7846

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7846
• Author: American River Management Society
• Title: Editor
• USFW Year: Series
• USFW - Doc Type: 1994
• Copyright Material: NO

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4 = shoreline more than 50 percent vegetated; some development is apparent, but is relatively isolated.

5 = shoreline is more than 75 percent vegetated and no human intrusion is visible from Lbe water.

Cultural Values: The goal is to recognize that the pattern of human use is tied to the environmental
conditions of the river stretch and that the pattern of human use was established before European contact with
the region. The critical variable is the disturbance of natural vegetation and landf01IDS. Managers should
concentrate development in high value cultural areas. Areas that show little disturbance may not be appropriate
for human use (due to conditions of the soils, presence of wetlands, topography of the landscape).

1 = shoreline vegetation and topography not disturbed; river channel not altered; public land ownership;
not suitable for human use

2 = shoreline vegetation and topography intact; evidence of development for wildlife and recreation;
public land ownership predominates; limited human use (includes pipelines or powerlines);

3 = shoreline vegetation disturbed; topography not significantly disturbed; predominant land ownersbip
private; development in place for agriculture, forestry, transportation, and some residential use;

4 = shoreline vegetation and topography disturbed; variety of land uses present; land ownership private;
water discharge points;

5 = shoreline vegetation and topography altered by historic pattern of human development for town
sites; river channel altered by diversion or dam.

Scenic Values: Scenic values acknowledge the uniqueness and the diversity of the landscape. This may be the
most challenging of the values. One challenge is not to impose someone else's standard of beauty. Another
challenge is that typical measures of scenic attractiveness favor diversity of visual elements -- color, structure,
layers. A scale for north central Minnesota should value typical and unique landscapes of the region, even those
that may not be valued on a scale used in the Rocky Mountains or the Pacific Northwesl A third challenge is
acknowledging that human manipulation of the landscape is attractive to many people. The possibility of
human alterations to the landscape is the critical variable. Therefore, the rankings favor human changes that are
consistent with natural vegetation and topography, but gives the highest value to landscapes that have not been
altered.

1 = predominant view from the river is of human changes to the landscape; natural vegetation and
topography not discernible.

2 = view from the river is of human changes, where human changes complement the natural vegetation
and topography.

3 = view from the river is of vegetated corridor, some human alterations visible;

4 = view from the river is of typical vegetation community and land form, such as sedge meadow,
black spruce forest, upland mixed hardwood-conifer forest; typical landforms, including marsh, meadow,
bluff visible.

5 = view from the river is of typical vegetation community and land form; section shows a transition
zone from wetland to forest; creek to river; river to lake, or oxbow or island.

Scientific Values: Scientific values relate to the possibility of the natural. or cultural resources contributing
to human knowledge. Undisturbed vegetation communities offer opportunities to study the ecology of the
location; to study plants, animals, and the relationship between each. Undisturbed landforms are opportunities to
study the geology of the landscape. They also offer the opportunity to study the record of previous habitation of
the locality, through the excavation and analysis of cultural sites.

American River Management Society