Re: [Paddlewise] Saturation Point

> Yes, it makes sense. Years ago when we moved to Canada the town of Oakville
> seemed almost idyllic. Developers advertised it as such and soon the place
> was just another bedroom community but with more class. The new people
> thought the town was idyllic, the older residents thought it was over run.
> The perception of over use seems relative to previous experience.

Yes, exactly.  New arrivals will accept an area at the current level of
development while many who knew it before will bemoan what was lost.  I
see an unstopable trend of development.  People like to "improve"
things, which usually menas development.  As old folks retire we loose
their sense of what was and is worth preserving.  This creaping
perception allows creaping development.

Increase of use by new users looks inevitable to me.  Population is
growing AND awareness of outdoor persuits is growing.  There are going
to be more kayakers paddling around, how can the resources accomodate
them?  Well:


1. Different levels of development.  Users spread themselves over a
continum of how much isolation they seak.  Those that want more are
often willing to go to greater effort to find it.  Let the near by
places be developed to handle a larger number and let the remotness of a
place keep it's numbers low.  Resist improving access to remote places: 
once they stop being remote, they will be more visited.  Those that
don't mind crowds (and have less time) will go to the places that are
easy to get to.  Those that do mind crowds will make the effort to get
away from them.  

2. Quota (permit) systems.  Each area has an appropriate level of use
that it can sustain, weather it be intended as high or low use. 
Limiting factors are number of camp sites, ability to dispose of human
waste, and environmental impact.  Each area has a natural carring
capaciy based on those factors.  When the demand for an area is higher
than the area can sustain then you either have to develop it more or
restrict access by a quota system.  Usually a combination of both.  This
is very contentious, but failure to do so results in areas being
trampled to death. 

3. Creation of new areas.  This is what is going to save us.  As more
people join sport the demand increases.  Both easy access/high use and
remote/low use areas must be added.  



There are water trails associations in Washington State and Brittish
Columbia.  The little I know about them gives me a positive impression
about what they are doing.  The new guide to Pacific North West
destinations does an execlent job of encouraging proper use of areas.


As always our world is the product of individual actions.  Things that
individuals can do:

1. Join your local water trails association and support their work.  

2. Be a friendly kayaker so that private land owners don't start
restricting access.

3. Pratice low impact camping.  Leave no trace of fires, leave no trash,
clean up your tent site, etc.
Leave places looking less visited than when you arrived.  

4. Contact athorities and understand how to use an area well.

5. Educate others.


I think that crowding and quota systems are an inevitable part of our
future.  It is not the end of the world:  those places I visit with good
quota systems really have been preserved.  I don't get to go there as
often, but when i do is much more special.  


Tom Unger
Seattle

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