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OOlHG2 As an eiahlple, Idaho's Bruneau River was little known a~d rarely visited when the study was authorized in 1968. The Bruneau today ha:; a national reputation among whitewater recreationists (canoeing, rafting, kayakingl, and use of the river for this purpose is increasing. Consequu,ces of in- creased but unmanaged recreational use of the Bruneau include vandalism of archeological sites, depletion of limited fire- wood sources, and unsanitary littering 0f limited campsites along the riverbanks. Similar problems have occurred on the Snake River segment in Wyoming, which is currently under study by the Por~st Service. The st~dy t~am said recreational use of the Snake study segment has increased at a 27-percent annual rate from 1974 through 1977 and now exceeds 70,000 visitor days annually in the study corridor. Approximately one-half of the study corridor involves private lands outside the national forest boundaries, and this portion of the study corridor has essentially no ~se-management controls at present. The Porest Service study tean said heavy recreational use of the unmanaged segment is disturbing wildlife along the Sna~e, reducing the wilderness eKperience of those using the river, and resulting in littering along the riverbanks. Undirected opvelopment and construction Speculation in river frontage often increases afte~ a river study is .nnounced, and when the study is delayed over several .years, contin~~d undirected construction may erode the scenic values which inclusion into the national system was to preserve. Development of recreational subdivisions along the Skagit River in Washington wa~ increasing rapidly before t~e Skagit study was initiated. While the Forest Service study continued over many years, additional recreational housing developments were platted along the river's banks, and active marketing of river frontage lots continues. A group of pri- vate citizens, in response to a large recreational village proposal, formed a protection and advocating organization with the aim of preserving the Skagit's physical and geogra- phical characteristics until the Porest Service study could be completed and the river protected by inclusion into the national system. This group "sed their own time and money in attempting to block additional developments along the Skagit. Similar problems with adverse developments are occ~rring during the ongoing Snake River study in Wyoming. Exceptionally high land values have encouraged landowners to develop river 12 '. , " , j' I: i ! " : i, :; I " :: '. I t , ! I J