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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Instead, two kinds of easements on private lands in the river <br />corridor will be acquired by negotiation with the landowners - <br />or by condemnation if absolutely necessary. Neither type of <br />easement will significantly change present land uses. <br /> <br />~~ <br /> <br />J;, <br /> <br />SCENIC EASEMENTS are written to prevent any degrading of the <br />view from along the river by, for example, billboards, trash <br />piles, excessive timbering, high density building construction <br />and commercial sand and gravel operations. These agreements gen- <br />erally bind present and future landowners to existing uses and <br />prevent developments that detract from the scenic and natural <br />character of the land. They do not: 1) give the general public <br />access, or 2) restrict or change any present land uses - unless <br />the owner agrees to do so. If any of the Dolores is included <br />in the national system, scenic easements will normally extend <br />to the canyon rims where there are canyons, and for up to a <br />half mile on either side of the river elsewhere (save in rare <br />circumstances where they may extend for up to one mile). <br /> <br />PUBLIC USE EASEMENTS serve two basic purposes: 1) they secure <br />access to k~y boat launch and take-out points along a river, <br />and 2) they create a continuous corridor along the shore for <br />boat landing, fishing, and hiking. If any part of the Dolores <br />is included in the national system, the width of this corridor <br />generally will fall somewhere between 100 and 200 feet on either <br />side of the river centerline. <br /> <br />In practice, and in most cases, only one easement agreement will <br />be worked out with each landowner - containing scenic stipulations, <br />and, where apt, public use ones as well. All easements will be <br />negotiated individually with landowners; if the Dolores is <br />designated by Congress, this will probably take place within <br />a year following designation, during the time when the final <br />Wild and Scenic Rivers Management Plan is being worked out. <br />Land values will be determined on a case-by-case basis; these <br />will depend on prevailing land prices at the time and an appraisal <br />of the opportunities and values the individual landowner is <br />giving up. <br /> <br />Easements should be viewed as kinds of long-range insurance that <br />the Dolores River and adjoining 1a~d~ will he kept in their present, <br />natural, or near-natural states for future generations. Except <br />for occasional fencing adjustments along and across the river. <br />and tighter restrictions on prospecting and mining, present activities ~ <br />will change hardly at all. Ranch lands will remain in ranching, <br />croplands in crops, and so forth. However, landowners who look <br />forward to selling out for another, more intensive use will probably 1 <br />lose that choice. For example, owners of ranch lands along any <br /> <br />, <br /> <br />4' <br />" <br />~ <br />