National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Yosemite National Park Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions After five years of study and stakeholder involvement, the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Tuolumne River Plan/DEIS) will be released in summer of 2011. In advance of the plan’s release, the NPS is providing the Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions chapter as a preview into one of the plan’s most foundational elements. Sharing the baseline information in advance of the plan will give members of the public an understanding of river conditions today and specific issues that will be explored in the Tuolumne River Plan. Public comments on all elements of the Tuolumne River Plan, including the baseline conditions chapter, will be accepted when it is released for review this summer. What follows is a description of the unique values that make the Tuolumne stand apart from all other rivers in the nation. This chapter also provides a snapshot in time, documenting overall conditions and implications for future management. In particular the baseline chapter examines, • What are the outstandingly remarkable values that make the Tuolumne River worthy of special protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA)? • What do we know about the condition of these values (in addition to water quality and free-flow), both at time of designation in 1984 and today? • Based on those conditions, what are the management concerns that signal the need for action(s) to protect and enhance those values? When it is released this summer, the Tuolumne River Plan/DEIS will contain • The management elements required by the WSRA, including boundaries, classifications, river values, free- flowing condition (Section 7) determination process • THIS CHAPTER: A description of the river values, their baseline condition, and implications for future management action • Management objectives for river values and a monitoring program • An ecological restoration program and a suite of comprehensive management actions needed to protect and enhance the river • A user capacity program that establishes numeric capacities that are protective of river values • Alternatives that explore a range of use levels, types and levels of facilities, and types of visitor experiences that are protective of the river Yosemite’s interdisciplinary team for the Tuolumne River Plan has devoted the last two years to not only finalizing data collection on baseline conditions, but tracking and reaffirming that all of the proposed actions in the plan tie back to the protection of the river—and address the implications discussed in this baseline chapter. In total, the Tuolumne River Plan represents a comprehensive strategy that will inform park managers and establish work priorities in the river corridor for the next 20 years. Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions Discussion Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions Tuolumne Meadows and the Tuolumne River with Cathedral Peak and Fairview Dome. NPS photo by Randy Fong Discussion The Tuolumne River was added to the national wild and scenic rivers system based on three categories of values: (1) its free-flowing condition, (2) its water quality, and (3) its outstandingly remarkable values. Collectively, these are referred to as the river’s values (or river values), with a subset being its outstandingly remarkable values. Accurately and adequately expressing a river’s values and documenting their conditions provides a foundation for planning and management activities within a wild and scenic river corridor. Section 10(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act directs that Each component of the national wild and scenic rivers system shall be administered in such manner as to protect and enhance the values which caused it to be included in said system without, insofar as is consistent therewith, limiting other uses that do not substantially interfere with public use and enjoyment of these values. In such administration primary emphasis shall be given to protecting its aesthetic, scenic, historic, archaeologic, and scientific features. Management plans for any such component may establish varying degrees of intensity for its protection and development, based on the special attributes of the area. Excerpted from chapter 5 of the Draft Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement April 2011 Working Draft 1 Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions Discussion In the Tuolumne River Plan, protection and enhancement of river values will be achieved by (1) establishing the baseline conditions of river values, (2) defining management objectives for each value that will result in its protection and enhancement, (3) establishing measurable indicators and standards to ensure that the objectives are met and maintained over time, and (4) identifying and implementing the management actions needed to achieve the objectives. In determining the management actions needed to protect and enhance river values, knowledge of baseline conditions is a critical first step. This section of the Tuolumne River Plan describes the values of the river corridor, discusses the current conditions of those values, and identifies the management concerns associated with the current conditions. Actions to address these management concerns are presented in chapters 7 through 9. Actions that would be common to all alternatives are described in detail in chapters 7 and 8 (chapter 7 focuses on management of resources, while chapter 8 focuses on management of visitor use). If a range of solutions is being considered, these actions are presented for comparison in chapter 9, “Alternatives.” Outstandingly remarkable values were first considered for the Tuolumne River as part of the development of the 1979 Tuolumne Final Study, which established the eligibility of the Tuolumne River for inclusion in the national wild and scenic rivers system. Since the completion of that study, the Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council has issued specific guidance and criteria for identifying outstandingly remarkable values in the Interagency Reference Guide (IWSRCC 1999). The ORV criteria developed by the Interagency Council can be summarized as follows: . The value must be river related or river dependent. To be considered river related or river dependent, a value must Be located in the river or on its immediate shorelands (generally within ¼ mile on either side of the river) and Contribute substantially to the functioning of the river ecosystem or Owe its location or existence to the presence of the river . The value must be rare, unique, or exemplary in a regional or national context. To be considered rare, unique, or exemplary, a value should be a conspicuous example from among a number of similar values that are themselves uncommon or extraordinary. The Interagency Council provides additional criteria for assessment for each ORV category listed in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, noting that these criteria may be modified to make them more meaningful to a particular river. The Interagency Council also notes that while no specific national evaluation guidelines have been developed for the “other similar values” mentioned in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, agencies may assess additional river-related values, including but not limited to hydrology, paleontology, and botany resources, consistent with the guidance provided (IWSRCC 1999). With input from other agencies, tribes, and members of the public, park staff used the best available science along with professional judgment to articulate river-related values, with the Sierra Nevada forming the primary region of comparison. Using these criteria, ten outstandingly remarkable values have been identified for the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River. (A discussion of how the descriptions of these values have evolved over the course of the planning process is documented in appendix F.) Excerpted from chapter 5 of the Draft Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement April 2011 Working Draft 2 Tuolumne River Values and Baseline Conditions Outstandingly Remarkable Values of the Tuolumne River Outstandingly Remarkable Values of the Tuolumne River Outstandingly Remarkable Values of the Tuolumne River BIOLOGICAL Tuolumne Meadows, Dana Meadows, and the meadows along the Lyell Fork comprise one of the most extensive subalpine riparian and meadow complexes in the Sierra Nevada. Rare low-elevation riparian and wetland habitat at Poopenaut Valley supports an exceptionally diverse assemblage of bird species. Rare mineral spring habitat supports special status plant species at Tuolumne Meadows (Soda Springs), Lyell Canyon, and Pate Valley. GEOLOGIC A series of basins interspersed with steep drop-offs, where the river plunges into spectacular cascades and waterfalls between Tuolumne Meadows and Pate Valley, provides a textbook example of stairstep river morphology. CULTURAL The Tuolumne River and its associated ancient trail system provide a geographic connection between the archeological landscape of the prehistoric past and places important to the ancestral heritage and ongoing cultural traditions of contemporary American Indian tribes and groups. Parsons Memorial Lodge, a national historic landmark with expansive views of the Tuolumne River, Tuolumne