River Management Society

Supporting Professionals Who Study, Protect, and Manage RMS WINTER 2013 VOLUME 26, NO. 4 ’s Rivers

Northeast Chapter Focus

Prepare to Launch!...... 4

RMS and Public Policy...... 5

Restoring a Log Driven Stream, ME...... 6

Stream Restoration in ... 8

TU Leads Dam Removal in ME...... 10

Clean-Drain-Dry for Paddlers Video.....11

Paddling the Canoemobile...... 12

New National Rivers Database...... 13

River Protection in NH...... 15

Successful Restoration in NH...... 16

Restoring the Souhegan in NH...... 18

River Town Program - A Success!...... 20

Delaware River Basin - Publication..... 27

RMS Training in Denver 2014...... 28

TransCanada’s Wilder Station. 10-22-12. Photo: Norman Sims, AMC

Using The Integrated Licensing Process To Relicense Five Dams On The River

America’s First Designated National Penobscot, Rapid, and Magalloway Rivers more. Sometimes states withheld “401 Blueway & Heritage River in provided millions of dollars for Water Quality Certificates” for political improved fish passage, improved water purposes that dragged on project licenses by Tom Christopher quality, increased base flows and extensive for multiple decades. There is a saying that “opportunity recreational enhancements for whitewater Even so, the best part of the ‘93 only knocks once” and when state and boaters and other river users. relicensing work was the emergence of federal agencies as well as multiple non- For those of us in the relicensing negotiated “settlement agreements” on governmental organizations (NGO’s) were game who worked on the earlier ‘93 the Deerfield, Kennebec and other New notified by the Federal Energy Regulatory projects and continued on in later work, England rivers. This opened the door Commission (FERC) that five dams on it was not an opportunity to pass up. As I for the development of the “alternative New England’s great have often said, “the only way to get out licensing process” (ALP) which allowed were up for relicensing, it was taken as of the relicensing game is to die” because stakeholders and applicants to identify a great opportunity to secure mitigation it takes so many years to get through the issues early in the process. Theoretically for decades into the future. The success FERC process. Back in the day, all of the this would save time, develop dialogue and extraordinary mitigation achieved projects we worked on started out in the and trust between stakeholders, and earlier through the “Class of 1993” traditional licensing process (TLP) which ultimately would result in better relicensings on the in took a minimum of five years, but would outcomes for the environment. Over Massachusetts, as well as the Kennebec, run on for nine or ten years and often (continued on page 24) Executive Director’s Eddy From the President

RMS Main Office Risa Shimoda, Executive Director What’s Best for the River? Blue River and those government shutdown blues. PO Box 5750, Takoma Park, MD 20913 Ph / Fax (301) 585-4677 [email protected] [email protected] Welcome to an issue brimming with The annual meeting of the RMS decision made was we are fully committed Chapter officer level. Another problem is stories submitted from Northeast Chapter Board of Directors was October 10–13, to the success of the 2014 symposium, the board is comprised entirely of river National Officers week two of the federal government Managing Rivers in Changing Climes, managers. A good bunch of folks to be Dennis Willis, President members! Your colleagues have been shutdown. The meeting was scheduled April 15–17 in Denver, CO. Historically, sure, but possibly not the best skill mix Price, UT (435) 650-0850 moving very cool projects forward this at the AJ Andrews Experimental Forest the biennial symposium has been a major for these challenging times. We could do Linda Jalbert, Vice President year, hurdling speed bumps while keeping Grand Canyon, AZ (928) 638-7909 Conference Center, a Federal facility. revenue source. We had actually been better with an MBA or two and someone an eye on the prize and linking resources Jorjena Daly, Secretary What to do? Our board members from considering the possibility of canceling with fund raising expertise on our board. Anchorage, AK (907) 267-1246 in support of the work. Their projects around the nation had travel arrangements our signature event. Instead, we identified We are exploring the possibility of Helen Clough, Treasurer represent collaborations of dozens of and flights into Eugene, Oregon. We called strategy and made assignments to increase changing the by-laws and the way our Juneau, AK (907) 321-4004 organizations whose efforts will impact upon our friends in the Northwest Chapter both sponsorships and attendance. Even board is structured. We would like to keep hundreds of thousands of citizens, if not with local knowledge. In short order we though we are recruiting attendance from the representation from the Chapters. Ex Officio Advisors Gary G. Marsh more. Northeast Chapter authors: we thank had several alternatives in the Eugene area outside RMS, we still are depending on We think these regional viewpoints Mountain City, TN (423) 768-3621 you for your leadership and skill, and are that could house, feed and accommodate the support of our members. I hope you are valuable. We want to keep most of Randy Welsh proud to showcase your accomplishments. Water Gap just before Spring Break 2013 us. One of the great things about our will make the effort and attend what the decision making in the hands of an Washington, DC (801) 625-5250 and again during the fall colors season, society, you always have friends in the promises to be a great event. Executive Committee. A smaller group Dave Ryan, Legal Missoula, MT (406) 728-4140 Budget belt-tightening and the general affecting business owners who rely on know. The financial challenges we face can be more nimble and responsive in day Bo Shelby recommended the are causing us to re-evaluate the RMS to day decision making. We are looking Ken Ransford, Financial economic environment have resurfaced seeing some portion of the five million Basalt, CO (970) 927-1200 McKenzie River Mountain Resort, business plan and even our basic at some sort of process where chapter river management dramatically, from annual visitors. an old USFS Ranger Station that has governance. Currently, RMS is governed representatives would form the core of eliminating seasonal staff to eliminating RMS Listserve been privatized. Due to the government by an Executive Committee consisting of the board. They would be free to select [email protected] entire state river programs. Crowdsourcing As the water flowing through our nation’s shutdown, they had cancellations and were the President, Vice President, Secretary, additional board members, including the Web Page Coordinator river management time and talent is arteries continues to be harvested hungrily Cheston Crowser (406) 273-4747 able to accommodate us within our skimpy Treasurer and a Chapter President. The executive committee. This represents and altered in new ways (e.g., hydraulic [email protected] becoming a standard way to operate: rivers budget and short timeframe. It is located first four positions are three year terms, a major change in the way RMS has fracturing processes), management of Pro Deal Coordinator have a real future only where private and near the confluence of the Blue and filled through national elections. The traditionally been governed. Any such Scott Springer (541) 490-5289 public partners take notice of their needs our rivers has become a relevant topic [email protected] McKenzie Rivers and suited our purpose Chapter President, currently Dave Schade change would require a vote by the entire and pool resources to address them. for the general public. We can choose to perfectly. We always invite participation of Alaska, is selected yearly by the chapter existing board. So, what say you? Merchandise Coordinator Dan Haas (509) 546-8333 Urban river issues are particularly take advantage of the stage we are being and visits with RMS members at board presidents. The Executive Committee [email protected] If you have opinions or impressive because they can affect offered, and you can contribute to sound meetings. This year we were pleased to is advised by the remainder of the RMS Journal so many people, and they work when practices and solutions in your area of have join us for Saturday dinner: Heidi Board, consisting of the elected Chapter suggestions on how we can Caroline Kurz (406) 549-0514 [email protected] they have been developed by strong expertise or interest. and Tom Mottl from Prineville, Colin Presidents who can vote and non-voting, improve the governance Maas from the Smith River in Montana, ex-officio advisers. All board members are partnerships. of RMS we need to hear RMS is a non-profit professional organization. Relying on individuals or organizations Chuck Patterson and Dave Pacioretty both elected from the membership of RMS. All contributions and membership dues are from Pocatello. Dave is the Field Manager Elected boards are a traditional, from you. tax-deductible. The Delaware is the longest free-flowing with whom you may disagree on other and a new member, so it was great to old model for governing non-profit river in the Eastern U.S. An ongoing projects might take you out of your I invite you to contact me personally at: The mission of RMS is to support welcome him into the fold. Our guests membership organizations. The trend in [email protected], before debate continues about what is available comfort zone. While it may feel scary, professionals who study, protect, and were also able to join us for a lovely half non-profit governance has been a move April 1. Your thoughts and ideas will manage North America’s rivers. to 15 million people for consumption it will also feel great and when in day trip on the McKenzie River. It was toward board members that are entirely shape the content of our membership vs. what supports its scenic, social, doubt, look to the answer of the most Editorial Policy: Articles are not edited for cold, splashy, busy paddle boating with a recruited and appointed for their skill sets meeting in Denver, where future and economic interests. Managers face fundamental question in the room: what’s content and may not reflect the position, hot springs swim taking off the chill at the and the organizational need at the time. governance will be a major discussion best for the river? u endorsement, or mission of RMS. The challenges by power producers who would end of the trip. We are having struggles with the point. The goal of the exercise is to better purpose of this policy is to encourage the like to line up gas drilling rigs along banks But the meeting was not all current board composition. One problem is u free exchange of ideas concerning river serve RMS members like you. management issues in an open forum of seen by millions from the water, nearby See you downstream. toil, trouble and misery. There was the strict interpretation of ethics guidelines communication and networking among the bridges and roadways. Sequestration a considerable amount of work in some agencies make it harder for RMS membership. Unless indicated, points of and the federal shutdown closed several accomplished and great discussions as agency employees to serve, especially on view are those of the author and not RMS. Risa Shimoda Dennis Willis to the future of RMS. One important the Executive Committee, but even at the popular access points near the Delaware RMS Executive Director RMS President

