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Scientists with the Fort Collins Science Center and land managers with the Bureau of Land Management recently published a new SSS that synthesized science about the effects of nonmotorized recreation on ungulate species in the western United States. The authors conducted a structured literature search to gather four types of information used in NEPA analyses: data about occurrence of nonmotorized recreation and distribution of ungulates, scientific studies about the effects of nonmotorized recreation on ungulates, methods for quantifying those potential effects, and measures for mitigating potential negative effects. 

The report found that timing, intensity, duration, and spatial distribution of nonmotorized recreation are important factors that influence the degree to which recreation can affect ungulates. Ungulate individuals and populations vary in their responses to recreation because of differences in diet, migration, predation pressure, and prior habituation to recreation. Methods to assess potential effects range from basic spatial analyses to more technical modeling methods, many of which focus on movement or avoidance of individual ungulates around recreation sites. Managers have many options to mitigate potentially adverse effects, such as restricting timing or type of recreation, educating recreators about minimizing impacts on ungulates, and designing recreation infrastructure to minimize its potential to disturb ungulate habitat.

The SSS series and other USGS science synthesis efforts are continuing to explore ways to enhance science delivery for public land management in the United States. See a list of past and upcoming synthesis products at: 

“Effects of Nonmotorized Recreation on Ungulates in the Western United States—A Science Synthesis to Inform National Environmental Policy Act Analyses” was authored by Samuel Jordan, Taylor Ganz, Tait Rutherford, Elisabeth Teige, and Sarah Carter with the Fort Collins Science Center; and Matthew Blocker, Christopher Domschke, Fritz Klasner, Elroy Masters, Tye Morgan, and Daryl Ratajczak with the Bureau of Land Management. The SSS was published as a U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report and is available online at https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20255014.