WSP06571 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

o D n1-4 , 2) maintain the identified outstandingly remarkable river values scenery geology }) maintain existing water qUAlity by continuing to meet or exceed current standards 4) maintain and protect the peregrine falcon habitat 5) protect and preset..." known an::haeologic ..1[..s 6) avoid irreversible and irretrievable co~itzents of resources and =aintain freedom of ch<lice One EQ component Was deleted in the second level specification. Maintaining and enhancing air qualiey was eliminsted since this is not a direct purpose of the vild and scenic rivers legis- lation. Ilowever. statutes, regulations and policies are recognized in current and proposed management of the riVer. The ephemeral nature of air quality at any given time makes it difficult, 1f not impossible, to qua.ntify. The third step of the formul~tion process was to develop and test alternatives which contri- but"d to satisfacrion of the SED and EQ objective", and those suggest"d by th... public. Initially, five alternative plans were considered. They were' 1) ~signate the river with each segment being classified at their most restrictive level of classification suitability as deterQdned by the study team. This alternative reflects the EQ objective which is defined by th" Wat"r R"sources Council as society's pr"r"renc" to enhance the quality of the environment by the management, conservation, preservation, creation, restoration, or improvelllent of the quality of certain natural and cultural resources and ecological systelll!l. Management of the clasllif1ed river s<,gments would be in accordance with the objectives adapted by USDI-USDA, February, 1970. 2) Designate the river with all the eligibie river segments classtfied as scenic except for the lower se~nt which is suitable only for recreational. This EQ alternative reflects COncerns expressed by a portion of the public whiCh were interested in less restrictive class1fication m.snagelllent objectives, but feel the river should be protected frolD. dams and other significant develop~ents. 3) Designate the river with all river segments ch.sslfied as recreational. (Thos" seg- ments eligible for wild and scenic are also eligible for recreational.) This alternative reflects the ConCerns expressed by the public for prote~tiog the river frolll dams, but maintaining the least restrictive management for other resour~es and land uses. 4) Designate only those segments of the river crossing National forest land according to their classification suitabtllty. !his alternative reflects the CQmments of some landowners, several enviro~ntal groups and other concerned citizens. 5) Designation of only the Piedra lIIainstem from forest Service Road 631 down to Colorado Highway 160. This was the original proposal for establishing the rIver as a study river. Throughout th" first phase of the study. many who generally oppose wild and scenic river status said that the original study proposal was satisfactory. These alternatives Were tested initially against the evaluation criteria in Chapter III. After the Initial testing the study tealll dropped alternatives 2, 4, and 5 because they did not provide .. significant difference in NED and EQ outputs when compared to alternatives 1 and 3 or no designation. In addition the study team believes that alternatives 4 and 5 also abridge the intent of Congress when it established the "tudy boundarl"s of the study through Public Law 93-021, as alD.end"d by Title VII of Public Law 94-486. In s~mary, the alternatives were developed through application of potential activities under law and regulation and public inputs. They were formulated, tested, refined and retested. Two deslgl....tion alternative ;>lan.. and on" no-designation pllln .......rged through the process. 3. ALTER....UH'ES COSSlDERED River Deslgn,ltion Plan I; All eligible seg=ents of the o:h351flcation suita\>ility. mile" classified as Scenic; recreational seg~nts would river would be elassified at their lIIOst restrictive level Qf The designatIon would include 32.~ ~iles classified as Wild; 12.~ and 5.5 Ollles claulffed as RecreatiOnal. The wild. scentc. and be ~nagcJ to ~eet their respective classification objectives. That 1-21 .. r I I ~