Wild and Scenic River Eligibility Report-Bureau of land management, Grand Junction field office

Home Browse Search

Chapter 2 —Eligibility Criteria And can: Be any sixc/length Lie behvecn impoundments or major dams E3e nonfloeuable/nonboatable Be intermittcnUnonperennial A segment does not need to be perennial to be qualified as free-Flo�ving. fntcrmittent watercourses with regular and predictable flows, enough to maintain the segment's ORVs, can qualify, providcd the flow comes from a natural source. Watercourses that only Flow from unpredictablc cvents such as flash floods are generally not frce Flowing. In detcrmining if a segment is free-flowing, "evaluation should focus on normal water years, with consideration of drought or wct ycars during the inventory." Prcc flowing does not necessarily connotate natural hydrology; existence of small dams, diversion works, or other minor struc[ures at the time the river segment is bcing considered shall not auromatically disqualify it. In the surveys undertaken in this report, the presence of riparian vegetation (in conjunction with local knowledge) was used as a major indicator of whether or no[ a watercourse was free-flowing when questions arose as to the detcrmination of free-Flowing segments. l he presence of riparian vegetation typically requires a strcam tlow rcgime that is a[ least intermittent and in most cases is at least seasonal. Streams lacking riparian vegetation are usually ephemeral streams, flowing only in responsc to storm cvcnls. 2.2 Outstandingly Remarkable Values and thcir Region of Comparison A variety of valucs were evaluated for each scgmcnt to determine if they are Outstandingly Remarkable. '1'hc WSR Act stipulates that ORVs of a river segment will be in thcir immediate environments, and need to be river related. "I�his means in the viciniry of the river (with a 0.25- mile preliminary boundary per F3LM Manual 8351) or created by or exists bccausc ofthe river. Potential ORVs include scenic, recreational, tish, wildlife, cultural, and historic values, and other similar values. Uctermination of ORVs relics on a professional assessment of the values associated with a river based on objective, scicntific reasoning. An ORV, "would be one that is a conspicuous example from among a number ol� similar valucs that are themsclvcs uncommon or cxtraordinary" (USFS and NPS 1999). This report documents the reasoning and justification for declaring segments eligible. I'he guidelines for evaluating ORVs are described in BLM Manual 835 L Each value was evaluated over a region of comparison appropriate for the value. Scenic - l hc landscape elements of landfonn. vegetation, water, color, and related fac[ors must result in notable or exemplary visual fcatures and/or attractions wi[hin the geographic region. Region of Comparison: Scenic values were evaluated based on the ecoregion the river segment is located within. GJPO has two ecoregions: Colorado Plateau and Southem Rockies. (see Map 2.1: Omernick 1987). W ild and Scenic River Eligibility Report. Grand Junctiun Field Office, Colorado Z 2