and picnic areas encourage trampling of native understory plants on the forest floor, in general, as well as streamside vegetation that normally protects stream banks and reduces erosion. These are added negative impacts expected from any Plan that promotes existing or increased human access and facilities in the Park.

Construction of new roads resulting from new planning will also increase proliferation of non-native plants along roadsides, as vehicles carry seeds in. Fungal pathogens, such as those that cause sudden oak death syndrome, will be more readily introduced to the Park if new roads are constructed. Increased shuttles with reduced personal vehicular traffic will fortunately lessen the impact.

Any new Plan that includes expanded construction or relocation of buildings will require increased piping for water supply and sewage removal. Any new trenching in the forest floor will kill tree roots. This could have significant impact on the health of old growth redwood stands. No Plan should include new construction or expanded facilities beneath old-growth trees that would require increased limbing of these trees for liability reasons or added structure protection. Marbled Murrelets require large horizontal branches upon which to lay their eggs.

Any new Plan that promotes increased overnight park use will require increased water supply and sewage treatment/ disposal. Will increased water consumption result in reduced stream flow in reaches of Waddell Creek that are utilized by protected salmonids? If so, this will be a negative impact on Coho salmon and steelhead. This potential impact must be assessed. Will disposal of treated sewage effluent increase the nutrient input to Waddell Creek? If so, potential impacts to salmonids must be addressed. This potential impact must be assessed.

Plans for removal of the existing reservoir in Little Basin should evaluate the potential of this reservoir being used by federally protected California red-legged frog if properly managed. Native frog breeding and tadpole habitat is especially limited in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and existing reservoirs may be very important to native amphibian populations. We have observed red-legged frogs in the headwaters of nearby Baldwin Creek, which has a natural pond.

Thus, it is not just logging and housing developments that threaten the health and well being of our forests and watersheds. The decisions made for the General Plan for Big Basin State Park will have lasting impacts of great significance.

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