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Tag @ RIMonthly on Instagram and you may see your photo featured in one of our upcoming newsletters . mindset to change , for parents to say ‘ you can ’ t ride back there , but I ’ ll take you to this place that ’ s legal .’ ”
The challenge facing Sparks and others responsible for managing public lands is accommodating the variety of legitimate users whose activities aren ’ t necessarily compatible with each other . Land managers spend considerable time responding to complaints , meeting with individuals and sometimes bringing groups together to discuss their issues .
Sparks wonders whether some trails should be designated specifically for mountain bikers and some for horses , for instance , to reduce the potential for conflict . “ We haven ’ t gotten to that level of sophistication in our management to develop that structure and getting the public to buy in , but I suspect that as time goes on , there will be some opportunities to weigh in on that strategy so we can provide a higher quality recreational experience for all users .
“ Our challenge is getting significant traction on some of these things because of the resources it takes to sit down and do the mapping and conduct the analysis ,” Sparks adds . “ I foresee that these things will happen eventually because I believe they have to happen . But there has to be public input , all of which takes time to get it right .”
Before retiring , Sparks initiated internal discussions at DEM around whether to prioritize uses at particular properties . The unprecedented level of use of state properties during the coronavirus pandemic led her to conduct what she called an “ after-action review ” of public access areas to address impacts on the resources and conflicts among users . The limited availability of parking was a significant problem at many locations , she says , which inevitably led to additional conflicts .
“ Our mission is to make sure public lands are available to everybody ,” Sparks says . “ In many cases , that includes people from out-of-state . That ’ s another user conflict : in-state versus out-of-state . ‘ All these cars from out-of-state are here and I can ’ t find a place to park .’ ”
With the exception of opening day of fishing season , parking isn ’ t usually an issue at most of the state ’ s freshwater ponds and streams during a typical year , but that doesn ’ t mean there aren ’ t conflicts among anglers . In recent years , a public battle has emerged between fishermen who catch stocked trout and those who prefer to fish for native trout .
“ Most fishermen don ’ t fish a lot — they go out on opening day to catch stocked trout , and they consider it a day to get together with their friends ,” says Jim Turek , a trout fisherman from Richmond and a restoration ecologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service . “ They ’ re not focused on the resource . I ’ m not sure they even care whether they catch trout or something else .”
But there are a small number of fishermen who do care . They aren ’ t interested in catching hatchery-raised , non-native brown or rainbow trout stocked by DEM . Their holy grail is catching native brook trout , even though the fish seldom grow more than eight inches long . “ It ’ s the heritage value of the fish that they ’ re interested in ,” Turek says .
The crux of the issue , he adds , is that very few streams in Rhode Island are left where native trout can be found , and when larger hatchery-grown trout are stocked in these streams , the non-native fish outcompete the native ones , displacing them to lesser-quality habitats .
Native trout fishermen formed an organization , Protect Rhode Island Brook Trout , to encourage DEM to stop stocking trout in pristine sections of the Wood River , Falls River , Beaver River and a few others to protect native trout populations . According to Turek , who says he ’ s on the sidelines of the debate , DEM responded by increasing the minimum size fish that trout fishermen can keep to eight inches , improving the likelihood that any native trout captured would be released . It was a useful first step , but it didn ’ t resolve the issue . In fact , it has become even more complex because the native trout fishermen have split into two camps — bait fishermen and fly fishermen — over whose gear causes the least harm to the fish .
A resolution to the fishermen ’ s conflicts — or those of most of the other user groups — does not seem imminent . In many cases , part of the answer lies first in greater tolerance and better trail etiquette among all users of public lands .
“ The beauty of Rhode Island is its public support for open spaces ,” says Vandemoer . “ We ’ ve got a whole network of lands where people can bring their dogs , play soccer and do all sorts of other things , and part of our job is to try to get the word out about where they can go to do whatever they choose to do . There are places for just about everybody .” �
102 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l FEBRUARY 2021