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<br />Environmental Consequences of Proposed Action:
<br />Management Prescription #1 (Boundary Adjustment): Modifying the SRMA boundary would
<br />have no impact on the rangeland resource.
<br />
<br />Management Prescription #2 (Identifying Land Use Priorities): The proposed action would
<br />identify the majority of the SRMA as a recreation priority. The proposed action would
<br />additionally establish or retain a water, soil, wildlife, protected, or no priority for some lands
<br />within the SRMA If expanding the recreation priority results in increased river access points,
<br />dispersed camping, or development of access and parking areas for fishing, it may detrimentally
<br />impact vegetative health. There is the potential that changing the Yarmony Common, Mayhoffer,
<br />and East Cedar Ridge allotments from a livestock priority to a recreation priority could impact
<br />livestock grazing activities if future management actions introduce, enhance, encourage, or
<br />increase recreation use within livestock grazing allotments. By adhering to the. RMP, which
<br />provides for intensive or limited management of livestock in recreation priority areas, the priority
<br />change is not expected to impact range management.
<br />
<br />Management Prescriptions #3 and #4 (NSO for Oil and Gas Leasing, Land/Mineral Withdrawal):
<br />These proposed management prescriptions would lessen surface disturbance as well as conflicts
<br />with livestock grazing activities associated with gas and oil development, mining activity, and
<br />. land disposals.
<br />
<br />.. RECREATION
<br />
<br />Affected Environment:
<br />Existing recreational uses in and along the river corridor include: non-motorized boating
<br />(including rafts, dories, kayaks, canoes, etc.), fishing, wildlife viewing, hunting, hiking, camping,
<br />mountain biking, and driving for pleasure. The Colorado River, within the SRMA, from the
<br />BLM's Pumphouse Recreation Area to State Bridge is a very popular boating and fishing
<br />segment. About seventy commercial companies are permitted to operate guided boating and
<br />fishing trips in the area with over 42,000 commercial visits. Public use of the segment for
<br />boating and fishing is also high with over 7,000 visits.
<br />
<br />The presence of the railroad parallel to the river throughout the SRMA limits the opportunities
<br />for primitive recreation activities and the SRMA would be predominantly classified in the
<br />Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) as :
<br />Semi-Primitive, Morarized: Moderate probability of experiencing solitude, a closeness to
<br />nature, predominantly natural appearing environment, management alterations small in size
<br />and dispersed, travel on routes primarily by 4-wheel drive and OHVs, mostly primitive roads,
<br />and generally more than Yo mile from better than primitive roads.
<br />
<br />Some of the corridor, especially where the Trough Road (Scenic Byway) is parallel to and visible
<br />from the river and at the developed BLM and private sites, would be classified as:
<br />Roaded Natural: Moderate probability of contacts with others, mostly natural setting,
<br />management alterations (vegetative treatments, structures. etc.) are noticeable, travel is by
<br />conventional motorized vehicles (may include sedans, trailers and RVs), better than
<br />'primitive' roads with some designed roads.
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