Revision Reporter
Custer National Forest - Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest - Nebraska National Forest
October 1996
Volume 1, Number 4
Is it Wild? Is it Scenic? Is it Recreational?
Rivers in the Northern Great Plains Planning Units are evaluated for their values.
D
uring the Management
Plan Revision process,
rivers and streams within
the National Forest and Grassland planning units will be evaluated for their eligibility as Wild
and Scenic Rivers.
Previous eligibility studies
conducted by the Custer National
Forest in the 1980s determined
the Little Missouri River, which
runs through the Little Missouri
National Grassland, eligible as a
Wild and Scenic River. It has
passed the first step or screen in
the evaluation process.
The decision whether the
Little Missouri River should be
recommended to Congress for at
all, or recommended as wild,
scenic, or recreational, has yet to
be made. This decision and
decisions about other rivers will
be made in the Management Plan
Revision process. Only those
river sections that cross through
National Forests or Grasslands
will be considered.
Some people get anxious
when they hear that a river near
them is being considered as a
Wild and Scenic River. The
assumption is that any special
classification will lead to restrictions
on the river and nearby lands. Wild
and Scenic River designation does
seek to protect and enhance a river’s
current condition. Projects proposed or assisted by a federal
agency that may have negative
effects on the values for which the
river was designated are typically
prohibited.
It is a different story for existing
uses and rights-of-way. Existing
value. The Wild and Scenic River
Act defines free-flowing as, “existing
or flowing in a natural condition
without impoundment, diversion,
straightening, rip-rapping, or other
modification of the waterway.”
Outstandingly remarkable values that
may prompt classification include:
scenic, recreational, geologic, fish
and wildlife, historic, cultural, or
other similar values. Agency resource professionals interpret and
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Wild river areas are generally inaccessible (no roads) except by trail, with
watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive and unpolluted waters.
Scenic river areas have shorelines or watersheds largely primitive and
undeveloped; roads may cross but generally not parallel the river.
Recreational river areas may be readily accessible by road and
railroads, have some development along the shoreline, and may have had
some impoundment or diversion in the past.
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farms, homes, and cabins, with their
associated rights-of-way, along the
river can continue to be used as they
were before. Generally, the classifications reflect the level of development at the time of designation; future
development is limited to that compatible with the river’s classification.
For a river to be eligible, it must
be “free-flowing” and possess at
least one “outstandingly remarkable”
develop criteria in evaluating river
values based on professional judgment on a regional, physiographic, or
geographic comparative basis.
Rivers may be classified as wild,
scenic, or recreational. The main
distinction is the level of existing
development or naturalness.
On the next page are some
common questions about Wild and
Scenic River classification.
?
Questions
About Wild and
Scenic Rivers
Q. What are the effects of Wild and Scenic River designation on landowners within the river corridor?
?
A. Generally, no effect. Designation neither gives nor implies government control of private lands within the river
corridor. Although Congress could include private lands within the boundaries of the designated river area,
management restrictions would apply only to public lands. People living within a river corridor would be able to
use their property as they had before designation.
Q. Can the private landowner sell land within the river corridor after the river is designated?
A. Yes, the ability of the owner to buy or sell private property is not affected. Landowners who sell should inform
the purchaser that any easements sold are transferred with the title.
Q. Will designation likely cause changes in property values or property taxes?
A. Wild and Scenic River designations generally cause property values to remain stable or increase. The property
tax rate is a local issue outside the authority of administering federal agencies.
Q. Will facilities, such as campsites, restrooms, or access ramps, be provided by federal or state agencies?
A. These facilities will be provided if they are consistent with the management plan for each river and are subject to
available funding.
This information was taken from a 75-page publication of questions and answers relating to Wild and Scenic Rivers.
If you are interested in the details, we would be happy to provide you a copy of this publication.
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What is the Northern Great Plains Management Plans Revisions?
And why does it have so many "s" s in its name?
This is a combined planning effort to revise long-range management plans for the Cedar River, Grand
River, Little Missouri, and Sheyenne National
Grasslands, managed by the Custer National Forest;
Thunder Basin National Grassland
Grassland, managed by the
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest; and Buffalo Gap,
Fort Pierre, Oglala National Grasslands, Bessey and
Pine Ridge Ranger Districts, Samuel R. McKelvie
National Forest, and Charles E. Bessey Tree Nursery
ery, managed by the Nebraska National Forest. Although
the three managing National Forests are collaborating to
share information, analyses and expertise, separate Management Plans will result. For further information, contact:
Northern Great Plains Planning Team
USDA Forest Service
(308) 432-0300 or
125 North Main Street
(308) 432-0343
Chadron, NE 69337
(answering machine)
Assessment and Information
Progress Report
T
he Northern Great Plains Planning Team is gathering information to describe existing conditions and understand
ecosystem interactions and important relationships. The revised management plans will embody ecosystem
management principles. These principles require several levels of information--not just for the individual National Forest and Grassland units--but also for the land and resources that surround them.
