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White River National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan, Decision Notice, and .Finding of No Significant Impact

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White River National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan, Decision Notice, and .Finding of No Significant Impact United States ~ D~rtment of ~' Agnculture Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region . Management Plan .:..~•~ Mt. Hood National Forest h~~••_.~~~~~~ USDA Forest Service Prineville District Bureau of Land Management White River National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan, Decision Notice, and .Finding of No Significant Impact Forest Plan Amendment #7 Two Rivers Resource Management Plan Amendment Deciding Officials: Judith E. Levin, Acting Forest Supervisor Mt. Hood National Forest 2955 N. W. Division Gresham, OR 97030 James L. Hancock, District Manager Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management 185 E. 4th Street Prineville, OR 97754 For Further Information: Diana L. Ross Mt. Hood National Forest Bear Springs Ranger District (503) 328-6211 Berry Phelps Bureau of Land Management Prineville District Office (503) 447-4115 Table of Contents Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact .. , .. , .. , . , , , .. , , DN-1 The Decision ................................................... DN-1 Description of the Decisions Made and the Reasons for Them . DN-2 Consistency with the President's Forest Plan ........................ DN-7 Amendments Made to the Mt. Hood Forest Plan ...................... DN~8 Amendments to Two Rivers RMP ................................ Other Alternatives Considered in Detail . DN-9 Public lnvolvment. DN-11 Finding of No Significant Impact and Compliance with Laws . DN-11 implementation . DN-12 Right to Appeal . DN-12 Chapter 1: Introduction . , , , , , , , . , , , . , . , . , , . , , . , , , ..... , , .. , , , , , . , 1 Introduction . 1 Wild and Scenic River Legislation ................................. 1 Method of Plan Preparation ...................................... 2 How this Document is Organized . 2 Chapter 2: Outstandingly Remarkable Values/Desired Future Condition . 1 Introduction . 7 Outstandingly Remarkable Values . 7 Desired Future Conditions ....................................... 9 General Resource Management Goals for White River. 21 Chapter 3: Management Direction for the White River Corridor . , , , . , . , , 22 Mt. Hood National Forest ........................................ 22 Goal ..................................................... 22 Location ................................................. A1 Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers - White River ............ Prineville District of the BLM . 32 Goal .................................................... Location ................................................. Management Standards, Guidelines, and Constraints. 32 Chapter 4: Imp! entation Schedule .. , , . , , , , , .. , , . , , .... , . , , .. , , , , . , Chapter 5: Monitoring Program,,,,.,,.,,,.,.,.,,, .. ,,., .. ,,,, .... Appendix A: Response to Comments , , , , . , , , , , , . , , , , , .. , , , , .. , . , . , Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact White River National Wild and Scenic River Environmental Assessment and Management Plan The White River National Wild and Scenic River Environmental Assessment and Management Plan will amend the 1990 Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and the Prineville District Bureau of Land Management Two Rivers Resource Management Plan (Two Rivers RMP). The White River Management Plan describes the conditions which need to be achieved or maintained to protect and enhance the river's values. It prescribes standards and guidelines to govern activities within the boundaries. It establishes a schedule for implementation and a program of monitoring activities within the boundaries to measure achievement of desired conditions. Actual accomplishment and monitoring of activities will depend on budget allocations. Insufficient funds over a period of years can delay or prevent implementation of proposed actions. The Decision Based on the information provided by the Environmental Assessment, public comment, and a President's Forest Plan consistency review, we jointly adopt Management Alternative C with some modifications, Corridor Boundary Alternative 2, Designated Viewshed Alternative mand the recommendation to adjust the river corridor termini to include White River Falls. Due to new information and public input, these modifications to Management Alternative C have been made: After receiving comment from Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area, Inc., we reviewed the enabling legislation for the White River and concurred with the comments on the following two points, which required a slight change in management direction (see Appendix A- Response to Comments). ~» Change "Permit no additional road construction in Segment