2 RMS Journal Winter 2013 3 Thinking of building a kayak access, but aren’t sure where to start ? RMS Involvement in Public Policy Issues

Would you like to understand by Dennis Willis, President RMS shoreline characteristics to help RMS has historically been very of small, interconnected wetlands and without each riparian land owner decide an appropriate launch ? conservative when it comes to advocacy headwater streams in order to protect exercising individual sovereignty over the in the public policy arena. We have the health of larger rivers and lakes river bed and banks. not tended to get involved unless we downstream. This draft science report This was RMS’ first foray into Want to see examples of were specifically invited and even then is part of a larger policy development litigation. Unfortunately, our side lost. The pass on most opportunities. Part of that effort at U.S. EPA that includes a draft US Supreme Court ruled that Montana different types of launches? reluctance comes from our definition rulemaking addressing the need to clarify must do segment by segment analysis as a professional society and our role the waters protected under the Clean in navigability determinations. As an Need a step-by-step guide is generally different from that of an Water Act. The draft scientific report is a organization, we value public ownership advocacy group like American Rivers. great resource for our members. We will access and use of rivers and will continue of what to think about when There are also issues about protecting our be posting a link to it on our website and to advocate for that. planning a launch ? tax exempt status and not wanting to wade updating when the report is final. into the swamp of partisan politics. Office of Government Ethics Rules Over the last couple of years we have Friend of the Court Brief to the for Federal Employees Need design criteria, even some been more willing to be advocates. One US Supreme Court This issue started in 1996 with a sources of manufacturers area where RMS clearly can advocate, In 2010 the River Management Department of Justice finding that just ? is for the use of sound science and best Society joined with The Nature about any service on the board of a management practices in the management Conservancy, National Wildlife non-profit was essentially a conflict of by Lelia Mellen of river resources. Another area of Federation, Trout Unlimited and 25 other interest for federal employees if there was webinars to share drafts and get feedback; of them – and if you see them, thank them! importance to RMS is when law or policy groups in filing a brief for the Supreme any connectivity to the employee’s job. Prepare to Launch! is the resource and finally, we Skyped with design firms The draft was masterfully laid out hampers the ability of our individual Court of the in the case Strictly interpreted this meant that federal members to be good professionals. What of PPL v. Montana. Our brief was an employees were barred from leadership for you. River Management Society for their interviews. As Ursula Lemanski and designed by Julie Thorner and Evan follows are brief descriptions of three Amicus, or friend of the court; RMS and positions in professional societies. RMS, (RMS) and NPS’ Rivers, Trails and said, “These online tools allowed a large Tipton of Willow Works. Their attention to recent cases where RMS has entered the the other organizations were not direct working with nearly 40 other professional Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) group of people from all over the country detail was remarkable, as was their design public policy arena. parties in the case. societies, including American Fisheries, worked together to update Logical Lasting to have meaningful conversations that sense and their knowledge of river systems PPL owned ten hydroelectric dams Society of American Foresters and The Launches – a product of RTCA first moved the product along. Plus, we all got and launch needs. Clean Water Act Scientific Report on the Missouri, Clarks Fork and Madison Wildlife Society, signed on to an effort created in 2004. RMS did a fabulous job to learn from each other as the document Prepare to Launch! is being This fall, RMS submitted formal rivers. In 2003, Parents of Montana to get the rules amended by the Office of comments on a draft scientific report, School Children brought suit against PPL Government Ethics. We were successful in managing this project. Risa Shimoda hired took shape.” produced in a multi-media format. It is Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands for unpaid rental on the land occupied that effort and the final rule was published a summer intern, Joe Sullivan, a student We are incredibly appreciative of: Sue available as a PowerPoint presentation to Downstream Waters. As many of by hydropower facilities. Eventually, in the Federal Register on March 6, at SUNY-Environmental Science and Abbott, Karl Beard, Don Briggs, Alison (245 slides strong!), downloadable you are aware, there has been a raging the Montana Supreme Court ruled the 2013. The rule provides exemptions Forestry majoring in both environmental Bullock, Charlotte Gillis, Joan Harn, booklet, or as its own mini-website located debate over which waters and wetlands rivers were navigable and thus held in for employees serving on the boards of studies and construction. Joe was aided Duncan Hay, Ursula Lemanski, Kathryn at www.river-management.org and www. are protected under the Clean Water Act. trust by the State of Montana and upheld professional organizations. The controversy stems from Supreme the required payment of back rent in the Unfortunately, our work here is not by Risa, RMS Executive Director, and Nichols, Peggy Pings, Barbara Rice, nps.gov/rtca. Court decisions in 2001 (Solid Waste amount of nearly $41 million. PPL argued yet done. The new regulations have not yet Lelia Mellen and Corita Waters, NPS Angie Tornes, Randy Thoreson, Susan Prepare to Launch! is ready to Agency of Northern Cook County v the Montana court erred, and should have translated down through individual agency RTCA program. Joe collected hundreds Rice, and Jerry Willis - National Park help recreation planners, communities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) and determined navigability on a section by policy. There is a lack of consistency in of pictures from a variety of people; Service; Nate Hoogeveen and John Wenck non-profits, and agency managers work 2006 (Rapanos v. United States). Those section basis and that an obstacle that the application of the rule between and researched others guides; outlined clear - Iowa DNR; Scott Keller – Hudson River through the early stages of assessing, decisions, and policy decisions made by requires portage is in fact non-navigable. within individual agencies. Some agency steps to describe shoreline characteristics; Greenway Water Trail; Walter Opuszynski designing and building launches for carry- the Bush Administration, have confused This approach could allow any riparian ethics officers make it difficult for their the question of which waters are covered land owner to argue the rapid, fall, rock employees to obtain permission to conduct and asked river managers for their boaters’ – Northern Forest Canoe Trail; Greg in watercraft. by the Clean Water Act. Isolated wetlands, or gravel bar, adjacent to their property RMS business using government time and needs. Joe was helped by many people Rolf - American Canoe Association; Kate This resource deserves to reflect new intermittent and ephemeral streams and renders the stream non-navigable through facilities. in gathering this information. We took Rudasille - Northern Virginia Regional learning and shared expertise. NPS and groundwater are no longer clearly covered. their property. We continue to work on this issue. advantage of new technology to bring Park Authority; Erik Wrede - Minnesota RMS would like input from managers and There is a presumption they are not unless The reason we engaged in this case One of the ways your professional all these contributors together. First we DNR; and Randy Welsh and Janet Zeller - practitioners of small boat launches. If a clear, surface connection to perennial is the river management issues and standing and reputation is earned is used Huddle, a document sharing website USDA Forest Service. These professionals this sounds particularly intriguing to you water is shown. The U.S. EPA Scientific implications are crucial to the future of our through active participation and leadership Advisory Board (SAB) report reviews nation’s rivers. RMS believes rivers are in professional organizations. RMS will where people could upload pictures and gave their time, insights, pictures, designs, and you’d like to help future editions of over 1,000 peer reviewed publications and best managed in a holistic fashion for the continue to advocate for your right to do documents, and as Joe had drafts ready, and editorial feedback; this document Prepare to Launch! please be in touch compiles the scientific evidence making benefit of the public trust. Management just that. u the collective could look at it and make would not have been possible without with Risa or Lelia, as we might be able to the case that we must protect the network of rivers is complex and difficult enough comments for all to see. Second, we used them. As you look through the guide think use your expertise! u

4 RMS Journal Winter 2013 5 Restoring a Historic Log Driven Stream in Maine by Ray Ary Wildlife, Maine Forest Service, and for four consecutive post-treatment Historically, many Maine streams Forest Society of Maine identified years. This data will be compatible for were used to transport logs from the Intervale Brook as a good candidate comparisons and analyses from similar woods to mills. To increase the efficiency for stream restoration. After surveying stream enhancement projects for continued of moving the logs, boulders and in-stream approximately four miles of the stream, a statewide evaluation of wood addition logs were removed, stream channels were plan was formed to open several blocked techniques. straightened and side channels blocked. side channels, add in-stream wood and This project is a great example of These operations degraded trout habitat boulders where possible, and remove how collaborations between state agencies by decreasing pool diversity, removing in- the splash dam over a two-year period. and willing private landowners like Plum stream structures and cover elements, and Work started in September, 2012, by Creek can benefit public resources while altering substrate composition. Intervale opening up eight side channels, placing being good stewards of the land. In the Remnant splash dam to be removed. After splash dam was removed. Brook is located in Frenchtown Township several boulders back into the main stream future, additional streams on Plum Creek’s near Moosehead Lake and is a historic channel from the banks and adding some ownership will be assessed to identify log driven stream that shows evidence of key pieces of in-stream wood. In August, other candidate streams for restoration and channelization. The splash dam used in the 2013, in-stream wood was placed along enhancement as partnership projects. u log drives is still present in the headwaters four miles of Intervale Brook. The stream Ray Ary is a Wildlife Biologist with of the stream and remains a barrier to fish has two years pre-treatment surveys Plum Creek Timber. passage. estimating fish community composition, Link to video explaining chop Plum Creek along with the Maine habitat and water quality, and geomorphic and drop: http://www.youtube.com/ Department of Inland Fisheries and stability. We plan on monitoring Intervale watch?v=HdrvwXUNaDg

Shallow, over-widened channel from historic log drives.

