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- O"Ji'38 - V. EFFECTS OF lMPLDtENTATtON A. ASSl'MPTIONS The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has an overall eftect ot maintaining status quo for the eligible rivera. Psst uses and development along the Piedra River corridor have resulted in the reaches of the river that could be impacted by other land and resource uses Is already affected. The following management assumptions and situations exist as a basis for estimating outputs. AlTERNATIVE PLAN I: ~source ~ and Developments. Resource trends for the corridor ....111 r.......tn essentially the SllIlIe 8S under Alternative Plan II. Tilnber harvest tn all seg_nta (except th.. lower segment classified recreational) would be prohibited. ~ben existing recreation, range ~nagement and Other non-trall m.aMgellent [scUttl..s becOIIIe trreparabJe, they would Dot be replaced. This would not affect developed recreation site capacity because new sites are available for develop~nt outside the river corridor. Water use developments nOW constructed would continue to be salntained. Exploration for minerals would be prohiblred in the river corridor. Transportetion and ~ Ownersh1p. Transfer of private land to public ownership in fee title is not needed. Controla preventing environmental degradation on private lands would be acquir- ed through scenie eaaements. Uses on private Lands would be limited to current actiVities. Lands nO'ol used for livestock operations would be restricted to that use. The transportation system for the Piedra basin would be limited to existing river crOSSings. Trails along the wild segment would be closed to motorized vehicles. EnVironmental/Land ~ Impacts. ~o scenic classification are foreseen. recreation Can be mitigated through adverse environmental impacts resulting from wild and Potential environmental degradation caused by Increaaed controls over user numbers in the wild and scenic segments. , I ALTER.'lATIVE PLAN II: Resource Uses and Development. TImber harvest "auld occur in the river corridor but not in the i=ediate future. Recreation uses would continue lncressing. The exiating balance between motorized and non-motorized dispersed tecreation fa"ilities could be met by including some "amp_ ing site8 along with cOnstruction of booter put-in and take-out facilities. Exploration for minerals would be prohibited in the river corridor. Transportation 15 not needed. cl.asdfication and land Ownership. Trsnsfer of private lands to public ownership in fee title Controls, where possible. would be acquired through easements. Recreational would encourage water front homesite development On prIvate Lands_ I I Environmental/Land Use Impacts. Management of National forest lands would not result in any major impacts. On private lands, adverse impacts fro~ increased homesite development could be avoide<lbyacquiringlllceniceuselllents;hOloi'ever. th1s does not assure a 100000er level of intenSive developments than currently exist. The ~jor overall environmental impact would be the values being managed under recreational objectives. now exist, could be c~nged to the less restrictive classification. change or los8 of existing wild and scenic These values, on the segments where they value and amenities of recreational NO RIVER DESIGNATION: Rescurc", Uses and Developlllent. Timber harvest would occur in the corridor al=g the Eaat and Middle Forks where Btands have been harvested in the past snd are now under =anagement. Harvcst 10 these areas would not occur in th", near future; approxLmately 40 years are left in the management rotation. If aerial logging technology should become COst/effective for the San Juan Forest, the entire corridor could be harvested in accordance with prescribed silvicultural treatments for individual tree species. Recreation use will continue to increase but demand for additIonal site capacity will be met outside the river corridor. Existing motari~e<l dispersed recreation activities on trails along the river w~uld continue at current levels since most opportunity for range improvement is located on those portions of the allotments outside the river corridor. Exploration for leasable minera18 Is expected to increase. The nwaber of drill sites and accellS roads would increase. The po~entJal for hydroelectric energy would ex1st with an 11II- proved benefit/cost ratio. Livestock grazing and irrigated pastures would continue to be the predocinant uses of private landa. There would probably be an Increase of private land sales for homeaites with river fronUge. 1-25