Visiting/Caring for Panther Meadows and Springs

 

 

Panther Meadows

The road to Panther Meadows from Bunny Flat is scheduled to open on July 1st of each year, barring heavier than normal snowpack. In 2011, the snowpack was 200% of average and the road didn't open until August 5th! 

Visitors need to realize that the road may open before all the snow is melted from the meadows. During the spring thaw, the meadows are saturated with surface water, which is vital to their existence. But wet meadows are also particularly vulnerable as well. There is a period of time before the  the trails dry out sufficiently to allow visitors into the meadow without causing damage. In order to minimize the damage to vegetation during this critical time, visitors need to assume a high degree of restraint and be environmentally responsible.

Why is this necessary?

For many years, visitors to the meadows simply wandered wherever they wished, and as a result numerous user-created trails appeared that were not properly engineered for erosion control. Trails without erosion control tend to “channel” the surface water during the spring thaw away from the meadow. The moisture content of these sub-alpine meadows is reduced in addition to loss of soil. Additionally, trails that are wet are soft and muddy. Walking on soft trails compresses the trail tread deeper than the surrounding meadow. As a result, water tends to “pool” in the trail tread and the compacted mud restricts percolation. If trails are used while in this condition, the damaging effects are intensified. To avoid the worst of the wet spots, hikers will avoid the pooled water and mud by walking along the drier edge of the trail. Unfortunately, this results in widening the trail and/or creating a parallel trail, which then perpetuates negative impact on vegetation.

Unlike meadows comprised of grass, which can better absorb the impact of many feet, the primary plants that comprise these particular meadows have woody stems. Both the Alpine Laurel and Mountain Heather are extremely vulnerable to being walked or sat on. When the woody stems of these plants are crushed or broken, the flow of nutrients in the plant is cut off and the plant begins to die. It takes hundreds of years for the Heather to grow to the size you see.

 

Due to damage resulting from the huge influx of visitors in August 1987, Panther Meadows was nearly destroyed. Vegetation was severely trampled; Panther Creek was dammed up and diverted; trails ran everywhere channeling away critical moisture. Bonfire scars, ground disturbance, and other impacts from camping in the meadows, all combined to threaten the meadow’s ability to recover on its own.

 

Throughout the 1990’s, the Forest Service made an effort to restore the meadows to pre-1987 conditions. Native seeds from plants were harvested in the fall and propagated in a special greenhouse at the Ranger Station. Small starts were replanted in their native habitat. Trails in the meadow that were causing erosion were decommissioned and re-vegetated. The bathing pools in the creek where removed and natural hydrology reintroduced. The process was very slow and the public not always cooperative.

 

In 2006, a coalition of Forest Service employees, volunteers, and local tribes joined together to rebuild Panther Spring. The banks around the spring were caving in due to loss of vegetation and overuse by visitors attempting to fill water bottles at the source. Some of the trails were also rerouted at this time and the section known as The Causeway was improved to allow for the unimpeded flow of surface water without flooding the trail. These efforts paid off, and combined with several seasons of heavy snowpack and groundwater recharge, the meadows are prospering once again. It will be up to all of us who visit the meadow to do our part to minimize our impacts while still enjoying the beauty and spirit of the place.