Key piece of wood placed during 1st phase of project. Large wood placed using chop and drop technique.

Blocked side channel (left) that was reopened (right). All photos courtesy of Plum Creek.

6 RMS Journal Winter 2013 7 Massachusetts River Advocates Promote Fish Friendly Stream Crossings and Demand Stream Restoration by Paul G. Beaulieu A consortium of river advocates in biology. The effort was deemed a huge The river is now being monitored by Massachusetts banded together in 2013 success, as 378 highway decision makers the Massachusetts Department of Fish & to produce a series of six workshops attended the workshops. Game (MADFG) which has documented aimed at teaching public works and As for the Chickley River itself, a recruitment of a number of fish species highway managers techniques to improve common phrase heard from the attendees into the previously damaged reach of culvert crossing designs. The workshops during the workshops was “We Don’t the river. The restoration of the Chickley were offered through the Massachusetts Want to get Chickleyed,” apparently in River will be an ongoing process for Department of Transportation’s reference to the administrative penalties a number of years, if not decades, as (MassDOT) Road Scholar program and restoration order that were handed natural stream processes are allowed to and were organized by staff from down by the Massachusetts Department redesign the river as nature sees fit, but the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) the damage that was done to the Chickley Massachusetts Division of Ecological to the contractor that had done the river was not in vain as its story has appeared Restoration, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, dredging. After the dredging of the to motivate key highway decision makers Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Nature Chickley became known (Hawley is to better educate themselves about how Conservancy, and local regional planning located in a remote corner of the state), to improve stream crossings to improve agencies. The idea for the workshops representatives from the Connecticut both the functioning of their roads and the developed in response to damage River Watershed Council (CRWC) and functioning of our rivers. u sustained on some Massachusetts rivers the local chapter of Trout Unlimited Chickley River pre-restoration, Hawley, Massachusetts. November 2011. Photo: Paul G. Beaulieu, Trout Unlimited during Hurricane Irene in 2011 and what pressured MassDEP to require a full Paul Beaulieu is a professional was viewed in some cases as an irrational restoration of the Chickley. After lengthy environmental consultant specializing in Chickley River post-restoration. December 2012. Photo: Andrea Donlon, CRWC response to the flooding that occurred negotiations, the contractor agreed to river restoration, and a board member of during that storm. Most dramatically, restore the damage, and restoration work the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and the nearly five miles of the Chickley River was completed in 2012. MA/RI Council of Trout Unlimited. in Hawley, Massachusetts, were dredged, bermed and straightened after that storm Workshop participants gather around a flume table. Photo: Julia Blatt, Mass. Rivers Alliance event in a misguided “flood control” effort. In many other cases, culverts that were inadequately designed and sized, and which were washed away during the flooding, were replaced with culverts of the same dimensions, missing an opportunity to improve fish passage and river functioning. Recognizing the need to educate highway and public works decision makers about river processes, the importance of floodplains for minimizing storm damage and proper culvert design (in the face of climate change), the group undertook an ambitious effort to develop the workshop series, which featured experts in fluvial geomorphology, civil engineering, river continuity and aquatic

8 RMS Journal Winter 2013 9 Edwards Proving To Be The Removal That Keeps On Giving (Portions reprinted with approval from Mainstream, the online newsletter of the Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited - October, 2013) Clean-Drain-Dry for Paddlers: by Steve Heinz impediment to fish Maine continues to passage in the summer An Instructional Film from the build on the momentum of 2011. created by the removal Currently, stocked Northern Forest Canoe Trail of Edwards Dam from fish make up about the 50% of Sebago Lake’s in Augusta over ten salmon in any given by Walter Opuszynski years ago. The state has year. The Maine documented about 750 Department of Inland I’d like to share a page we’ve developed that they perform the Clean-Drain-Dry dams over two feet high Fisheries and Wildlife - the actual number is biologists are working as a paddler resource regarding Aquatic method described in the educational video. estimated to be around to enhance wild Invasive (AI) spread prevention. With 1,000. Only about 100 salmon production grants and organizational support, we were The video was created by NFCT produce electricity - in the Crooked River able to bring on a video production intern. Video Production Intern Betty Bastai there is plenty of work drainage. Removal to be done. Since the of salmon migration We now have a tremendous amount of with support from the NFCT staff, Edwards Dam removal, barriers will help them footage regarding aquatic invasives and paddlers, and the many aquatic invasive Maine continues to achieve this goal. “Clean-Drain-Dry for Paddlers” is the experts across the trail. The process work to open up its first video we have developed, with more was developed in conjunction with major watersheds. The Randall Mill Dam. Photo: Matthew Craig, Estuary Partnership Randall Mill Dam Penobscot with its Removal to come! Please share this information recommendations and guidelines legendary fishery was the next watershed to draw On July 26, the chapter combined with the Casco Bay with colleagues—we are developing an established by the Aquatic Nuisance national attention: the Great Works Dam removal in 2012 was Estuary Partnership to remove Randall Mill Dam on Chandler outreach campaign for late winter/early Species Task Force, an intergovernmental followed by the Veazie Dam removal in 2013. Smaller projects Brook, a Royal River tributary located in Pownal. Maine TU spring to spread the word to paddlers. organization dedicated to preventing and have been pursued as well. Council provided additional funding. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Sebago Chapter of Trout Unlimited (Portland and Service Coastal Program provided surveying controlling aquatic nuisance species. southwestern Maine) began working with the Casco Bay Estuary support for the project, and Maine Rivers assisted with project The Northern Forest Canoe Trail Locations shown in the video are on Partnership in 2009 to survey all impediments to fish passage for coordination. The prime contractor was Caribou Springs LLC. (NFCT) has produced a 10-minute video the Northern Forest Canoe Trail which all waters flowing into Casco Bay. With the Casco Bay Estuary A dam had been located on the site since 1796, and had explaining how paddlers can prevent provides a good example of paddling Partnership ready to supply matching funds, and TU’s Embrace- supported both lumber and grist mills in its day. It had continued a-Stream Program in place for just such projects, Sebago to operate into the 1950s. The mill itself quickly deteriorated – the spread of aquatic invasive species, between water bodies. Chapter’s Board of Directors saw the opportunity and began to not a stick of the structure remained. The dam itself had been like rock snot and Eurasian Milfoil, by capitalize on it in 2011 with a weir construction on Swett Brook partially breached in the mid-1990s by high water. The project implementing a simple three step Clean- The educational video “Clean Drain Dry that corrected a faulty box culvert created by a badly executed reconnected three miles of stream habitat to Chandler Brook and Drain-Dry process with their boats and for Paddlers” can be found at http://www. bridge update. The dam removal upstream and the one on the main stem of the Royal River. Fish need to be able to freely Chandler Brook followed. move through watersheds to be able to reach spawning, nursery paddling gear. Aquatic invasive species northernforestcanoetrail.org/PlanaTrip-3/ The accomplishment represented by removal of these small and feeding areas – and survive low water conditions. can impact the natural diversity and Aquatic-Invasives-70. This project dams can pale in comparison to the dams, but it Dam owner Fred Fauver said, “The dam no longer served integrity of lakes and streams by out- was made possible with support from should not. Small projects like these happened in the Penobscot any useful purpose, and was both a liability and an obstruction competing the natural plant and animal Patagonia and Entrust. u drainage, and they made the removal of the large dams effective. to the free movement of aquatic life up and down the watershed. Organizations like Sebago TU can fill a much-needed niche by The man-made obstruction has been removed, and we can’t wait life. These nuisance organisms can be taking on small local projects, like the following. to see how Mother Nature details the now free-flowing stream.” invisible to the naked eye and easily For more information contact: It was gratifying to see small fish swimming upstream even carried from one water body to another Walter Opuszynski, NFCT Trail Director, Swett Brook Dam Removal before the heavy equipment had been loaded back onto the unless this simple process is implemented. [email protected], On July 19, Sebago Chapter in partnership with Mollyockett trucks. The Royal River watershed has such great potential—it Chapter and the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership removed a dam even had an Atlantic salmon run before the lower river was (802) 496-2285. on Swett Brook, a tributary of the Crooked River in Waterford, dammed in the 1840s. The Town of Yarmouth is currently The NFCT is a 740-mile water trail Maine. The prime contractor was Caribou Springs LLC of considering removal of its two head-of-tide dams. Damming a stretching from Old Forge, NY to Fort RMS member Walter Opuszynski is an Gilead, Maine. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Gulf of where it meets the ocean is about the worst thing that you Kent, ME. Paddlers on extended trips RMS Northeast Chapter member who Coastal Program provided key surveying and permitting support. can do ecologically to the river system. By focusing attention on The dam was the property of the Portland Pipe Line the dams in the watershed, the Randall Mill Dam removal could can encounter multiple water bodies has partnered with RMS co-coordinating Corporation and had been used for water storage. The project was have consequences far downstream. u and watersheds along the course of their a webinar on Aquatic Invasive Species conducted with the full support of the company in furtherance of journey. Whenever paddlers transition in advance of developing AIS spread its longstanding commitment to environmental protection. Steve Heinz is the Sebago Trout Unlimited Conservation Chair. between water bodies it is recommended prevention signage for the NFCT. Removal of the Swett Brook Dam maximizes the effects Look for a feature article about Sebago Trout Unlimited in the of the Swett Brook Bridge project that removed a downstream Spring 2014 issue of Trout Magazine.

