Final report to - Sierra Forest Legacy

1019Status of Riparian HabitatFIGURE 36.2 (continued)tration of people along riverbanks: heavy foot traffic tramplesvegetation, compacts soils, and can physically damage banks(Liddle 1975). Trails (foot, horse, bicycle, or motorcycle) replaceriparian vegetation with pavement or bare, compactedearth and bring people into the riparian zone where they arethen more likely to concentrate on banks, with the effects justdescribed. Heavy concentration of anglers on the banks mayhave similar effects. These effects have been documentedalong the Merced River in Yosemite National Park (Madej etal. 1994) and are probably concentrated near popular campgroundsthroughout the Sierra Nevada, but their overall extenthas not been documented. Most national forest campgroundsin the Sierra Nevada are located in or near riparianareas.