A simple solution to a complex problem
Three simple steps to reduce off trail hiking
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LET’S STOP OFF TRAIL HIKING—A CALL TO ACTION
Off trail hiking is destroying Pilot Butte. You’re probably thinking, “Tell me something I don’t know.” Okay, how about this? There’s an easy way to combat it and you can play a big role without doing very much.
Many, if not most, people who hike off trail are repeat offenders. Stop one of them and you prevent a lot of damage. Then there are the ones who are hiking the Butte for the first time and may never return. They’re sometimes easier to stop. If they only do part of what they intended to do, that’s helpful.
Peer pressure has been proven to be highly effective. If someone other than a park official tells someone that hiking off the designated trails isn’t allowed, it carries more weight. It’s also much more likely to happen. In the summer of 2015, the park did regular patrols on trails at Pilot Butte, often with citation book in hand. No one was caught. The rangers saw plenty of evidence of off trail hiking, but they never saw someone actually doing it.
Hikers and runners on the other hand see it often. Many have spoken up and the story they tell is probably familiar. The response wasn’t exactly positive and sometimes it was downright mean. It turns out there are a lot ways people justify hiking off trail:
You’re probably thinking, “How can we ever stop this?” You may also be thinking, “if the situation is that bad, why even speak up? The last thing I need is to be told off by some jerk.”
If so, you’re missing the point. There’s strength in numbers and that’s the positive message of the day. Almost everyone already knows that hiking off trail isn’t allowed in a popular park like Plot Butte. Yes there are signs, but they don’t need to see them because they already know. While it's true that off trail hiking at Pilot Butte is far more destructive than it is most places, it’s hard to win that argument precisely because of the destruction that has happened already. What one person is doing is just a drop in the bucket compared to what has already happened.
The solution is to find a single line to say that gets your message across AND gets into the person’s head just a bit. It may not change his or her behavior that day but, with enough people using their own lines, it eventually will. If they hear it from five different people on just one hike, they might even get with the program that day. For reasons they may never fully understand, off trail hiking at Pilot Butte will become a pain in the butt. They’ll go someplace else or they’ll change their ways.
It’s important to just state your line and be done with it. Once it turns into a debate or worse, you’re losing. Remember that they’ll hear it from others and, because they’ll hear something different from each one, they’ll stop because the learned something or just to save face. A few will be stubborn and never stop but there are ways to deal with them (see below).
Here’s what to do. Come up with a line you can stand on. By that we mean one that is comfortable for you to use. Remember that it’s the combined effect of a lot of different people and not the one thing you say that will make the difference. If you don’t want people telling you off, use a line that shouldn’t cause much trouble like, “Did you know that off trail hiking isn’t allowed here?” Make sure you don’t say much else. No matter what they say, just come back with something like, “Just wanted to make sure you knew.” You might get an angry reply on occasion. Just be pleasant and move on. Many confronted like this will wonder why you didn’t say more and that’s a good thing because they’re at least thinking.
If your style is more confrontational, that’s okay too. Just remember to keep the confrontation to one line and move on. You may hear the person yelling at you half way up the Butte but that’s a good sign. Again, they’re thinking. In this case they’re challenged because you won’t engage. The things they're saying won’t sound like they learned much, but eventually they will be standing there alone with only their own behavior to deal with. It probably won’t solve the problem but it will help. When someone says something else in the future, they’ll listen. It’s a process of wearing them down and slowly educating at the same time.
There are other tactics and one is education. You can pick a line meant to teach them something and deliver it in a nice way, confrontational, or something in between. Maybe something like, “Can you see how much off trail hiking is destroying the beauty of this park?” Or, “The reason the park is so concerned about off trail hiking is because plants have hard enough time growing here without people making it more difficult.”
Humor can be especially effective. Come up with a funny line and it will catch most off guard. Just make sure your intent is to get a laugh. Sarcasm can also be effective but for completely different reasons. Here are a few lines to help you find your own funny line:
HOPELESS CASES AREN’T NECESSARILY HOPELESS
If someone just doesn’t get it, there may still be a way. Document the location, time, and day you see them off trail and do this several times. Take some notes. Figure out where they’re headed when they leave the Butte and if you can, jot down their license plate and vehicle description. When you have enough information to predict when they will be there or identify them through public records (e.g., their license plate), turn the information over to the park. They’ll do something and you may be surprised. For example, they may already have nearly enough information to exclude the person from the park. You never know. The information you give may be the last piece of information they need to solve the problem or it might be a starting place that others add to. A license plate or address really helps because the park can, and probably will, send a letter that at the very least lets the person know they’re on the park’s radar. Many will stop as soon as they get the letter. Here again, peer pressure is at work. Not only do the authorities know but they know because all those people who said something to them are paying attention.