10 RMS Journal Winter 2013 11 Paddling the Canoemobile Creating a Vision and Developing Attributes for the by Sophie Sarkar and Corita Waters National Rivers Database One boat passes another with paddles pushing through the by Risa Shimoda and Zachary Cole, Ph.D. water, kids laugh out loud as they “rescue” a floating bottle, eyes and mouths open wide as an eagle pair soars overhead. These are some of the sights and sounds this fall as the Wilderness Inquiry Sparked by discussions at the last River interspersed with controlled feedback group (presented in alphabetical order). Canoemobile—a traveling fleet of six 24-foot Voyageur canoes— Management Society (RMS) Symposium, reports. This facilitated the interpretation Nineteen secondary attributes initially made its way across the East and Midwest. coupled with efforts at the National Park of expert opinions and, by extension, the received >80% inclusion consensus and With the support of federal and local partners, including the Service, American Whitewater, Bureau achievement of a consensus on the vision were further rank ordered as presented. National Park Service, the Canoemobile crossed the country— of Land Management, and USGS, first and attributes for the NRD. Attribute overlap, data currency, and traveling to 19 different cities—on a mission to get youth from steps were undertaken to develop a 1) subjectivity issues exist in developing many communities out paddling their local waterways. One route vision statement and 2) priority list Vision Development each within the database; this list simply included events in four cities along the Lower Delaware River of attributes for a potential National Participants started with a draft vision to provides a starting point for critical -- Wilmington DE, Philadelphia PA, Camden NJ, and Chester Rivers Database (NRD). Apparent early be further developed: The national rivers discussion. (See chart below.) PA. The Canoemobile was brought to the Lower Delaware by on, before endeavoring to coalesce the database is a convenient resource for all Wilderness Inquiry in partnership with the National Park Service technical requirements of such a database, US rivers that shows where and how to Concurrent to the NRD vision being Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program, the U.S. was the need to establish a clear vision enjoy them in a context that increases finalized, next steps are being taken Forest Service, and over 25 local partner organizations and Exploring the urban wilderness of Philadelphia, PA, on the for the project and lay out a priority list users’ awareness of river systems. It serves to organize the necessary support and agencies. Each canoe held up to nine students and one highly Schuylkill River. Photo: Wilderness Inquiry of attributes for eventual inclusion from river managers as a reference for rivers expertise for developing such a database. experienced (and enthusiastic) boat captain, allowing participants relevant stakeholders. In order to create flowing across jurisdictions. Managers from a spectrum of agencies and to have their first paddling experience without any priorboating this vision and attribute list we engaged organizations are being brought together or swimming knowledge required. To learn more about the Canoemobile and see pictures a panel of expert stakeholders (agency, Revision hinged on two factors: by the RMS to lay out a work plan for In addition to paddling on the river, the participants had from the other cities along their journey, visit their website industry, and non-profit professionals) in determining the audience for the vision potential development of the database opportunities to learn about their local river through a series (urbanwildernesscanoeadventures.org) and Facebook page. an e-Delphi exercise. and the primary end user of the database; using the findings from this assessment. of guided education activities. Twelve local community As well as providing places to get outside, the National Park and, appropriate focus and content of organizations facilitated the education activities where students Service supports community-led natural resource conservation The Delphi method was used to the vision. Representatives from the Updates are posted on the RMS website explored the cultural history, wildlife, water quality, and and outdoor recreation projects across the nation, including systematically combine expert opinion e-Delphi panel are working to finalize and we will discuss the status of the recreation opportunities of the Delaware River and its tributaries. conserving and improving access to rivers. Learn more at www. for consensus (Linstone and Turoff, vision consensus and ensure that it project at Managing Rivers in Changing Over the course of four days, the Canoemobile engaged over nps.gov/rtca. u 1975) and organize diverse values adequately advises prioritization of data Climes: Training Tomorrow’s River 440 students (ages 8-18) and 60 school chaperones and staff. and judgments through facilitation accommodated in the database. Professionals in April 2014. This event, supported by federal and local community resources, Editor’s note: Learn more about Wilderness Inquiry’s of multiple opinions (Powell, 2003). helps further the goal of connecting youth to their nearby outdoor Pyramid of Engagement in the Summer 2013 RMS Journal. Internet technologies, through the use Attributes Development Thanks to those who participated in the recreation opportunities. of an e-Delphi, were utilized to conduct Ten attributes received 100% inclusion online survey(s) for their thoughtful and iterative rounds of sequential surveys consensus and represent the primary knowledgeable input. u A little rain doesn’t slow the Canoemobile down! On a rainy day in Camden, NJ, there were smiles all around. Photo: Wilderness Inquiry

Primary Attributes Secondary Attributes (alphabetical order) (rank order)

a Access points 1 Location (city/town) 11 Fees b Federal designation(s) 2 Narrative description 12 Segment stop (coordinates) c Location (state) 3 Website 13 Recreation: camping d Name 4 Management contact 14 Ownership e Other designations 5 Recreation: boating 15 Recreation: fishing (water trail, blueway, etc.) f Permit requirements 6 Jurisdiction/Administration 16 Hazards g Regulations/restrictions 7 Difficulty (Class I-V) 17 Recreation: trails h Reservation requirements 8 Suggested use type 18 GIS files i Segment Length 9 Management district/region 19 Photos j State designation(s) 10 Segment start (coordinates)

12 RMS Journal Winter 2013 13 Celebrating 25 Years of River Protection in DESIGNATED RIVERS of NEW HAMPSHIRE by Ken Kimball NH Rivers Management & Protection Program Until the 1970s and passage of the federal Clean Water Act, approximately 60,000 hours of their time, valued at over $1.3 people turned their backs on many of New Hampshire’s rivers, million, to the State over the last 25 years. Designated Rivers many which were little more than some of the world’s best Today over 1000 miles of designated rivers are in the 1. 8/10/07 & 9/13/09 landscaped sewers. As the benefits of the Clean Water Act took program, including notable waterways like the Pemigewasset, 2. 6/07/93 effect, rivers regained public popularity and renewed ecosystems. Ashuelot, Connecticut, Piscataquog, Lamprey and Saco rivers 3. Cocheco River 7/21/09 River protection in NH took another major step forward when (see adjacent map). Involved now are over 126 towns, 23 4. Cold River 7/20/99 PITTSBURG the Town of Jackson fought the development of a hydroelectric Local Advisory Committees and 250 volunteer LAC members. 5. Connecticut River 7/14/92 facility on the Wildcat River at the popular Jackson Falls in the Designated river segments are classified as natural, rural, rural- 6. Contoocook and North Branch Rivers 6/28/91 early 1980’s. Absent any state protection, Jackson put its best foot community or community. For each river segment classification, CLARKSVILLE ATKINSON AND GILMANTON ACADEMY GRANT first, and with environmental organizations like the Appalachian state law establishes specific protection measures that pertain 7. Exeter and Squamscott Rivers 8/11/95 & 5/31/11 STEWARTSTOWN Mountain Club, successfully achieved the designation of the to structures and activities within the river; these include dams, 8. 6/30/02 DIXS GRANT SECOND COLLEGE GRANT

DIXVILLE 9. 6/26/90 & 6/7/11 COLEBROOK Wildcat River from its headwaters in the White Mountain hydroelectric energy facilities, channel alterations, maintenance WENTWORTHS LOCATION National Forest to the valley in this classic New England village. of water quality, inter-basin water transfers, and recreational COLUMBIA

A. Lamprey River ERVINGS LOCATION

B. MILLSFIELD ERROL It was the first “small river” in the federal Wild & Scenic uses of those river segments classified as “natural.” The specific