A" to "Permit no additional road construction in Segment A Exceptions are temporary or permanent roads which have no short-term or long-term negative impact on the outstandingly remarkable values related to Scenic Resources, Wildlife Habitat and Populations, and Hydrology and which could be needed and constructed within the permit boundary of Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Area." 0 Change "Prohibit additional commercial ski area expansion into the corridor beyond that allowed Mt. Hood Meadows in a future Master Plan Record of Decision" to reflect the wording in the enabling legislation exactly: ·~ny commercial ski area expansion within the White River Wild and Scenic corridor shall not involve water resource projects and shall be consistent with protecting the values for which the river was designated. " The Mazamas commented that they did not want to see road 48 designated as a snowmobile route. After reviewing the recreation strategy, we decided that a compromise between Alternative 8 and C would be possible: ~» Road 48 between White River East Sno-park and the junction of road 4890 will be closed to snowmobiling. This closure better fits the overall recreation strategy for Bear Springs, Hood River, and Zigzag Ranger Districts, which emphasizes nonmotorized recreation in the upper White River area. Road 43 will remain open as a snowmobile route connecting the Frog Lake and Bonney Meadows areas. Approximately 2 miles of road 48 between the junctions with roads 43 and 4890 will be part of the officially designated snowmobile route. Many public comments indicated concern over fire danger in the river corridor below Keep's Mill. The suggestion that fire pans be required in the corridor during the times that campfires are allowed (Oct. 16- May 31) has been adopted. DN-1 We received a great deal of comment on our preferred decision to prohibit off-road driving by non-street legal vehicles within the corridor boundary. Many off-road vehicle users felt that, at minimum, there was a need for a designated route with at least one crossing over White River in Segment B or C. 111 We have decided that a larger scale study to plan travel linkages throughout the forest is needed as well as a smaller scale study on the impacts to river related values of such a proposal. This means that the prohibition on off-road driving will remain in place until the White River Access and Travel Management Guide, the White River Watershed Analysis, and the White River Limits of Acceptable Change Study are complete and indicate that such a route is feasible and acceptable. The Forest Service and BLM will cooperatively implement this decision. We will coordinate and jointly fund the implementation of several actions in Alternative C. However, each agency maintains separate responsibility for the lands under its jurisdiction. The Management Plan jointly describes the Desired Conditions and Implementation and Monitoring schedules for the entire river corridor. The Standards and Guidelines are separated along administrative boundaries. Description of the Decisions Made and the Reasons for Them Overall Objectives for Alternative C (as modified above) The objectives of Alternative C are: 111 To manipulate the environment to move slowly towards the desired condition, and «~ To provide for a level of recreation use that promotes enjoyment of the river-related values while minimizing impacts on those values. Emphasis is placed on low to moderate recreation use levels and dispersed recreational activities. This alternative applies the principles of ecosystem management at a low level of management intensity. Reasoning -- These objectives appear the most reasonable to use for many reasons. First, the physical environment and the social context of White River's historic and current use point to relative solitude, primitive development, and limited access. Most of the public comment in this regard called for keeping White River "just as it is." Second, stand conditions in the forested sections of the river corridor are neither wholly stable nor in immediate danger of catastrophic change. This condition calls for some manipulation to reduce risks to habitats and to maintain disturbance-dependent habitats. It does not call for extensive emergency treatments. Third, harvest levels in this corridor have never been high due to steep, rocky slopes which are visible from many sensitive travel routes. Fourth, we must consider consistency with the President's Forest Plan. Most of the forested parts of the corridor are within a Late-Successional Reserve, which would preclude a programmed schedule of timber harvest and high levels of recreational development. Fifth, Alternative C allows management to respond to risks to habitats and maintains current recreational use levels. We feel it offers the most flexibility while protecting the values for which the river was designated. Minerals and Energy Development Locatable minerals will be recommended for withdrawal
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