WHAT ABOUT CITATIONS?
Many believe that if a few citations are issued that will solve the problem. It will definitely help but it’s really hard and costly to have someone with citation authority actually catch someone in the act. While it would be helpful to have even one citation issued, it’s just unlikely to happen. But if it does, let everyone know. They might change their line to something like, “I heard someone got a big ticket the other day.” It helps, but it’s still peer pressure that’s getting things done. Peer pressure is so effective all by itself that it doesn’t really need someone getting a citation to make it work.
IN A NUTSHELL
Do these things and you’ll see a decrease in off trail hiking:
Most important, feel good about whatever your role is. No one person is really doing all that much. Instead, each person is part of the solution. Then, even if you don’t feel comfortable being part of this solution, there are still things you can do. For example, some plants are much more durable and resistant to the effects of off trail hiking. Planting some of those native plants would help a lot because while off trail hiking will decrease, it will never go away.
There’s always something you can do if the problem concerns you. Let’s face it, not everyone can shout, “Hey, get back on the trail you jerk.” Believe it or not, that probably helps. But if everyone did it, very little would be accomplished. The trick is finding your niche and believing that the combined efforts of many will help restore the natural beauty of Pilot Butte over time. It’s going to happen. Hopefully, someone who couldn’t speak up themselves realizes that we’ll need pictures to prove that it worked. Those pictures will take the process to a whole new level.
Off trail hiking is destroying Pilot Butte. You’re probably thinking, “Tell me something I don’t know.” Okay, how about this? There’s an easy way to combat it and you can play a big role without doing very much.
Many, if not most, people who hike off trail are repeat offenders. Stop one of them and you prevent a lot of damage. Then there are the ones who are hiking the Butte for the first time and may never return. They’re sometimes easier to stop. If they only do part of what they intended to do, that’s helpful.
Peer pressure has been proven to be highly effective. If someone other than a park official tells someone that hiking off the designated trails isn’t allowed, it carries more weight. It’s also much more likely to happen. In the summer of 2015, the park did regular patrols on trails at Pilot Butte, often with citation book in hand. No one was caught. The rangers saw plenty of evidence of off trail hiking, but they never saw someone actually doing it.
Hikers and runners on the other hand see it often. Many have spoken up and the story they tell is probably familiar. The response wasn’t exactly positive and sometimes it was downright mean. It turns out there are a lot ways people justify hiking off trail:
- “This looks like a trail to me.”
- “Where’s the sign that says I can’t?”
- “I pay my taxes and can do what I want.”
- “Mind your own business old man.”
- “I’ve lived in Bend my whole life, did this as a kid, and no Californian is going to stop me.”
- Often they just pretend they didn’t hear you and keep going.
You’re probably thinking, “How can we ever stop this?” You may also be thinking, “if the situation is that bad, why even speak up? The last thing I need is to be told off by some jerk.”
If so, you’re missing the point. There’s strength in numbers and that’s the positive message of the day. Almost everyone already knows that hiking off trail isn’t allowed in a popular park like Plot Butte. Yes there are signs, but they don’t need to see them because they already know. While it's true that off trail hiking at Pilot Butte is far more destructive than it is most places, it’s hard to win that argument precisely because of the destruction that has happened already. What one person is doing is just a drop in the bucket compared to what has already happened.
The solution is to find a single line to say that gets your message across AND gets into the person’s head just a bit. It may not change his or her behavior that day but, with enough people using their own lines, it eventually will. If they hear it from five different people on just one hike, they might even get with the program that day. For reasons they may never fully understand, off trail hiking at Pilot Butte will become a pain in the butt. They’ll go someplace else or they’ll change their ways.
It’s important to just state your line and be done with it. Once it turns into a debate or worse, you’re losing. Remember that they’ll hear it from others and, because they’ll hear something different from each one, they’ll stop because the learned something or just to save face. A few will be stubborn and never stop but there are ways to deal with them (see below).