STRATFORD ODELL C o o s Rivers System and triggered a group of concerned citizens protection measures that pertain to the river corridor include C. C o o s

CAMBRIDGE and conservation organizations to form the New Hampshire the siting of solid and hazardous waste facilities. The LAC’s D. North River DUMMER 5 Rivers Campaign in 1985. The Campaign has since become also develop river management plans for adoption by the E. STARK MILAN the New Hampshire Rivers Council. The Campaign focused on towns. In addition, the Program was legislatively required to

F. NORTHUMBERLAND

SUCCESS the establishment of NH’s Rivers Management and Protection develop instream flow protection rules. Similar to across the KILKENNY 10. 5/9/11 BERLIN 11. (Lower) 6/26/90 LANCASTER Program (RMPP) that came into existence in 1988. On signing United States, developing instream flow protection rules has

RANDOLPH this landmark piece of environmental legislation, then-Governor been a complicated and difficult challenge. NH DES is now JEFFERSON GORHAM SHELBURNE 12. Merrimack River (Upper) 6/26/90 DALTON WHITEFIELD Judd Gregg described the State’s rivers as “emeralds in the concluding two pilot projects to determine how best to meet the

13. 6/2/11 LITTLETON MARTINS LOCATION LOW AND BURBANKS GRANT

CARROLL THOMPSON AND MESERVES PURCHASE GREENS GRANT crown jewels of New Hampshire,” emphasizing the importance needs of water users on designated rivers without harming river BEANS PURCHASE 14. 6/28/91 MONROE CHANDLERS PURCHASE LYMAN PINKHAMS GRANT BETHLEHEM CRAWFORDS PURCHASE 15. 7/16/93 LISBON of protecting rivers for the benefit of future generations. Thanks ecosystems. Further details on the RMPP and instream flow BEANS GRANT SUGAR HILL 1 SARGENTS PURCHASE CUTTS GRANT to the efforts of many individuals, legislators, organizations program can be found at http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/ 16. 6/26/90 BATH FRANCONIA JACKSON CHATHAM LANDAFF and businesses, the New Hampshire Rivers Management and water/wmb/rivers/index.htm . HARTS LOCATION 17. 5/28/00 EASTON HADLEYS PURCHASE 16 Protection Program celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013. Kayakers, canoeists, and conservationists gathered in BARTLETT 18. 6/26/90 LINCOLN HAVERHILL

LIVERMORE BENTON HALES LOCATION CONWAY The Program is a bottom up approach similar to the national Plymouth, NH, to celebrate with the Governor of NH and

0 5 10 20 30 40 WOODSTOCK Wild and Scenic Program, requiring a rigorous nomination G r a f t o n members of the Executive Council the 25th anniversary of G r a f t o n ALBANY Miles 5 PIERMONT WARREN WATERVILLE VALLEY process that must conclude with legislative designation. The NH the state’s Rivers Management and Protection Program and to THORNTON 18 ELLSWORTH EATON MADISON ORFORD Department of Environmental Services administers the Program, acknowledge those that had contributed their time and talents 14 C a rr rr o ll ll WENTWORTH TAMWORTH

SANDWICH

RUMNEY CAMPTON FREEDOM Legend LYME with the assistance of a statewide Rivers Management Advisory since the program’s inception. With sunny skies shining on

DORCHESTER Committee (RMAC) whose committee members are governor this August 2013 event, celebrants then took to the waters and

HOLDERNESS EFFINGHAM GROTON Designated Rivers PLYMOUTH OSSIPEE MOULTONBOROUGH HANOVER appointed to represent business, agriculture, hydroelectric, paddled down the Baker and designated Pemigewasset Rivers.

ASHLAND HEBRON CENTER HARBOR

CANAAN TUFTONBORO Class BRIDGEWATER water supply, conservation, recreation, fish and game, historical One can follow NH’s river management and protection programs ORANGE NEW HAMPTON 10 MEREDITH LEBANON ALEXANDRIA BRISTOL WOLFEBORO interests, and municipal and state government. Following flow from its ‘headwater inception’ in the 1980s to today on a

ENFIELD Natural WAKEFIELD

GRAFTON LACONIA PLAINFIELD BROOKFIELD designation, a local advisory committee (LAC) is also formed colorful poster at http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/ GILFORD

SANBORNTON DANBURY HILL u Rural GRANTHAM to provide the State with local input regarding development wmb/rivers/documents/rmpp25-poster.pdf.

CORNISH SPRINGFIELD B e ll k n a p ALTON 12 MIDDLETON

BELMONT TILTON NEW DURHAM proposals and other decisions that may impact rivers. The WILMOT FRANKLIN Rural-Community CROYDON ANDOVER MILTON Dr. Ken Kimball is director of research for the Appalachian

NEW LONDON GILMANTON NORTHFIELD cumulative accomplishments of the LACs are impressive, they S u ll ll ii v a n SUNAPEE Mountain Club, currently chairperson of the NH Rivers SALISBURY 3 Community CLAREMONT NEWPORT CANTERBURY FARMINGTON

BARNSTEAD were presented with the President’s Volunteer Service Award SUTTON Management Advisory Committee, and on the board of the

BOSCAWEN LOUDON NEWBURY

UNITY WEBSTER ROCHESTER and the Spirit of New Hampshire Volunteer Service Award in M e rr rr ii m a c k PITTSFIELD S tt rr a ff ff o rr d GOSHEN Photo: NH DES) STRAFFORD national Low Impact Hydroelectric Institute. ( WARNER

CHICHESTER 4 8 SOMERSWORTH 2008. Collectively, RMAC and LAC volunteers have donated BRADFORD CHARLESTOWN LEMPSTER CONCORD Waterbodies ROLLINSFORD ACWORTH BARRINGTON HOPKINTON EPSOM NORTHWOOD

WASHINGTON DOVER PEMBROKE MADBURY LANGDON HENNIKER N.H. Gov. Maggie Hassan and Ken Kimball canoe the Baker and Pemigewasset rivers during the 25th Anniversary celebration in Plymouth, NH. County Boundary HILLSBOROUGH 13 ALLENSTOWN DEERFIELD MARLOW BOW NOTTINGHAM LEE DURHAM ALSTEAD WINDSOR 6 DUNBARTON WEARE NEWINGTON

STODDARD 9 Town Boundary 5 DEERING HOOKSETT NEW CASTLE WALPOLE CANDIA NEWMARKET PORTSMOUTH ANTRIM EPPING 2 NEWFIELDS GREENLAND GILSUM RAYMOND SURRY SULLIVAN 15 STRATHAM RYE Participating BENNINGTON GOFFSTOWN NELSON FRANCESTOWN AUBURN BRENTWOOD EXETER NORTH HAMPTON NEW BOSTON R o c k ii n g h a m HANCOCK MANCHESTER FREMONT CHESTER WESTMORELAND ROXBURY Designated River KEENE HARRISVILLE GREENFIELD BEDFORD HAMPTON DANVILLE KENSINGTON H ii ll ll s b o rr o u g h SANDOWN EAST KINGSTON HAMPTON FALLS Communities KINGSTON C h e s h ii rr e LYNDEBOROUGH MONT VERNON DUBLIN MARLBOROUGH DERRY SOUTH HAMPTON SEABROOK CHESTERFIELD HAMPSTEAD LONDONDERRY PETERBOROUGH AMHERST NEWTON MERRIMACK 7 SWANZEY

