Snapshot of a Typical Week at Fossil Creek

Recent Accomplishments at Fossil Creek

• Installed 10 portable restrooms throughout the area

• Re-designed kiosk layouts, adding new rules/regulations signs in both English and Spanish.

• Removed a heavy duty rope swing suspended 75 feet above the waterfall by a steel cable.

• Painted over the majority of graffiti throughout the area

• Increased Forest Service presence in the area by patrolling nearly every day.

Re-designed kiosks with new regulatory signs

Painting over the graffiti under the bridge.

Removing the rope swing suspended high

above the waterfall by a steel cable.

These newly introduced portable toilets are heavily used by the public. District has increased pumping

to twice per week.

Most Pressing Issues Employees Dealing With at Fossil Creek

1) Parking along the roads to the point of nearly blocking them.

2) Weekend recreational use exceeding resource capacity.

3) Extreme tree damage near camp sites.

4) Large amounts of litter left at camp sites.

5) Fire restrictions constantly ignored.

The parking situation, especially near the waterfall access point, makes passage by larger vehicles very difficult.

Parking can quickly become out of control along Forest

Road 708, especially near the waterfall “trailhead” created by

the public.

This can present a serious public safety

hazard. Today, the ambulance was able to

squeeze by.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

# of

Peo

ple

A Snapshot of Weekend Use

Weekend recreational use at Fossil Creek is

exceeding the resource’s capacity.

These values represent only what

one employee counted while on

patrol. True values are likely twice these.

The bridge swimming hole has become one of the most highly used areas of the creek. Up to nearly 100

people have been counted here on a Saturday.

Tree Damage

Almost every tree in Fossil Creek located near a campsite is being

destroyed.

The following images were collected along a 1 mile stretch of

Forest Road 708.

In one hour of searching for damaged trees, one employee accumulated over 120 images.

The following is only a small selection.

Someone apparently decided that their camp site wasn't big enough and proceeded to cut

down a juniper and four mesquite trees.

Worst of the Weekend…

Trashed camp sites are a common

occurrence.

Someone using a pool toy.

Unsafe Behavior by the Public is Commonplace

We will continue to provide periodic updates on our progress, as well as on the problems we encounter.

- Aaron Rotert, USFS Student Intern and Patrol Ranger