Here’s what to do. Come up with a line you can stand on. By that we mean one that is comfortable for you to use. Remember that it’s the combined effect of a lot of different people and not the one thing you say that will make the difference. If you don’t want people telling you off, use a line that shouldn’t cause much trouble like, “Did you know that off trail hiking isn’t allowed here?” Make sure you don’t say much else. No matter what they say, just come back with something like, “Just wanted to make sure you knew.” You might get an angry reply on occasion. Just be pleasant and move on. Many confronted like this will wonder why you didn’t say more and that’s a good thing because they’re at least thinking.
If your style is more confrontational, that’s okay too. Just remember to keep the confrontation to one line and move on. You may hear the person yelling at you half way up the Butte but that’s a good sign. Again, they’re thinking. In this case they’re challenged because you won’t engage. The things they're saying won’t sound like they learned much, but eventually they will be standing there alone with only their own behavior to deal with. It probably won’t solve the problem but it will help. When someone says something else in the future, they’ll listen. It’s a process of wearing them down and slowly educating at the same time.
There are other tactics and one is education. You can pick a line meant to teach them something and deliver it in a nice way, confrontational, or something in between. Maybe something like, “Can you see how much off trail hiking is destroying the beauty of this park?” Or, “The reason the park is so concerned about off trail hiking is because plants have hard enough time growing here without people making it more difficult.”
Humor can be especially effective. Come up with a funny line and it will catch most off guard. Just make sure your intent is to get a laugh. Sarcasm can also be effective but for completely different reasons. Here are a few lines to help you find your own funny line:
- “Did you know 9 out of 10 hikers prefer using trails?”
- “You get extra points if you stay on the trails.”
- “The last person who hiked off trail passed out and the vultures got him.”
HOPELESS CASES AREN’T NECESSARILY HOPELESS
If someone just doesn’t get it, there may still be a way. Document the location, time, and day you see them off trail and do this several times. Take some notes. Figure out where they’re headed when they leave the Butte and if you can, jot down their license plate and vehicle description. When you have enough information to predict when they will be there or identify them through public records (e.g., their license plate), turn the information over to the park. They’ll do something and you may be surprised. For example, they may already have nearly enough information to exclude the person from the park. You never know. The information you give may be the last piece of information they need to solve the problem or it might be a starting place that others add to. A license plate or address really helps because the park can, and probably will, send a letter that at the very least lets the person know they’re on the park’s radar. Many will stop as soon as they get the letter. Here again, peer pressure is at work. Not only do the authorities know but they know because all those people who said something to them are paying attention.
WHAT ABOUT CITATIONS?
Many believe that if a few citations are issued that will solve the problem. It will definitely help but it’s really hard and costly to have someone with citation authority actually catch someone in the act. While it would be helpful to have even one citation issued, it’s just unlikely to happen. But if it does, let everyone know. They might change their line to something like, “I heard someone got a big ticket the other day.” It helps, but it’s still peer pressure that’s getting things done. Peer pressure is so effective all by itself that it doesn’t really need someone getting a citation to make it work.
IN A NUTSHELL
Do these things and you’ll see a decrease in off trail hiking:
- Let others know about this information. You can print a copy by clicking here.
- Come up with a single sentence to tell people when you see them off trail. Practice and refine that sentence but don’t go much further. People already know they’re doing the wrong thing. What they don’t know is most people don’t appreciate it. That takes but one sentence. A lecture or debate often makes things worse by causing them to dig in their heels.
- Trust that others will do the same thing in a slightly different way. No one wants a Butte full of hikers, runners, and mom’s with strollers aligned against them.
Most important, feel good about whatever your role is. No one person is really doing all that much. Instead, each person is part of the solution. Then, even if you don’t feel comfortable being part of this solution, there are still things you can do. For example, some plants are much more durable and resistant to the effects of off trail hiking. Planting some of those native plants would help a lot because while off trail hiking will decrease, it will never go away.
There’s always something you can do if the problem concerns you. Let’s face it, not everyone can shout, “Hey, get back on the trail you jerk.” Believe it or not, that probably helps. But if everyone did it, very little would be accomplished. The trick is finding your niche and believing that the combined efforts of many will help restore the natural beauty of Pilot Butte over time. It’s going to happen. Hopefully, someone who couldn’t speak up themselves realizes that we’ll need pictures to prove that it worked. Those pictures will take the process to a whole new level.