Mapping benefits and conditions of springs ecosystems to inform public land management

LaPine, Katelyn Elizabeth (2023) Mapping benefits and conditions of springs ecosystems to inform public land management. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

The influence of human activities of springs in the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests is an issue of growing concern and presents several problems not only for ecosystems, but for society. Springs provide cultural significance, recreational use, ranching, and other goods and services that have not been extensively researched. Considerable data exist categorizing the ecological characteristics of springs. However, limited information exists regarding human preferences for attributes of spring ecosystems. Using a combination of in-depth ecological data with information on human preferences from a choice experiment (CE) survey, we can enable informed grazing management decisions on the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests. A CE survey provided willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for six attributes of springs ecosystems: (1) Cultural Significant, (2) Municipal Use, (3) Biological Habitat Quality, (4) Recreational Use, (5) Ranching, and (6) Flow. GIS tools were used to calculate, analyze, and visualize the benefit of each spring ecosystem and produce a mean benefit value for grazing allotments in the study area. Findings shows that grazing exclusion results in an increase in economic value to allotments. The results from this study will better inform management decisions for springs in the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Springs; Forest ecology; Arizona; Coconino National forest; Kaibab National Forest; Forest management; Willingness to Pay (WTP)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability
Date Deposited:	23 Jul 2026 23:26
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2026 23:26
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6306

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