17 LITCHFIELD ATKINSON PLAISTOW WILTON HINSDALE TROY JAFFREY TEMPLE

SHARON MILFORD WINDHAM WINCHESTER SALEM HU1DSON 1

RICHMOND FITZWILLIAM GREENVILLE RINDGE HOLLIS NASHUA NEW IPSWICH MASON BROOKLINE

PELHAM

NHDES Watershed Management Bureau - March 2012

14 RMS Journal Winter 2013 15 a large, deep pond that provided valuable Black Brook Restoration and Maxwell downstream of the dam was “starved” New Hampshire River Restoration off-channel fish habitat and continued Pond Dam Removal - Manchester, NH of sediments as a result of the dam erosion reduced the land mass separating The Maxwell Pond Dam, located installation which has led to active erosion the river and the pond. A significant flood in the Northwest portion of the City of along both banks of the downstream Three Success Stories! in the mid-1990’s eroded the remaining Manchester, was removed to restore Black channel. Maxwell Pond was listed as by Steve Landry land: the pond became part of the river Brook back to a freely flowing condition, impaired due to insufficient dissolved channel with an approximately 400 feet allowing fish to migrate upstream for the oxygen saturation in the water column Background/Introduction Each year, DES supports projects The instability resulted from the long breach, and the river and its sediment first time in well over a century. (DES category 5-Pand 5-M), rendering The New Hampshire Department of that address nonpoint source pollution removal of woody riparian shrubs from the reduced the size of the pond to roughly 19 The construction of the Maxwell Pond it incapable of supporting the Aquatic Environmental Services (DES) Watershed through development and implementation stream banks. This likely occurred decades acres. Dam in 1900 altered the natural channel Life Designated Use for New Hampshire Assistance Section works with local of watershed-based plans with funds earlier as a means of increasing arable This restoration project was designed and hydrology within Black Brook. In surface waters. organizations, municipalities, other state appropriated through the U.S. EPA under land. The absence of deep-rooted shrubs to implement a geomorphology-based addition to the hydrologic barrier that Removal of the Maxwell Pond Dam agencies and programs within DES, Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. EPA made the banks vulnerable to erosion, restoration plan for approximately 2,800 prevents migratory fish passage up eliminated this hydromodification on and the U.S. Environmental Protection guidance requires that a “substantial especially the outside bank of the meander feet of the Pemigewasset River that would Black Brook to and from the Merrimack Black Brook; restored approximately Agency New England, to improve and majority” of funds must be used to restore bend upstream of the barn. As this bank reconnect the river to its original channel; River at this location, the dam and the 6 miles of fish passage; eliminated the restore surface waters in New Hampshire impaired waters with the remainder used eroded, the meander bend became sharper, reduce the impacts associated with pond it created acted as a huge sediment dissolved oxygen impairment within the at the watershed level. DES Watershed to protect high quality waters (see box). placing even greater stress on the bank floodplain land loss; enhance the in-stream sink since the early 1900s. The channel (continued on page 21) Assistance Section staff work with New Hampshire currently boasts and accelerating the on-going erosion. and off river fisheries and waterfowl people in their watersheds to identify seven NPS Success Stories where Section Had this process been allowed to continue, habitat; and, restore the impacted river water resource goals and to develop and 319 funding has been utilized successfully it appeared likely that the brook would reach to a condition of equilibrium. implement watershed management or to restore designated uses to surface have eventually cut a new channel across In the fall of 2009, the Pemigewasset restoration plans. waters. Some of the river restoration the field immediately south of the barn Chapter of Trout Unlimited, a sixty- In order to protect New Hampshire success stories for New Hampshire are (channel avulsion). Several thousand member chapter (the smallest in the State) water resources, the entire watershed must outlined below. tons of additional sediment would have completed the $700,000 river restoration be considered. This means protecting been transported to downstream reaches, project. The $315,000 grant was one aquifers, wetlands, groundwater, marshes, Bog Brook - Stratford, NH and the Connecticut River, if this had of the largest Section 319 grant awards ponds and lakes, floodplains, rivers, The project addressed an area of happened. made to a non-profit organization from streams and estuaries, plus forests, fields, severe bank erosion which threatened In June of 2003 the Town of Stratford, DES and EPA for river restoration efforts. and other upland areas, because all parts an existing barn and septic tank and NH, was awarded a $14,912 Watershed Volunteer hours contributed over $40,000 of the watershed are interconnected as one was a significant sediment source to Restoration Grant from the NHDES in matching funds to the local match of system. the brook and the Connecticut River, to Watershed Assistance Section for the $223,506. The watershed approach is a which it flows approximately 1½ miles Bog Brook Restoration Project. The The successful completion of this management strategy based on the downstream. Based on a comparison of grant partially funded survey, design, project by the Pemigewasset Chapter of premise that many water quality and the 2003 channel location to that from permitting, and construction of the project Trout Unlimited and their project partners ecosystem problems are best solved at 1999, the channel had eroded laterally up which stabilized approximately 275 feet has provided the Pemigewasset River with the watershed level rather than at the to 35 feet and consumed approximately of the brook. The total project cost was the opportunity to reach equilibrium at individual waterbody level. In addition, 4,000 square feet of land. Approximately $24,460. The landowner provided $8,748 this site, to maintain a proper plan form, the watershed approach empowers local 370 cubic yards, or about 480 tons, of in matching funds. In-kind professional and to access floodplains in a manner that communities with greater involvement sediment have been introduced into the services for construction supervision, will not trigger another avulsion from Above: August 2008, Black Brook (before). Below: July 2013, Black Brook (after). NHDES. in decisions that affect their future. stream as a result of bank erosion over that valued at $1,800, made up the remainder occurring. By combining forces and resources, four year span. That was on average 120 of the required non-federal match. community-based watershed groups are tons, or about 9 ten-wheeler dump truck Encouraging feedback related to overcoming old barriers and realizing new loads, per year. Pemigewasset River Restoration Plan this project came from a fly fishing opportunities to protect water resources. Implementation Project guide who had taken clients to the When Interstate 93 was extended site prior to restoration only to be from Plymouth, NH, to the Watershed Assistance Grant applicants are encouraged to consult the 303(d) disappointed by the lack of habitat border in the late 1970s, a significant for cold water species. In 2012, the list of impaired waters for New Hampshire http://des.nh.gov/organization/ amount of sand and gravel was removed guide reported to TU that he and divisions/water/wmb/swqa/2012/index.htm to verify whether or not their from the Pemigewasett River valley a client caught several trout in and south of Woodstock, NH, to aid in the waterbody of concern meets designated uses as a high quality water or fails around the restoration structures construction of the highway. The extensive to support designated uses and qualifies for Section 319 restoration funding. where scour pools and overhead sand and gravel extraction from the active cover had been created. Although One of the ultimate goals of the partnerships realized under the Watershed floodplain caused the Pemigewasset River angling was not the targeted goal Assistance Grant program in New Hampshire is the full restoration of surface to jump its bank (a process known as an for this river reach, this public avulsion) around exit 31 of Interstate 93 water through project implementation and removal of that river, stream, lake, feedback demonstrates that during a period of very heavy rain and pond, or estuary from the 303(d) list of impaired waters. Project success is fully physical river restoration goals can high flows. Bank erosion led to channel go hand in hand with recreational realized when EPA posts a Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Story on their widening, formation of multiple channels, assets provided by the New website at http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/success319/. and degradation of cold water fisheries Hampshire landscape. habitat. The gravel extraction also created

16 RMS Journal Winter 2013 17 the Merrimack Shoe Company. In December 1906, Woodbury Planning and impact studies for the project were contracted The Souhegan River, Returned to its Roots sold all the land he had acquired in Merrimack Village to the W. to Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, P.C., of Weare, NH and Utica, H. McElwain Company, one of the largest shoe manufacturers in NY; and actual physical removal of the dam was carried out by the country. Soon after coming to Merrimack Village, McElwain Costello Dismantling, Inc., a Massachusetts firm. The work began made changes around the Souhegan Falls dam, constructing the on July 14 and was completed by early September in 2008. The concrete gate structure, and likely at the same time topping the estimated $590,000 needed to pay for studies, engineering and existing stone power canal adjacent to the dam with concrete. The dam removal was funded by Pennichuck Water with help from a arched spillway design of the dam, used in other New Hampshire number of federal, state and private grants. dams dating back at least to the 1880s, increases the overall Total Cost of Project: The combined cost associated length of the spillway which directly increases the amount of with feasibility, engineering, permitting, construction totaled water passing over it. approximately $590,000. In addition this project received During World War I, McElwain supplied boots for American hundreds of hours of volunteer in-kind services and support soldiers. But in the years after the war, business declined. from individuals and non-profit organizations who support the McElwain sold the operations to the International Shoe who ran restoration of the Souhegan River. it until 1953 when the shoe industry left Merrimack for good. Project Partners included: American Rivers, Conservation International Shoe sold the Merrimack Village site to Andrew J. Law Foundation, Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, P.C. Gulf Woronka, the force behind a number of different companies that of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Manchester packaged, distributed and in some cases produced chemicals at Fly Fishing Association, Merrimack Valley Chapter of Trout the site. Unlimited, New Hampshire Coastal Conservation Association, In 1964, Woronka sold the Merrimack Village dam to the New Hampshire Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, Pennichuck Water Works, which sought the water rights to divert New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, New water from the Souhegan River upstream in Amherst to the Hampshire Fish and Game Department, NOAA Restoration watershed. Pennichuck used the Souhegan as a Center, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, US supplemental supply during dry, summer periods until 1984. The Department of Commerce, Pennichuck Water, Restore America’s firm conducted a study to evaluate the feasibility of establishing Estuaries, Souhegan River Local Advisory Committee, Souhegan a hydroelectric project at the site, but it did not look as though it Watershed Association, Town of Merrimack, U.S. Fish & would be economically viable. Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. Efforts to remove the dam began in 2000, when New Source: Program from the Merrimack Village Dam Hampshire state officials notified Pennichuck Water that the dam Removal Ceremony - August 21, 2008. Deb Loiselle is the River was structurally deficient and needed repairs. Pennichuck began Restoration Coordinator for the New Hampshire Department of exploring the possibility of removing the dam when its studies Environmental Services Water Division - Dam Bureau. u determined that the costs of repairing and maintaining the dam Souhegan River, New Hampshire did not justify the benefits of keeping it intact. Merrimack Village Dam, circa 2005 Based on materials contributed by Deborah Loiselle In 1807, the mill buildings at Souhegan Falls were passed The Souhegan River (above, as it looks today) in south from Chamberlain’s heirs to Isaac Riddle, a merchant from central New Hampshire has a rich and varied history. Before Bedford, who established the Souhegan Nail, Cotton and Woolen European and English settlers arrived here some 300 years ago, Manufacturing Company. While Riddle’s many other business the Penacook Indians lived along its banks and gave the river its ventures in neighboring towns seemed to flourish, the Souhegan name, which can be roughly translated as “river of the plains” Nail, Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing Company did not, and referring to the rich flatlands on either side as it meandered on its in 1840, David Henderson, a Scot who had worked in the Lowell wild course to the Merrimack. For those who lived on its shores, Mills, became the new owner of the Souhegan Falls site. By the Souhegan was a rich source of shad, salmon and alewife. 1850, Henderson had established a large woolen carpet mill at When early European settlers arrived, they too were attracted the site that was producing 75,000 yards of carpet and employing by the rich land and abundant fisheries. They soon settled near fifty-four workers. This operation thrived through the Civil War the mouth of the Souhegan by the falls that emptied into the and continued to grow, attracting immigrants from Scotland and Merrimack, naming the settlement Souhegan Village, later known Ireland to the area. as the town of Merrimack. These settlers erected the area’s first By 1880, Henderson was no longer operating the carpet grist mills along the river, followed by other mills, dams, and factory, but had let it out to Paul Litchfield, a “repellents and bridges. suitings” manufacturer. Adjacent to the mill, toward the bridge, The first dam at the site dates to the 1730s. According to David Henderson’s son, William, operated a Shoddy Mill that old records, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted John was located up river from the main mill building, and may have Chamberlain 300 acres of land at the point where the Souhegan replaced the gristmill and sawmill. Around the same time a empties into the Merrimack on the condition that he establish furniture factory, the Thomas Parker Table Company, was built. It a saw and gristmill in the area. By around 1737 he had built continued operations at the site until the 1950s. Merrimack’s first mill buildings as well as its first bridge over On September 8, 1883, fire destroyed all of the mill the Souhegan. Chamberlain served the Town of Merrimack as buildings except the table shop. Around this time the mill site was Selectman, Surveyor of Highways, and Town Meeting Moderator briefly owned by Jones and McQuesten, and then sold to Gordon before his death around 1800. Woodbury of Bedford, who constructed a large plant to house

