The GMP discusses various aspects of park management that are relevant to canyoneering. I will quote relevant passages on this page. The next page (Part 3) quotes sections of the GMP that speak specifically to management of the Pristine Zone (where most canyoneering takes place).
GMP page iii
Summary
The purpose of this plan is to describe the general path the National Park Service intends to follow in managing Zion National Park over the next 20 years...
...The park will be zoned to ensure that resources are protected and opportunities are provided for a range of quality visitor experiences...
...Interim group size limits and new interim group encounter rates will be instituted pending completion of the wilderness management plan. Park managers may need to limit or reduce visitor numbers on 12 trails and routes in the recommended wilderness, including part of the Narrows, Middle Fork of Taylor Creek, and La Verkin Creek.
GMP page 1
Purpose of and Need for a Plan
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Both the National Parks and Recreation Act and NPS policies require general management plans to address visitor carrying capacity. One of the primary purposes of this plan is to meet this requirement. Carrying capacity is defined under the visitor experience and resource protection (VERP) framework as the type and level of visitor use a park can accomodate while sustaining resource and social conditions that complement the purposes of the park and its management objectives. In other words, carrying capacity is a prescription for the levels of visitor use in relation to various natural resource and visitor experience conditions. To set up a framework for addressing carrying capacity, the park was divided into zones that describe the differing desired resource conditions and visitor experiences...
GMP page 5
Purposes, Significance, and Mission Goals of Zion National Park
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The purposes of Zion National Park are to:
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• provide a variety of opportunities and a range of experiences, from solitude to high use, to assist visitors in learning about and enjoying park resources without degrading those resources
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The mission goals of Zion National Park are to
• provide park visitors educational and recreational opportunities that foster an appreciation of Zion and its resources
• ensure that visitor impacts do not impair resources
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• foster mutually supportive partnerships with private and public organizations and individuals to achieve visitor use and resource protection goals
GMP page 7
Park Policies and Practices
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- Desired Conditions
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Park resources and visitors are managed considering the ecological and social conditions of the park and surrounding area. Park managers adapt to changing ecological and social conditions within and external to the park and continue as partners in regional planning and land management.
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Strategies
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Central to ecosystem management is long-term monitoring of the change in condition of cultural and natural resources and related human influences. Without a planned monitoring program, improvement or degradation of resources and visitor experience cannot be determined with any certainty. To protect, restore, and enhance park resources and to sustain visitor use and enjoyment within the park and the related landscape, park managers will
• initiate long-term monitoring of resources and visitor use, including use of the VERP process as appropriate
• promote park-sponsored research to increase the understanding of park resources, natural processes, and human interactions with the environment
• institute science-based decision-making, incorporating the results of resource monitoring and research into all aspects of park operations
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GMP page 17
VISITOR USE AND EXPERIENCE
With the exception of commercial guided activities, visitors have had few restrictions on traditional activities in Zion until the past decade or so. However, over 2.5 million people now annually visit Zion and participate in a wide range of activities. Park managers are taking action to manage this use, minimize or avoid resource impacts, and ensure that visitors continue to have the opportunity for high quality experiences.
• Desired Conditions: Zion offers a variety of activities that are consistent with the park's purposes and significance. The vast majority of visitors are satisfied with appropriate park facilities, services, and recreational opportunities. Most visitors understand and appreciate the basic purposes and significance of the park and their stewardship role in preserving park features. They actively contribute to the park's preservation through demonstrated appropriate use and behavior. Visitor use levels and activities are consistent with park purposes and desired resource conditions and visitor opportunities. Resource impacts and conflicts between users are minimal. Visitors have opportunities to experience the natural sound environment of the park in an unimpaired condition. They understand and support management actions that are taken to diminish or avoid resource impacts.(Note: this is a statement of the Park's Desired Conditions in the realm of Visitor Use and Experience.)
• Strategies: If it is necessary to take action to address visitor impacts, park managers will use the method that assures the most resource protection whenever possible. Methods that may be used in this regard include such techniques as providing ongoing visitor education and redesigning or "hardening" facilities (e.g., surfacing a trail or building a fence). More restrictive methods may include implementing a reservation system and requiring permits for certain uses or areas, placing limits on use, and closing areas including trails or campsites. Restrictions on visitor use will be based on a determination by the park superintendent that such measures are consistent with the park's enabling legislation and are necessary to either prevent the degradation of the values and purposes for which the park was established, or to minimize visitor use conflicts.
Park managers will continue to use the transportation system to manage visitor use and distribution within Zion Canyon, according to the need to protect resources and provide quality visitor experiences. Visitor use of specific features or trail will continue to be managed or limited on a case-by-case basis to protect key visitor experiences.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS AREA
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• Desired Conditions: All of the lands within the recommended wilderness area retain their wilderness characteristics and values. Visitors continue to find opportunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation. Signs of people remain substantially unnoticeable. The area continues to be affected primarily by the forces of nature.
• Strategies: Within the next five years, park staff will complete a wilderness management plan, which will include the establishment of specific visitor carrying capacities. Components of the wilderness management plan will address climbing/canyoneering, river recreation, and the potential for commercial guide services. In the meantime, and in keeping with NPS policies ... the park staff will continue to manage the area recommended for wilderness designation as wilderness.
GMP page 25
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED IN FUTURE PLANS
Several other issues are of concern to park managers and visitors at Zion National Park, which are summarized below. The General Management Plan provides some directions and lays the groundwork for addressing these issues. However, future implementation plans will provide specific directions and actions that deal with these issues. Opportunities for public input will be provided in developing these implementation plans.
Carrying Capacity
Within the next five years carrying capacity studies will be completed for the park. These studies will serve as components for future plans such as the wilderness management plan. The 1978 Parks and Recreation Act requires parks to address carrying capacity, and it is essential in order to protect resources and provide a quality visitor experience. While the General Management Plan addresses carrying capacity qualitatively, a more scientific approach is needed to determine appropriate resource and visitor experience conditions. A VERP process or similar one will be used to collect additional data on visitor experiences and resource conditions, establish indicators and standards for each zone, and set up a monitoring program to determine whether conditions are acceptable or unacceptable. This process will allow management to take action to ensure resources and visitor experiences do not deteriorate to an unacceptable level. In the meantime, interim carrying capacities for the primitive and pristine zones have been established based on current levels of use and resource protection needs.
Wilderness Management
About 90% of the park is recommended wilderness and is managed as wilderness. It is essential that these areas be managed to protect the wilderness characteristics and values, both for the resource value itself as well as for the visitor's wilderness experience. As backcountry use is expanding dramatically, it is increasingly difficult to protect resources and manage for solitude and primitive recreation. A comprehensive plan is needed to address wilderness management. ...
