WSP06980

• File Number: 7630.285
• Description: Wild and Scenic - General
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 5/1/1977
• Author: US DOI
• Title: Outdoor Recreation Action - Wild and Scenic Rivers - Number 43 - Spring 1977
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

000604

The Mid-Continent Region,
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation,
has publ ished the Blackloot
River (Montana) Conservation
and Recreation Management
Plan, a popular version of a
working document developed to
manage the Blackfoot River Cor-
ridor for a f-year trial period.
The plan rests on two separate
legal instruments: conservation
of the corridor through use of
conservation easements negoti-
ated with individual landowners
and management of the river's
public use through a recreation
lease program. The access
points and pedestrian use corri-
dor constitute a recreation corri-
dor separate from but within the
proposed conservation corridor.
The recreation corridor bound.
aries, depending on the land.
owner's prerogative. mayor may
not correspond 10 the conserva-
tion corridor boundaries. Leases
are negotiated between the land-
owners and a public body, such
as Missoula County or the Mon-
tana Department of Fish and
Game. Easements will be do-

nated to the county, the Depart-
ment of Fish and Game, or The
Nature Conservancy.
The Blackfoot River Conserva-
tion and Recreation Management
Plan was published to illustrate
a concept: the actual plan will
continue to evolve with further
local input. The recreation man-
agement portion is that which
was in effect during the summer
of 1976 and is being modified to
reflect needed changes identified
in the first year's trial program.
This process will continue for
the next year or two. The Nature
Conservancy is presently negoti-
ating with landowners for con-
servation easements, Phase II of
the plan, and it is anticipated that
some easements will be donated
within the year. The easement
phase will be carried out in
stages, the first being in the area
designated as a conservation re-
serve, where easements will be
negotiated with each individual
landowner. The boundaries and
other terms of the easements
will be determined in the negoti-
ations and will be tailored to

meet the landowners' needs and
preferences consistent with pro-
tection of the river. Each donated
easement will be placed in es-
crow until all easements have
been granted or until the expira-
tion of a specified time period;
at the end of the time period, if
some easements have not been
granted, the landowner will be
free to choose whether he wants
his easement to become per-
manent or whether he wants it
invalidated.
The Blackfoot approach sep-
arates management of public
recreation use from protection of
the river corridor and at the same
time insures that these simul-
taneous efforts are closely co-
ordinated. It is strictly locally
motivated and led, with the
Bureau providing planning and
coordinating assistance and The
Nature Conservancy lending its
expertise on easements. The
plan is being developed and im-
plemented through an open-
ended, protracled planning pro-
cess.

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toric interest, including preservation
of portions of the Current River and
the Jacks Fork River in Missouri as
free-flowing slreams, preservation
of springs and caves, management
of wildlife, and proviSions for use
and enjoyment of the outdoor rec-
reation resources thereof by the
people of the United States. ' . ."
The area thus created includes
some 80,000 acres of land situated
in the gently rolling SI. Francois
hills of southeastern Missouri, and
administered by the National Park
Service. The rock faces of near ver-
tical bluffs overlook the tranquil hol-
lows below. Some of the Nation's
most picturesque caves and springs
formed over the centuries by slowly
dissolving the dolomite bedrock, are
scattered throughout the Riverways,
Eleven major, numerous smaller,

and many other presumably undis-
covered caves dot the river corri-
dors. Many caves contain fanlastic
stalactites and stalagmites, as well
as interesting formations of cave
travertine. Other caves enclose
pools, spnngs, streams, and water-
falls; some contain numerous cham-
bers with endless passages and
crawlways. Most of the caves con-
tain visible, but often elusive forms
of life such as flies, crickets, spid-
ers, salamanders, and bats. Big
Spring, the largest of the 12 major
springs in the Riverways, releases
277 million gallons of water per day
to the Current River. Many of the
larger springs flow from clear ultra-
marine or turquoise pools, otten
more than 150 feet deep, Collec-
tively, the springs provide most of
the normal flow in the rivers.

And it is the rivers-the Current
and its main tributary, the Jacks
Fork-which give the area its spe-
cial beauty, charm, tranquility, and
recreational opportunities. The 134
miles of unpolluted crystal clear,
free-flowing waters offer unusual
opportunities for canoeing, floating.
swimming, fishing, and john boat-
ing. Popularity of the Riverways has
continuously increased and annual
visitation has now reached 1 5 mil-
lion.
Region 4, Lake Central, Ann Ar-
bor, Mich. Four streams in the Lake
Central Region are part of the Na-
tional Wild and Scenic Rivers Sys-
tem, These are the SI. Croix, Wolf,
and Little Miami Rivers and Little
Beaver Creek, The Maumee in Ohio
and Indiana was found not qualified
for the National System. In addition,

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