18 RMS Journal Winter 2013 19 New RMS Members!

Organization Elizabeth Kallstead, Executive Director Cannon River Watershed Partnership, Northfield MN

Professional John Kuzloski, Planner Forest Service, Jackson WY

David Kelly, River Ranger Fredericktown Dock Area (before). Fredericktown Dock Area (after). The take-out area in Monongahela, PA. Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake City UT Photos: Pennsylvania Environmental Council Brandon Mitchell, Biological Scientist River Town Program Marries nearing the end of their third and final year, efforts are underway Pike National Forest, Morrison CO to organize and build capacity so that local and regional programs continue without the assistance of PEC and SCA. Todd Neville, Deschutes River Manager Outdoor Recreation, Economic Development, and Conservation A regional steering committee has been formed and meets Bureau of Land Management, Prineville OR regularly. The River Town Program has also expanded to other by Lindsay Baxter and Jeff Malik communities along the river, beginning a new three-year cycle David Pacioretty, Field Manager in two additional towns in Pennsylvania and three along the Bureau of Land Management, Pocatello ID Many communities in southwestern Pennsylvania, and tackle priorities identified in this assessment. The second year is Monongahela in northern West Virginia. PEC has also launched across the nation, have historically used their rivers for industry, centered around completing tangible community projects. In year a Schuylkill River Town Program in eastern PA and a slightly Silas Lewis, Owner/Operator commercial transportation, and waste disposal. How can these three, the staff transitions the responsibilities of the program to modified Creek Town Program in the communities bordering All Star Rafting, Maupin OR towns who have traditionally turned their backs to the river the communities themselves. French Creek in northwestern PA. learn to value it as an amenity around which visitor attraction Projects in individual towns were wide-ranging, but The River Town Program model is showing early success. Tina Lanier, District Ranger and community and economic development can occur? To examples include installing welcome and directional A survey of river perceptions was completed at the beginning of Forest Service, Gold Beach OR address this question, Pennsylvania Environmental Council signage, landscaping and streetscape improvements, a façade the program to establish a baseline. A recent follow-up survey (PEC), a statewide non-profit organization, launched theRiver improvement program in business districts, park improvements, has shown that perceptions of the value of the river, particularly Jonathan Bowler, Student Town Program as a pilot in 2010. The program works to assist public art installations, and riverside events like festivals and for recreation and visitor attraction, have improved. Since the University of Wyoming, Laramie WY towns along navigable waterways in a variety of community concerts. start of the program, multiple new businesses have launched, development projects, with a focus on promoting outdoor One of the most successful aspects of this program was including a marina, paddle-board rental operation, and several Joe McFarlane, Recreation Manager recreation as an economic driver. Ultimately, the program seeks fostering greater regional collaboration. Examples of regional restaurants. We believe this model has potential to be adjusted to Forest Service, Evanston WY to instill a stronger sense of stewardship in residents, by helping projects include regionally-branded signage and marketing be successful in riverside communities across the United States.u them to view the river as a resource worthy of protection. materials; a website, e-newsletter, and social media presence; Jennifer Sauer, Public Information Officer The pilot program focused on a series of six towns along the educational resources; and the creation of informational Lindsay Baxter is a program manager for Pennsylvania University of Montana, Missoula MT Allegheny River, just northeast of Pittsburgh. While the success materials, like the Small Business Resource Packet, Green Guide, Environmental Council ([email protected]). Jeff Malik is the of the program varied by town, perhaps the biggest achievement and Outdoor Recreation Guide. project leader for the Student Conservation Association (jmalik@ Joni Randall, Wildland Firefighter was a co-operative partnership between multiple governments to One of the highlights of the “Mon” River Town Program thesca.org). Forest Service, Leavenworth WA develop a new riverfront park and marina, in an area where much was the successful campaign to name the Monongahela (“Mon”) of the land bordering the river is owned by private landowners as Pennsylvania’s “2013 River of the Year.” To be eligible for Jennifer Barnhart, Recreation & Trails Manager Forest Service, Mountain Rest SC and not open to the public. this designation a river must be nominated by a community (NH Restoration Success, continued from page 17) Using the successes and lessons-learned in the pilot, PEC organization. The winner is decided by popular vote through an expanded the program in 2011 to six communities along the online contest. Through a regional “get out the vote” campaign, pond by eliminating a stagnant waterbody with little circulation Rachel Collins, Outdoor Recreation PLanner Monongahela River. To increase capacity, PEC partnered with the the Monongahela was able to garner significant attention and and high temperatures; and, reestablished Black Brook into National Park Service, El Portal CA Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national non-profit secure the title for 2013. The River Town Program used this a free-flowing tributary to the Merrimack River with natural organization working to engage youth in conservation. The SCA designation as a launching point for a coordinated marketing sediment transport capacity, a more self-maintaining channel that developed a “River Town Outreach Corps” and recruited a team campaign throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2013 that will minimize erosion. Associate of college graduate interns and a project leader to serve as the included distribution of a full color regional events calendar, This successful dam removal and river restoration project Nicole Brown, Potter “boots on the ground” in the six communities. placement of newspaper ads, and printing thousands of placemats in the second largest city in New Hampshire was one of three Brown Pots, Eugene OR The River Town Program is designed as a three year and table tents for area restaurants. The program also hosted the projects across the United States featured in the American Rivers cycle; the first year begins with a community assessment, in PA River of the Year Paddling Series, a collection of one-day DVD “Restoring America’s River - Preparing For The Future.’ Tony Pitts, Ann Arbor MI which Program staff tour the town with community leaders and paddling trips on different segments of the river that attracted You can watch the entire DVD or the New Hampshire chapter volunteers, who are encouraged to see their town with the eyes both experienced and first-time paddlers. on Black Brook here: http://www.americanrivers.org/newsroom/ Mark Lanier, Gold Beach OR of a visitor. Staff works with the community to build capacity to As the original six Mon River Town communities are resources/restoring-americas-rivers-preparing-for-the-future/ u