Assessments in themselves are not decision-making documents; however, they do provide a synthesis of information in support of multiple scales of resource planning and decision making. Broadscale assessments, which capture
the bigger picture, are a rich source of information. Good information is critical to making good land and resource
management decisions. Here's a report on the team's progress. A team contact is listed with each topic.
Aquatic/Water Quality Assessment - The Forest Service has a signed agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Geological Survey (USGS) for this assessment. The USGS and its newly
adopted Biological Research Division (previously National Biological Service) is gathering information on the physical
factors, such as sedimentation, stream flow, and current and historical distribution of native and nonnative aquatic
species, along with their habitat needs. The EPA will then determine what those factors mean to water quality, usage,
and demand. A working group meeting is scheduled in November with the assessment's main participants. Plans are
to have this assessment completed by June 1997. (Contact Bob Sprentall)
Broadscale Vegetation Assessment - Jim Merchant, at the University of Nebraska, is heading up this
work. At a recent Northern Great Plains Interagency Ecosystem Coordination meeting, Jim presented a preliminary
vegetation map, coarsely differentiated by elevation. Eight other vegetation mapping efforts by various agencies and
organizations are also going on for particular areas within the Northern Great Plains. Merchant is trying to bring these
efforts into the broadscale to reduce duplication of efforts and increase consistency in the information results. The
broadscale vegetation assessment, which is an important element in the Northern Great Plains analysis, should be
completed late in 1997 for incorporation into the draft environmental impact statement. (Contact Bob Sprentall)
Grassland Vegetation Structure - Field sampling for grassland vegetation structure was initiated this
fall on the Little Missouri National Grassland and continued on all other areas (except Thunder Basin National Grassland where it is not as great an issue). A research project was initiated recently to correlate vegetation structure with
the weight of standing herbage (pounds per acre). This information will be used to describe and evaluate cover for
ground-nesting birds and other wildlife and help quantify the potential of sites to provide grassland cover. (Contact
Greg Schenbeck)
Rangeland Capability Assessment - The Forest Service Integrated Resource Inventory center in
Pueblo, Colorado, has a process to generate rangeland maps to display areas capable of supporting livestock use. The
process pulls information together about land slope, forage production, access to water, and other criteria to identify
capable rangelands. This information will be ready for planning units in the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Region in
December 1996. (Contact Bob Sprentall)
Recreation Analysis - Scenery management classification will be done and recreation opportunities identified
for the planning units by the end of November 1996. District personnel are interviewing recreation users using the
CUSTOMER report card survey to identify recreationalists' characteristics and preferences for facilities and opportunities on the National Forests and Grasslands. Survey results should be available in December 1996. A broad view of
recreational opportunities provided on surrounding, non-National Forest System lands, as well as information on recreation trends, will be completed by December. (Contact Liz Ohlrogge)
Regional Prairie Dog Assessment - Aerial videography shot from an airplane this past summer over
the Buffalo Gap National Grassland/Badlands National Park is part of a pilot study to assess the technique's usefulness
in estimating prairie dog colony acreages. The Biological Research Division of USGS in Jamestown, ND, is working
with the Forest Service on this project. If the technique is determined statistically reliable, then aerial videography will be
used next year to sample prairie dog colony acreages across the Northern Great Plains. (Contact Greg Schenbeck)
Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive Species Broadscale Assessment - The Natural
Conservancy is describing plant communities in the Northern Great Plains, which will include threatened, endangered,
and sensitive (TES) species associated with those plant communities. John Sidle, Forest Service TES coordinator for
the Great Plains, has developed a list of TES species that includes federal and state listed species. This list also states
what species may be found on National Forest and National Grassland units in the Northern Great Plains planning
area. Sidle consulted about 120 people to develop the list and plans to put the list on the World Wide Web to continue
to solicit comments. Also, observation and occurrence information for rare species is being compiled to help delineate
occupied habitat on National Forest System lands for those species. (Contact John Sidle or Greg Schenbeck)
Wild and Scenic Rivers Evaluation - Ranger district personnel are reviewing rivers and streams within
the Northern Great Plains planning units to determine eligibility for inclusion into the Wild and Scenic River system.
Their review will be completed by December 1996. (Contact Liz Ohlrogge)
Wildlife Habitat Suitability - Habitat suitability evaluations for selected wildlife species, including management indicator species, are continuing. This involves collecting information on current habitat conditions and
comparing existing conditions with the biological potential of the area being evaluated. The evaluations look at habitat
conditions for sage grouse, plains sharp-tailed grouse, greater prairie chicken, black-footed ferret, and many other
wildlife species and guilds. (Contact Greg Schenbeck)