Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Jeff Marion, Ph.D.
Jeff is a Research Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center at Blacksburg, VA.
Jeff Marion grew up exploring the woods, streams, and caves of Kentucky, developing strong interests in nature study and high adventure outdoor activities. One of four Eagle Scouts in his family, he served for five summers at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, teaching backpacking and climbing skills. Coursework in biology, ecology, and geology at Wittenberg University led to a B.S. in Biology (1979), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Recreation Resources Management from the University of Minnesota (1982/84). Graduate studies focused on recreation ecology research, combining strong personal interests in the ecological sciences with his continuing passion for outdoor recreational pursuits, particularly backpacking, climbing, caving, and canoeing. His doctoral research measured camping-associated environmental impacts in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to investigate relationships between biophysical impacts, amount ofuse, and plant community, soil, and ecological classifications.
Professional Experience
8/97-2001 - DOI, U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Title: Research Biologist Duties: Unit Leader for the PWRC Virginia Tech Field Station. Conducted recreation ecology research to evaluate visitor impacts to protected natural areas.
11/94-7/97 - DOI, National Biological Survey, Div. of Cooperative Research, Blacksburg, VA Title: Research Biologist Duties: Unit Leader, Cooperative Park Studies Unit. Conducted recreation ecology research.
6/85-10/94 - DOI, National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Region Title: Research Biologist Duty Stations: 1) Virginia Tech; Blacksburg, VA and 2) Delaware Water Gap NRA; Milford, PA Dates: 1) 10/89-10/94 2) 6/85-9/89 Duties: Unit Leader, Cooperative Park Studies Unit (when at VT). Conducted recreation ecology research.
12/84-5/85 - University of Wisconsin, Park, Recreation & Resource Management program, River Falls, WI Title: Assistant Professor
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Recreation Resources Management, 3/82-7/84, Univ. of Minnesota - Forest Resources
M.S. Recreation Resources Management, 9/80-3/82, Univ. of Minnesota - Forest Resources
Environmental Science, 9/79-6/80, Duke University - School of the Environment (transferred)
B.A. Biology, 9/75-6/79, Wittenberg University
Science and Products
Sustainable Management of Campsites: Research on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails
Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss
Research and Management of Informal (Visitor-Created) Trails in Protected Areas
Assessing Recreational Impact to Cliff Habitats and Rare Plants
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Invasive plant hitchhikers: Appalachian Trail thru-hiker knowledge and attitudes of invasive plants and Leave No Trace practices
Modeling areal measures of campsite impacts on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to enhance ecological sustainability
Leave no trace communication: Effectiveness based on assessments of resource conditions
Application of airborne LiDAR and GIS in modeling trail erosion along the Appalachian Trail, New Hampshire, USA
The influence of layout on Appalachian Trail soil loss, widening, and muddiness: Implications for sustainable trail design and management
Informing planning and management through visitor experiences in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Recreational impacts to wildlife: Managing visitors and resources to protect wildlife
Mapping the relationships between trail conditions and experiential elements of long-distance hiking
Conflicting messages about camping near waterbodies in wilderness: A review of the scientific basis and need for flexibility
Understanding and mitigating wilderness therapy impacts: The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument case study
Applying recreation ecology science to sustainably manage camping impacts: A classification of camping management strategies
“Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota
Science and Products
- Science
Sustainable Management of Campsites: Research on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails
Current and increasing visitation to protected natural areas has the potential to negatively impact natural resources and threaten the quality of visitors’ experiences. In backcountry and wilderness settings land managers have often allowed visitors to select and create their own campsites, which surveys reveal are often close to water, formal trails, and other campsites. This research is focused...Sustainably Designed Trails: Recent Recreation Ecology Findings on Design Factors Affecting Soil Loss
An estimated 146 million Americans participated in more than 10.9 billion outdoor recreation activities in 2017. Virtually all protected natural areas have recreational trails as an essential infrastructure component to accommodate these outdoor recreation activities and visitor access, supporting a diverse array of opportunities and experiences that include nature study, hiking, camping, mountain...Research and Management of Informal (Visitor-Created) Trails in Protected Areas
Protected area managers provide formal trail systems to accommodate recreational visitation on resistant “hardened” treads, while protecting off-trail vegetation, soils, and wildlife. When formal trail networks fail to provide visitors the access and experiences they require, visitors frequently venture “off-trail” to fish, hunt, explore, climb, or engage in other off-trail activities. Even...Assessing Recreational Impact to Cliff Habitats and Rare Plants
Protected natural areas, including parks, forests, wilderness, and wildlife refuges, have a dual mandate to protect natural resources and accommodate recreational visitation. Recreational activities that occur on trails (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) and on recreation sites (picnicking, camping) can benefit from the development of a sustainable infrastructure of facilities that... - Multimedia
Trail Transect to Measure Soil Loss
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Field staff are establishing a permanent transect to measure changes in trail conditions along this trail. A self-leveling laser was used to set up the transect and the diagram illustrates how vertical measurements are collected to compute cross-sectional area soil loss measures.
