Outline of Wild & Scenic Alternative Mang. Plan

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<r, Stakeholders Group Outline of Wild&Scenic Alternative Management Plan DRAFT September 8,2008 Introduction: The Stakeholders Group plan collaboratively balances permanent protection of the ORVs;certainty for the stakeholders;water project yield; and flexibility for landowners, management agencies and water users. A significant benefit of the plan is that through the cooperative and voluntary efforts of interested water users,the ORVs can be protected(and perhaps enhanced)in ways that could not be achieved through Congressional designation as Wild & Scenic,or through BLM management criteria. II. Description of ORVs. A. In its March 2007 Eligibility Report,the BLM identified segments of rivers where the river is"free flowing"and contains at least one river-related value that is considered to be "outstandingly remarkable." The determination of whether a segment contains an ORV i . .rof=.sional judgment based on identification of a unique,rare,or exemplary feature. LMs is erdisciplinary team identified ORVs in the segments for which the Stakeholders 5 • :.. (SG)a<drafting this Management Plan. Segments 4-7 include recreation ORVs that are recognized by the SG as flow-dependent values. A recreation ORV is recognized by its unique or rare attraction within the region. It is based on"interpretive opportunities"that attract visitors and rivers that"provide settings for national and regional usage or competitive events." For example,fishing was recognized as an ORV in segments 4 and 5, in part,because certain segments are"managed by the Colorado DOW as Wild Trout Waters,"and these streams"give anglers an opportunity to catch wild trout." Other ORVs identified for the segments include: wildlife(bald eagle nesting and winter habitat,river otter habitat),botanical(riparian plant communities); and scenic. The SG believes it is important to document and understand the conditions that describe the ORVs identified in segments 4-7,both currently and in the future. The SG believes that current information and data describing the ORVs needs to be supplemented over the next 1 to 5 years to gain an adequate description of the ORVs. 1. Recreational fishing [provide description] 2. Recreational floatboating[provide description] B. Description of Existing Conditions. 1. The stream morphology of the Colorado River has been shaped by changing hydrology over the past century and longer. This historical hydrology variation is illustrated in Figure 1,which represents the average hydrographs for the Kremmling stream gage for the periods of 1904 to 1919 (pre-Moffat), 1962 to 1984(pre-1984 Operating Rules for GMR and pre-Windy Gap),and 1985 to Present(generally representative of current water rights operations). While this historical perspective Page 1 of 15