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<br />113 <br /> <br />Recreational River Areas <br /> <br />Recreational river areas are river t'eaches that arl~ readily accessible <br />by road or railroad, that may have 80me development along their shorelines, <br />and that may have undergone some impoundment or diversicm in the past. <br />Recreational river areas normally will provide the visitor with a wide <br />range of readily accessible recreational opportunities, including <br />elaborate and numerous facilities in an environment whic:h may reflect <br />substantial evidence of man's activity, yet remaln esthl!tically pleasing. <br /> <br />These categories are determined largely on the bash of the amount of <br />existing development and the type of access afforded to the stream. They <br />are not determined on the basis of the charac:teristics or uses of a river. <br />In some cases, designation has increased and/or decreasE~d publicity about <br />specific river segments. Likewise, user pressure has bc)th increased and <br />decreased on different segments. In other cases, user pressure did not <br />change. Positive benefits arising from designation include stimulation of <br />economic growth of nearby communities, and improved recreational facilities <br />available to local residents. <br /> <br />Adding Rivers to the~ystem <br /> <br />Ri vers can be added to the system ei tiler by an act of Congress or, in <br />the case of rivers in a state Wild and Scenic: River System, by the <br />Secretary of the Interior. Steps followed fc)r direct enactment and <br />designation are given in Table I. The procedure for federal designation of <br />state-protected rivers is given in Table 2. <br /> <br />Effects of Designating Rivers~ to the Sl!;teIU <br /> <br />Some private landowners are restricted, either by outright purchase of <br />the land or by easements, in the types of future developments they can <br />undertake. Mineral uses are usually restricted. HowevE~r, the major effect <br />is the prohibition of constructing dams, reservoirs, diversions and other <br />man-made facilities that restrict the free-flowing condItion of a <br />designated segment. Upstream and downstream developments that do not <br />unreasonably invade or damage values of a designated segment are not <br />restricted. <br /> <br />Nationwide Invenl~rl <br /> <br />(Taken from U.S. Fish & Wildlife mimeographed report) <br />With the passage of Public Law 88-29 and Public La" 90-542 (the Wild <br />and Scenic Rivers Act), Congress called for preparation and maintenance of <br />a continuing inventory and evaluation of the outdoor recreation needs and <br />resources of the United States and the identIfication of potential 1.ild, <br />scenic, and recreational river areas within the nation. In partial <br />fulfillment of these mandates, the National Park SerViCE! has completed the <br />first nationwide inventory of significant free flowing rivers. <br />