Why Some Protected Lands Are Closed: Balancing People, Pets, and Protected Species

Not all protected lands are open to the public—and for good reason. From wildlife migration to trail safety, here’s what goes into deciding where trails go (and where they don’t).

Have you ever gotten frustrated because trails didn’t go to a specific area in a preserve? It might be because there’s no trail or because the trail that is there is off-limits to bikes, horses, or dogs. Or perhaps there’s a protected open space that’s not open to the public at all that you were hoping to see. In those moments, have you thought about what might be behind those choices? You may be surprised at how much goes into the decision-making process about public access to natural lands and trails.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAIL PLANNING, PUBLIC ACCESS, AND WILDLIFE

Why are some protected lands closed to the public?

The first thing to keep in mind is that, while most preserved land includes public access, our partners, like the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, may need to keep some protected lands closed to the public. This is done for a variety of reasons, often for the benefit of wildlife. For example, their homes may need protection or they may need the space undisturbed to allow them to cross large swaths of land. Think of animal migration through Coyote Valley from the East Bay’s Diablo Range to the Santa Cruz Mountains in the west. To protect these critical areas, sometimes people need to be excluded.

What is POST’s role in trail building?

It’s not typically POST’s role to open land to the public. Instead, that is usually done by our public agency partners after we transfer the land to them. However, we may be involved in trail planning, helping to make sure the land we protect is well cared for into the future. It is a long and thoughtful process agencies use to balance the needs of people (however they are traveling), animals, and plants.

What factors are considered when planning for new trails?

Let’s start with just a few of the steps trail experts take when planning a new trail.

• Conducting botanical surveys to discover what sensitive or endangered plants are in the area and exactly where they are.
• Tracking water sources and areas that may be wetlands for part of the year and dry other times.
• Identifying any historically or culturally sensitive areas, like the site of an ancient Native American settlement.
• Making biological assessments of both endangered and non-endangered animal species in the area and the habitats and conditions they need to survive.
• Evaluating existing roads and trails, their condition, and placement. As tempting as it may be to use one that already exists, if it goes right through rare habitat or is prone to flooding, it’s probably not the best place for a trail.
• Identifying areas where it would be dangerous to put a trail, like hillsides prone to erosion during big storms.
• Ensuring the safety of trail users. Is a trail site safe for hikers but not for bikes or horses (which both weigh more and take up more space than people do!)?

Whew! And that’s just the most obvious stuff! 

Even when all those things are taken into consideration, you can’t just plop a trail down somewhere. Going around one obstacle, say a creek, could land you right in the middle of something else, say the foraging ground of a badger or a place where a threatened plant is thriving.

Do trails negatively affect wildlife?

Considering wildlife needs brings up other issues as well. For example, birds like northern harriers, snowy plovers, and burrowing owls make their nests on the ground. That means, not only can dogs easily scare them away from their nests, but people can accidentally step on eggs. That’s why special areas may be cordoned off, like the portion of Tunitas Creek Beach that is reserved as a snowy plover breeding area, with no people or dogs allowed. It is also why POST doesn’t publicize where our burrowing owl recovery efforts are located. Even friendly people with the best intentions can cause them to abandon their nests.

But if everybody stays on the trails, doesn’t that avoid endangering wildlife? 

Many people believe that if they and their dogs just stay on the trail, everything will be fine. Even when dog owners do their best to follow the rules, just being on trails affects the wildlife whose home you are walking through. 

Studies reveal that hikers’ impact on the wildlife near trails is greater than most people think. A study done in Glacier National Park found the presence of humans caused animals, including bear, elk, rabbits, and deer, to change when and how they used areas near trails, sometimes completely abandoning a location. In our area, that impact includes endangered salamanders, snakes, and turtles—all of which are very interesting to most dogs. And don’t forget that wildlife doesn’t necessarily stay in one place. They may need to cross a trail to mate or find a new home and it’s important to keep them from encountering dogs in those situations.

These factors make it important for trail planners to be very careful not only where they place trails, but they must make sure there is sufficient space without trails. This way, animals can live their lives unbothered by the noise, scent, and other disturbances that people cause just from hiking by.

Can diseases pass between dogs and wild animals? 

Yes, there is a very real possibility of diseases passing from dogs to wildlife and vice versa. This often takes the form of people not picking up after their pets, assuming that dog poop is “natural” and it’s ok to leave it to biodegrade. In fact, dogs eat different things than wildlife, and, naturally, that comes out in their poop. Dogs carry bacteria that isn’t harmful to them, but is harmful to wild animals, who have entirely different bacteria in their waste (who knew?). Not only is their poop dangerous to wild animals, but rain and erosion will wash it into creeks and streams. From there, it can find its way into our drinking water. So, please, pick up the poop!

Wildlife can also contract diseases like mange that can be passed to our domesticated pets. Mange is a skin disease caused by microscopic mites burrowing into the skin. It causes hair loss and some forms cause foul-smelling scabs or thickening of the skin.

Why isn’t every trail just set up for mixed use? 

Yet another concern is what types of trails can be combined. For example, while hikers and equestrian trails mix fairly easily, dogs and bikers can frighten horses, especially on narrower trails. This causes horses to rear up, endangering everyone in the area. Also, many narrow trails simply aren’t wide enough for a bike and a person to safely pass each other. This applies especially e-bikes, which are larger and heavier than mountain bikes. 

Why are trails sometimes closed after a rain?

Another concern is for the trails themselves. Anyone who has hiked on a trail too soon after a rainstorm knows that it is easy to sink down in the mud with each step you take. Add the weight of a mountain bike or an e-bike and you quickly get ruts in the trail, which can make it unsafe for hikers, causing turned ankles and other issues. Ruts can also cause erosion damage to the trail. When the trail is marred too badly, it has to be closed for repairs, which requires time, staff, and money to fix. That’s why it’s important that no one, including “just one person,” uses a trail that has been closed because of rain.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

All of these things and more, including ADA accessibility where possible, are taken into account when new trails are planned. It’s a long process, especially since public agencies often take public comment along the way. By all means, reach out to your local agency and let them know if you want access to more trails of a certain type or in a certain preserve. But please also remember that their first priority is natural resource protection and the safety of everyone and everything that uses the trails.