Measuring Trail Degradation, MudholeThree field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
Three field staff assessing trail conditions at one of more than 3000 trail transects along the Appalachian Trail. This transect sampled a rare mudhole in Vermont.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 121
Invasive plant hitchhikers: Appalachian Trail thru-hiker knowledge and attitudes of invasive plants and Leave No Trace practices
Hiking and backpacking on American National Scenic Trails has increased in popularity in recent years. To encourage responsible and sustainable outdoor recreation on these much-loved trails, direct and indirect management strategies must be employed by managerial agencies. The Leave No Trace (LNT) education program aims to protect natural resources by promoting minimum-impact behaviours that lesseAuthorsMegan Dolman, Jeffrey L. MarionModeling areal measures of campsite impacts on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to enhance ecological sustainability
Campsite impacts in protected natural areas are most effectively minimized by a containment strategy that focuses use on a limited number of sustainable campsites that spatially concentrate camping activities. This research employs spatial autoregressive (SAR) modeling to evaluate the relative influence of use-related, environmental, and managerial factors on two salient measures of campsite impacAuthorsJohanna R. Arredondo, Jeffrey L. Marion, Fletcher P. Meadema, Jeremy F. WimpeyLeave no trace communication: Effectiveness based on assessments of resource conditions
The efficacy of different Leave No Trace (LNT) communication interventions designed to persuade forest visitors to practice low-impact camping behaviors were evaluated. Three depreciative campsite behaviors—littering, tree damage, and surface disposal of human waste—were evaluated by before-and-after resource condition assessments. Three LNT communication interventions were evaluated against a conAuthorsNita Settina, Jeffrey L. Marion, Forrest SchwartzApplication of airborne LiDAR and GIS in modeling trail erosion along the Appalachian Trail, New Hampshire, USA
Recreational activities can negatively affect protected area landscapes and resources and soil erosion is frequently cited as the most significant long-term impact to recreational trails. Comprehensive modeling of soil loss on trails can identify influential factors that managers can manipulate to design and manage more sustainable trails. Field measurements assessed soil loss as the mean verticaAuthorsHolly Eagleston, Jeffrey L. MarionThe influence of layout on Appalachian Trail soil loss, widening, and muddiness: Implications for sustainable trail design and management
This research investigates the influence of layout and design on the severity of trail degradation. Previous trail studies have been restricted by relatively small study areas which provide a limited range of environmental conditions and therefore produce findings with limited applicability; this research improves on this limitation by analyzing a representative sample of the Appalachian Trail wiAuthorsFletcher Meadema, Jeffrey L. Marion, Johanna Arredondo, Jeremy WimpeyInforming planning and management through visitor experiences in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Policies mandate that managers at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument must balance recreational opportunities with a variety of resource management and utilization activities across a vast and diverse landscape containing numerous Wilderness Study Areas and other lands containing spectacular resources. This balancing act is stressed by increasing levels of use and recent changes in managemAuthorsDerrick Taff, Jeremy Wimpey, Jeffrey L. Marion, Johanna Arredondo, Fletcher Meadema, Forrest Schwartz, Ben Lawhon, Cody DemsRecreational impacts to wildlife: Managing visitors and resources to protect wildlife
Publication Abstract: Visitor use management is essential for maximizing benefits for visitors while achieving and maintaining desired resource conditions and visitor experiences on federally managed lands and waters. Visitor capacity, a component of visitor use management, is defined as the maximum amounts and types of visitor use that an area can accommodate while achieving and maintaining theAuthorsJeffrey L. MarionMapping the relationships between trail conditions and experiential elements of long-distance hiking
Trail users that experience acceptable social and ecological conditions are more likely to act as trail stewards, exhibit proper trail etiquette, and use low-impact practices. However, the relationships between specific trail conditions and experiential elements of long-distance hiking are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify how trail conditions influence partAuthorsBrian A. Peterson, Matthew T.J. Brownlee, Jeffrey L. MarionConflicting messages about camping near waterbodies in wilderness: A review of the scientific basis and need for flexibility
The preceding article by C. B. Griffin examines the differences in recommended camping distance from waterbodies from a perspective that there should be consistency between the guidance provided by land management agencies and low impact education and communication programs, such as Leave No Trace and Tread Lightly. We concur that regulatory and messaging consistency is a beneficial mutual goal anAuthorsJeffrey L. Marion, Jeremy Wimpey, Ben LawhornUnderstanding and mitigating wilderness therapy impacts: The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument case study
Studies demonstrate that wilderness therapy programs can be beneficial for participants; however, little research has explored the ecological impacts of these programs. A prominent wilderness therapy organization utilizes vast tracts of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) for programming. This study examines the specific ecological impacts stemming from the program in GSENM, coAuthorsAmelia Romo, Jeffrey L. Marion, Jeremy Wimpey, Derrick Taff, Forrest SchwartzApplying recreation ecology science to sustainably manage camping impacts: A classification of camping management strategies
Wilderness and other protected natural areas such as national forests, parks, and refuges are managed to provide high-quality recreational opportunities while preserving natural resource conditions. In managing recreation visitation, land managers could allow visitors to create their own infrastructure of trails and campsites, or they could choose to apply an impact management strategy to provideAuthorsJeffrey L. Marion, Johanna Arredondo, Jeremy Wimpey, Fletcher Meadema“Naturalness” in designated Wilderness: Long-term changes in non-native plant dynamics on campsites, Boundary Waters, Minnesota
Wilderness areas in the United States are preserved for their untrammeled naturalness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has these qualities, but long-term recreation visitation pressures on campsites can cause significant ecological changes. This article explores changes on campsites, specifically examining non-native plant ecology over 3 decadeAuthorsHolly Eagleston, Jeffrey L. Marion - News