FIELD REPORT
LAND USE
CROWD CONTROL More visits and less volunteerism during the pandemic created problems for Virginia’s public lands. But staffers say they’re turning the corner. B Y E R I C J . WA L L A C E
DORRIE STOLLEY WAS CRUNCHING
numbers last March when she noticed something odd: Rates of volunteerism had fallen dramatically as visits to public lands skyrocketed. “The trends made logical sense and didn’t necessarily come as a big surprise in and of themselves,” says Stolley, director of community engagement and volunteerism for the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. But their extent and impact were startling. On one hand, Virginia public lands have experienced a 13 percent increase in visits since the pandemic began.
6
BLUE RIDGE OUTDOORS
Most are attributed to new visitors who live in-state or near borders. Stolley says pandemic-related closures and travel restrictions led millennials, young families, and traditionally underrepresented communities to explore regional outdoor recreation opportunities in unprecedented numbers. Better still, many have become repeat visitors. “During the shutdowns, recreating out-of-doors was one of the few activities available that was safe to engage in,” says Stolley. People looked for public lands that were close to home, particularly state parks. Engaging in goit-alone adventures like hiking, biking, trail running, and swimming introduced them to the beauty and joy of conserved spaces—and inspired them to seek follow-up experiences in other areas. Stolley tells the story of a Norfolkbased family of four that went hiking in False Cape State Park. They were awed by pristine coastal maritime forests filled with mature, Spanish moss-covered live oaks, and an abundance of migratory birds. Next came renting bikes for a spin along the 17-mile Dismal Swamp Canal Trail in Chesapeake. After that, they kayaked blueways through wetlands and tidal creeks at York River State Park.
“The really great thing is that we’ve gotten this big influx of visitors that are experiencing the value of public lands and wild spaces for the first time,” says Virginia State Parks public relations specialist, Andrew Sporrer. That’s exciting because increased awareness often leads to citizen advocacy around environmentalism and conservation efforts. “And these trends aren’t geographically isolated,” adds Sporrer. Parks have seen upticks throughout the state.
However, the good news comes with a caveat: Many new visitors appear to be unfamiliar with basic stewardship principles like Leave No Trace. However, the good news comes with a caveat: Many new visitors appear to be unfamiliar with basic stewardship principles like Leave No Trace. Sporrer says that most new users have traditionally been introduced to outdoor recreation through nature-
loving family members, friends, clubs, or educational programming. Learning conservation best practices was almost always inherent. But much of the current inpouring stems from people looking to escape boredom, or cabin fever, or simply try something new. “The issue has been, most of our facilities have been closed, or operating in a limited capacity [since April of 2020],” says Sporrer. Welcome stations and information centers were shuttered, educational programs nixed, and interactions with rangers restricted. The measures virtually eliminated in-person learning opportunities. Meanwhile, some state parks were seeing explosive spikes in visits. Virginia Beach’s First Landing State Park, for instance, has routinely reached peak capacity by 9 a.m. on weekends throughout the pandemic. “It’s these hotspots that’re getting hit the hardest,” says Sporrer. New visitors do things like disregard marked trails and trample through sensitive, off-limits ecosystems. They haul in glass bottles and toss trash on V I S I T S T O P U B L I C L A N D S H AV E I N C R E A S E D G R E AT L Y D U R I N G T H E PA N D E M I C . P I C T U R E D H E R E , A F A M I L Y PA D D L E S AT M A S O N N E C K S TAT E PA R K . P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F V I R G I N I A S TAT E PA R K S
