Hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, horseback riding, snowmobiling are just some of the ways we get outside to enjoy nature and unwind from our day-to-day activities. However, even these seeming innocuous activities can have impacts on wildlife including reduced abundance, reproduction, and survival. Thoughtful trail location allows us to get outside to enjoy nature and also minimize disturbance to wildlife.
Funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department recently developed a statewide tool that can be used to assess existing trails and site new trails in the most wildlife-friendly way. This mapping tool highlights areas particularly important for wildlife and areas that would be more suitable for trail development.
The companion guidebook, Trails for People and Wildlife, explains in more detail how recreation can impact wildlife, how to use the tool to minimize those impacts, and provides some real-world examples of how conservation organizations are using it to make their trail planning efforts most effective.
If you'd like to read the guidebook you can download it here or you can review a copy at the Dunbarton Public Library.
The Conservation Commission used this information in developing a new trail policy for our conservation areas. View Dunbarton Trail Policy.