Group A: Goblin Valley State Park, Utah

Background: This state park is well-known for its hoodoo rocks, known as “goblins”. These sandstone rock formations are caused by erosion. Beyond being a photographer’s and hiker’s paradise, this park has also served as the filming location for shows and movies, including Galaxy Quest.

Current day issue: Although most visitors spend their time investigating the hoodoos themselves, a growing number of adventurers are visiting nearby “Goblin’s Lair”, a slot canyon. The access to this canyon is via social trails, which cross through biological soil crust. The park is not currently maintaining the trail, nor advertising this canyon.

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Considerations:

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Group B: Gooseberry Mountain Bike Trails:

Background: Located near Zion National Park, these interconnected trails have become world famous. They exist in the Gooseberry Mesa National Recreation Trail, and are managed by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). Trails range from beginner to expert.

Current day issue: Four established trails are open to mountain bikers. Recently a group has started going down a new route, one that goes through a large and old area of biological soil crust. The new route they are exploring has beautiful views, but is similar in difficulty and terrain to an already existing trail. Visitation to this area has increased by 10% from the past year, and may continue to rise, which could potentially make riding here a less enjoyable experience.

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Considerations:

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Group C: ATV use in the San Rafael Swell, UT

Background: This area lies between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce National Park in Utah. Most recreational users are from the local community, and have been using ATVs and dirt bikes in this area for many years. Currently there are two main areas designated for off-road vehicle use.

Current day issues: Off-road vehicle use has severely impacted these areas and the biological soil crust communities there. This area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Local communities are asking for access to a larger area for off-road vehicle use. There are currently no hiking, mountain biking, or horse-riding trails around this area.

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Considerations:

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Group D: Zion National Park, UT

Background: Zion National Park, a National Park Service site, is one of the most popular parks in the United States. With over 5 million annual visitors, this park is a showcase for sandstone canyons, unique wildlife, and beautiful water features. Situated in the southwestern section of Utah, Zion has many miles of trails, yet is 84% designated wilderness.

Current day issue: One of Zion’s hiking trails has recently been observed as a stronghold for an endangered plant species, Shivwits milkvetch. This trail is close to the river, and visitors have many created social trails to the river, disturbing the biological soil crust that has helped create this growing location for the milkvetch. This trail gets upwards of 500 people walking on it per day in summer.

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Considerations:

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Group E: Near Canyonlands National Park, UT

Background: A longtime landowner has recently donated 100 acres of land to the National Park Service. This land has been relatively untouched throughout the years, and has a very healthy biological soil crust distribution, as well as ecosystem. The land is on the borders of Canyonlands National Park.

Current day issues: Canyonlands National Park has seen an increase in visitation in the last five years. Trails are limited and becoming more crowded, and the visitor experience has lessened during the summer seasons. The donated land has a beautiful array of sandstone hoodoos and variety of plant life. The biological soil crust observed in this area is some of the best preserved in Southern Utah, and could provide a good study area.

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Considerations:

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