Appendix L Wild and Scenic River Evaluation

APPENDIX L WILD AND SCENIC RIVER EVALUATION INTRODUCTION Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968 to preserve riverine systems that contain certain exceptionally outstanding features such as scenery, recreation, geology, fish and wildlife, historic and cultural resources. Selected rivers and their immediate environments are to be preserved in a free flowing condition and are to be managed for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. In October 1979, an Environmental Message from the President directed the Department of the Interior (USDI) to inventory all potential Wild and Scenic rivers and directed agencies to assess the suitability of the inventoried rivers for additions to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Nationwide Rivers Inventory (NRI) was conducted by the Heritage, Conservation and Recreation Service, USDI (now the National Park Service). The Middle Fork of the Eel River, which originates on the Mendocino National Forest, was the only river on the Mendocino National Forest included on the preliminary (Phase I) NRI in 1980. In January 1981, the Secretary of the Interior designated five California rivers as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System under Section 2 (a) (il) of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The lower 23.5 miles of the Middle Fork of the Eel River was included in this designation and is currently managed as a Wild River. The upper 14.5 miles, which includes the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Eel River, had not been analyzed for designation. This upper segment lies within the Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness. As part of the Land Management Planning (LMP) process, National Forests were directed to assess all rivers that are included in the NRI for suitability for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In addition, Forest Planning documents must address all rivers flowing wholly or partially on National Forests System lands which are identified as a potential Wild and Scenic River (Forest Service Hand- book (FSH) 1909.12 Chapter 8). After analysis of 221 streams on the Forest, including those raised by comment on the Mendocino's 1986 and 1993 proposed Land and Resource Management Plans, six stream segments were determined to be eligible for wild and scenic river designation by possessing one or more outstandingly remarkable values. This appendix addresses those rivers and creeks identified during this process for consideration as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Although evaluated here in response to public comment on the 1985 draft Forest Plan, Elk Creek was not found to be eligible for Wild and Scenic River designation since it does not contain any outstandingly remarkable values. DETERMINING RIVER ELIGIBILITY Guidance for determining river eligibility for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System comes from three sources: The Wild and Scenic Act of 1968, as amended; revised US Department of Agriculture-USDI (USDA-USDI) Guidelines for Eligibility, Classification, and Management of River Areas dated 1982 which supplements the Act; and the guidelines set forth in the Forest Service Handbook. Two sections of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 apply to eligibility criteria. Section 1 (b) which states that for a river to eligible for inclusion it must be free flowing and Section 2 (b) that states for a Wild and Scenic River Evaluation L-1 selected river to become eligible for designation it must posses one of the following "...outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values...". The USDA-USDI Guidelines interpret the Act further and develops standards for determining eligibility. Rivers may be divided into segments for ease of study and classification. There is no established standard for a minimum segment length, though a river segment should be long enough to protect all values determined to be outstandingly remarkable. Flows are considered sufficient if they sustain or complement the values for which the river has been designated. A minimum flow is not required. Forest Service guidelines (FSH 1909.122 Chapter 8) also offer an approach, based on the NRI approach, for identifying potential wild and scenic rivers. A group of rivers with a recognized value, such as anadromous fisheries, that is common to a physiographic province or region should be assessed for eligibility to determine if the value in one or more of the rivers is outstandingly remarkable in a larger geographic context. DETERMINING RIVER CLASSIFICATION The determination that a river segment contains "outstandingly remarkable" values is a professional judgement on the part of the evaluation team. If outstandingly remarkable values are found they can then be coupled with the existing patterns of land use and infrastructure to determine classification. Rivers are evaluated against criteria for classification into Wild Rivers, Scenic Rivers, or Recreation Rivers. The streams found eligible for Wild and Scenic River status in this study were given the highest, most restrictive classification possible under the criteria A summary of these criteria is shown in Table L-1. TABLE L-1 WILD AND SCENIC RIVER CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY WILD RIVER: Free of impoundments. Represents a vestige of primitive America. Little or no evidence of human activity. Inaccessible except by trail. No roads, railroads or provisions for vehicular travel within the river area. A few existing roads leading to the boundary of the river area are acceptable. Waters unpolluted. SCENIC RIVER: Free of impoundments. Largely primitive and undeveloped. No substantial evidence of human activity. Accessible in places by road. Roads may occasionally reach or bridge the river. RECREATION RIVER: Free of impoundments. Some existing impoundments or diversions providing that the waterway remains generally natural or riverine in appearance. Some development. Readily accessible by road. L-2 Wild and Scenic River Evaluation DETERMINING RIVER SUITABILITY The final step in the river assessment process is the determination of suitability. This step provides the basis for the decision to recommend designation or nondesignation of the river. A number of factors are to be considered in the determination of suitability. The assessment must evaluate the reasonable foreseeable potential uses of the land and water which would be enhanced, foreclosed, or curtailed if the area were included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers system and the values which would be foreclosed or diminished if the area is not protected as part of the system. The study must also include an an evaluation of the characteristics which do or do not make the area a worthy addition to the National System; the current status of land ownership and use in the area; public, State and local governmental interest in designation of the river; and the estimated cost of acquiring necessary lands and interests in lands and of administering the area if it is added to the system. (Forest Service Handbook (FSH) 1909.12 Chapter 8). A National Forest may complete the river suitability determination as part of the forest plan, or may delay completion of the study until three years after Issue of the Final Forest Land Management Plan. The Mendocino National Forest has chosen to evaluate the suitability of three streams which flow through designated Wilderness areas as part of the forest planning process. The Mendocino National Forest has chosen to defer evaluation of river suitability for three streams which do not flow in Wilderness areas until completion of the Forest Plan. Interim protection of eligible river values until a suitability study can be completed is documented in the Forest Plan. PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING The rivers and streams discussed here lie within the California Coast Range province and flow into the Pacific Ocean by two routes. Flows from the eastern flank of the range drain into the largest river system in northern California, the Sacramento River, and enter the ocean through San Francisco Bay. The western flank of the range is drained by the Eel River, the second largest river system in northern California, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. The Coast Range drainages within the Mendocino National Forest are typically steep, deep, V-shaped canyons which are separated by broad rounded ridges. On the eastern slope of the range, ridges run in a northwesterly to northerly direction. The Coastal Range is underlain by the Franciscan assemblage. The rock types of this assemblage include graywacke, mudstone, basic volcanic rocks, radiolarian chert, and serpentine. The Franciscan should not be visualized as a formation with ordinary physical structure, but rather as a disorderly assemblage of various characteristic rocks that have undergone unusual disturbances. A major fault runs along the north eastern Forest boundary. The Coast Range Thrust Fault is a zone where two techtonically different geologic plates meet. The western plate is composed of oceanic volcanics and sediments of the Franciscan assemblage, while the eastern plate is of continental origin. The western plate of ocean sediments is being forced under the continental plate further deforming the massive deposits of the unstable Franciscan assemblage. This tectonic activity and pervasive rock type are the basis of the slope instability characteristic of the Mendocino National Forest. Landslides are common throughout the Forest, especially along the river corridors. Streams are typically deeply incised within their

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