Preserve the Park

Until 1915, when Congress voted to establish this area as a national park, the area's valleys had been threatened by agricultural development, its wildlife endangered by hunting and its hills, mountains and forests distressed by mining and logging. 

It would be wonderful if that simple act had been all that was needed to protect the park. In the years that have followed, however, new challenges have arisen and today there are matters of serious concern, not only to conservationists but to all who love and enjoy the park.

Concerns

Increased numbers of visitors within the park exert tremendous stress on the environment. When a majority of the park's annual visitors congregate in a few favored spots, these areas are often critically damaged, in effect being "loved to death." For this reason, NPS implemented a backcountry permit system to limit the number of hikers and campers using a specific area at any particular time. This system protects those sites and introduces hikers to beautiful areas that they might otherwise have overlooked.

Another threat to the park's well- being is the effect of continuing commercial and residential development encircling the park. Not only does land development limit the animals' winter ranges and migratory routes, endangering their survival, but it also alters and impairs the park's environment by increasing erosion and pollution, and disturbing the soils, vegetation and natural vistas.

Managing the Park— A Balancing Act

Naturalist John Muir once said, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it is hitched to everything else in the universe." The resource management staff is continually working to maintain the balance of the park's precious ecosystems. Careful planning and positive action are required as the park moves forward with its preservation efforts.

Park naturalists recognize that the Rocky Mountain ecosystem doesn't stop at the park's boundaries and works with local organizations to protect the park resources beyond its borders. For example, the park collaborates with the state of Colorado to protect the bighorn sheep population.

The park is committed to restoring as much of the interior of the park as possible to pre-settlement conditions. Several lodges predating the park have been removed, as was a nine-hole golf course in Moraine Park. The downhill skiing facility at Hidden Valley was closed in 1992, and restoration of its creek and vegetation has begun. An aqueduct and three dams built prior to the establishment of the park have been purchased and removed, and restoration of the former reservoirs has been completed.

The park's backcountry per-mit system, initiated in 1972, has established a means to limit camping in the backcountry to reduce human impact on the environment. The park is looking to expand this successful program into an over-all backcountry management plan that will also monitor day use.

Potentially destructive recreational activities are prohibited within the park. Off-road recreational vehicle use, use of bicycles on trails, and hang gliding or paragliding from mountaintops (such as Longs Peak) is strictly forbidden. Limited snowmobiling is allowed (please see page 52 for more information).

As always, Rocky Mountain National Park must maintain a careful balance between preserving the park and providing for its visitors' enjoyment. It is a major task, one that requires all users to accept some responsibility as park stewards. Working together, park staff and visitors can ensure the survival of this precious wonderland.