snapshot of a typical week at fossil creek. recent accomplishments at fossil creek installed 10...
Post on 20-Dec-2015
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Snapshot of a Typical Week at Fossil Creek
Recent Accomplishments at Fossil Creek
• Installed 10 portable restrooms throughout the area
• Re-designed kiosk layouts, adding new rules/regulations signs in both English and Spanish.
• Removed a heavy duty rope swing suspended 75 feet above the waterfall by a steel cable.
• Painted over the majority of graffiti throughout the area
• Increased Forest Service presence in the area by patrolling nearly every day.
Re-designed kiosks with new regulatory signs
Painting over the graffiti under the bridge.
Removing the rope swing suspended high
above the waterfall by a steel cable.
These newly introduced portable toilets are heavily used by the public. District has increased pumping
to twice per week.
Most Pressing Issues Employees Dealing With at Fossil Creek
1) Parking along the roads to the point of nearly blocking them.
2) Weekend recreational use exceeding resource capacity.
3) Extreme tree damage near camp sites.
4) Large amounts of litter left at camp sites.
5) Fire restrictions constantly ignored.
The parking situation, especially near the waterfall access point, makes passage by larger vehicles very difficult.
Parking can quickly become out of control along Forest
Road 708, especially near the waterfall “trailhead” created by
the public.
This can present a serious public safety
hazard. Today, the ambulance was able to
squeeze by.
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# o
f P
eop
leA Snapshot of Weekend Use
Weekend recreational use at Fossil Creek is
exceeding the resource’s capacity.
These values represent only what
one employee counted while on
patrol. True values are likely twice these.
The bridge swimming hole has become one of the most highly used areas of the creek. Up to nearly 100
people have been counted here on a Saturday.
Tree Damage
Almost every tree in Fossil Creek located near a campsite is being
destroyed.
The following images were collected along a 1 mile stretch of
Forest Road 708.
In one hour of searching for damaged trees, one employee accumulated over 120 images.
The following is only a small selection.
Someone apparently decided that their camp site wasn't big enough and proceeded to cut
down a juniper and four mesquite trees.
Worst of the Weekend…
Trashed camp sites are a common
occurrence.
Someone using a pool toy.
Unsafe Behavior by the Public is Commonplace
We will continue to provide periodic updates on our progress, as well as on the problems we encounter.
- Aaron Rotert, USFS Student Intern and Patrol Ranger