20 RMS Journal Winter 2013 21 RMS Listserve RMS Chapters Are you subscribed?

by Peter Hark Photo: Gary Mogren One of the signature services provided Midwest by RMS is its listserve, a great way to solicit and share information and The Midwest Chapter of the River ideas among colleagues. Through Management Society has worked the listserve you’ll also be notified with a variety of groups to encourage of job and grant opportunities, and participation by youth on river topics Before dam removal. Photo: MWA After dam removal. Photo: Bruce Livingston and activities. Directly involving young can see archived posts searchable by people on our rivers is a key to building topic or name. Listserve email comes future stewards of our lands and waters. through a different process than the News from the Northeast This past September, ten 6th and RMS News Digest, which contains by Paul Kenney 7th graders from Arcadia Charter School news and updates on RMS events or The Munsee Nation of the Lenni- subset of the Lenni-Lenape tribe, lived were led by high school junior Antonia programs, and goes to all members. If Lenape tribe were welcomed home to in a substantial settlement along the Cristofaro on a day long river journey the Musconetcong National Scenic and Musconetcong River, in what is today on the Cannon River. Their mission was you are not subscribed to the Listserve Recreational River for a dedication of Hackettstown. to focus on river and science topics, and would like to check it out, you two wayside exhibits interpreting the The Munsee Nation no longer calls learn team building skills, and along the can sign up any time by logging in to history of their settlements in the river the Musconetcong River home. The way they incorporated a river cleanup the website using your email address corridor, located in Northwestern New nation was forcibly moved out of the effort! For some it was the first time in a as your user name, and your password Jersey. The July 8th event, sponsored by region at the close of the American War canoe or kayak, and first time on a river. the Musconetcong River Management for Independence. The tribe relocated to “Engaging youth in the outdoors and on (if you are not sure what it is, just ask Paddle Forward expedition members at the St. Louis Arch. Council (MRMC), was attended by local an area outside London, Ontario, where it our rivers is important and this was a RMS). Click My Features and E-Lists residents, Congressman Scott Garrett’s exists today. The tribe, according to Chief successful day!” said Antonia. and Subscribe to see the archive and office, NJDEP’s Allamuchy State Park Patrick Waddilove, has done relatively In other news, in early October I had receive listserve messages (usually Superintendent Helen Mauriella, the well, despite its small population of 500. the opportunity to meet up with Paddle one per week). If you would like to National Park Service and representatives It owns a casino on its reservation and Forward on day 13 of their expedition. leave the listserve, click Unsubscribe. of the MRMC. a biofuel plant. Following the Chief’s As their five canoes rounded the river Organizational Staff members: if you Lenni-Lenape tribal settlements remarks, a traditional gift exchange took bend, headlamps were flashing, darkness predated European settlement by place between the tribe and the MRMC. was upon them…I had a mighty fire have signed up under your colleague’s thousands of years, and extended the The name “Musconetcong” which blazing for them as they finished a 13- annual Organizational membership, length of the Delaware River watershed, can be a challenge to learn, is Lenape for hour day on the Upper Mississippi, ready Going through the locks. you can sign up also by following the from upstate New York to Wilmington, “place of clear water” – a testament to the to eat and rest. same login steps. u Delaware. The Munsee nation, a river’s water quality, even today. u On September 18, Paddle Forward Foggy day. (a group of 11 young people) started paddling the Mississippi River with the goal of completing their journey by Thanksgiving. Along the way, they have been interviewing people for a Cups for Coolers to Support RMS documentary about how they relate to and interact with America’s largest What do you spend during a month for your cups of tea or river. In addition, there are 40 schools following their journey. These “River coffee, or an extra beverage when you are out with buddies? Ambassador” classrooms interact with By redirecting a few painless dollars to support RMS each the group through their blog and video month, you can save 20% on a Canyon Cooler! chatting, and they also have access to the K-12 watershed-based curriculum created by one of the team members. Sign up for the RMS Monthly Donor Program by filling out the RMS Donation Form located at www.river- The trip is with the organization Wild River Academy, which offers watershed management.org/donate. RMS will email ordering information to you and will include your cooler order in a education through canoe trips and group order following Managing Rivers in Changing Climes: Training Future River Professionals. Visit www. is based out of the Twin Cities. The canyoncoolers.com for information about their fine products, and email RMS for more information about this group has not only experienced the program. river’s might, but also the kindness and hospitality of its inhabitants. Check out This promotion will continue until April 18, 2014. Thank you! their journey: www.paddle4ward.com u

22 RMS Journal Winter 2013 23 (Connecticut, continued from page 1) the years FERC collaborated with the presented photographic evidence and maps Federal agencies attending the The NPS, as part of its mission to Hydropower Reform Coalition (HRC), to detail their assertions. The Connecticut scoping sessions included the U.S. Fish implement and support the National the National Hydropower Association River Watershed Council, which had been & Wildlife Service, National Marine Blueway designation of the Connecticut (NHA), and many others to develop a monitoring the watershed for years, was Fisheries Service (NMFS) and National River, saw relicensing as a model for how comprehensive approach to relicensing particularly effective in documenting the Park Service (NPS). The program to communities could integrate their land and called the “integrated licensing process” effects of hydropower operations on fish restore Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) into stewardship efforts with an emphasis on (ILP) to reduce conflicts, shorten the passage, water quality and erosion. the Connecticut River had recently been “source-to-sea” watershed conservation. time to completion, and improve project State agencies, as expected, were able abandoned after many years of failure Through relicensing of the five dams on outcomes. to establish their own statutory authority to and the expense of millions of dollars. the Connecticut River, the Blueway goal With five dams on the Connecticut requests flow improvements for fisheries However, there were still opportunities would advance a water-based approach to River coming up for relicensing at the and water quality. They had concerns to improve conditions for the short-nosed conservation through outdoor recreation, same time it would be a good test for using over damage to emergent wetlands, the sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), shad education, and economic opportunity. the ILP model to deal with the cumulative effects on endangered species such as the (Alosa sapidissima), and eels (Anguilla As the first National Blueway, the impacts. The Connecticut River has it’s Puritan Tiger Beetle (Cicindela puritana) rostrata) through relicensing. The Conte Connecticut River would help to establish beginning in northern New Hampshire and Jessups Milk Vetch (Australgus Fish Laboratory in Montague, MA, is community-driven river recreation and flows out of Lake Francis and the robbinsii, var. jesupii) and others. An also an important research facility for the and conservation, and would promote near the Canadian important question that arises is the region. If river and flow conditions could paddling, one of the goals of America’s Border, then runs hundreds of miles before effect of continually changing reservoir be improved through IFIM studies perhaps Great Outdoors Initiative. it empties out into . elevations within the impoundments as these remaining fish species could be Recreational paddling groups It has a massive 7.2 million square mile water levels move up and down. “Would better protected. including the Appalachian Mountain watershed and during Hurricane Irene the certain species exist at these unnatural silt pouring into the ocean provided epic habitat sites if water levels were held Fish Ladder at Turners Falls Dam. 10-28-13. Photo: Tom Christopher, NEFLOW images photographed from satellite. stable?” This is also true of bypassed First Light’s Turners Fall Dam. 2-4-13. Photo: Tom Christopher, NEFLOW reaches that have seepage or periodically What’s a Blueway? provide wet/dry habitat conditions. Years On May 24, 2012, Secretary of Blueway designation clearly elevates the dam is connected to a natural rock island ago in the Deerfield River relicensing the Interior Ken Salazar designated the significance of relicensing five mainstem known as “Great Island.” This dam has Tubercled Orchids (Plantanthera flava) Connecticut River and its watershed dams and it would be an important test of two powerhouses, Station # 1 and Cabot were found growing in the bypass reach as the nation’s first “National Blueway using the ILP in this relicensing challenge. Station, connected by a canal that provide below Vermont’s Harriman reservoir. and Heritage River.” A Memorandum Would the ILP live up to its promise to 67.7 MW of peaking power bypassing Plant biologists ultimately had to walk the of Understanding signed in August of shorten the time of relicensing and result approximately 3 miles of the mainstem reach, dig up the plants, and transplant that year by the Departments of Interior, in improved environmental incomes and river. them to locations more suitable to their Agriculture, and the Army established less conflict among stakeholders? The Turners Falls Dam impoundment natural habitat as part of the settlement the objective of “providing opportunities With the restoration of recreational backs up water for 20 miles to the base of agreement. State agencies further for scientific research, environmental opportunities in the watershed as part of the Vernon Dam owned by TransCanada. reinforced landowner erosion complaints education and outdoor recreation and this landmark designation, using the ILP This impoundment forms a long, narrow and were looking for multiple studies that access within the National Blueway to the through the simultaneous relicensing of lake and located 5.2 miles upstream is the would help and support their own efforts extent compatible with agency missions.” five dams on the mainstem Connecticut Northfield Mountain Pump Storage project to gather important data. At the Bellows The National Blueway concept takes River, stakeholders could achieve river which has four reversible pump/turbines Falls dam site there were petroglyphs that a watershed approach and addresses flows and other improvements that were which produce 1,119.2 MW. would need to be protected. the river from its source to the sea. The previously unattainable. National Blueways System has as its goal Stakeholder Issues Signage to petroglyphs. 10-22-12. Photo: Norman Sims, AMC “to advance a whole river and watershed- Facilities and Energy Production In January, 2013, FERC convened Club (AMC), New England FLOW wide approach to conservation, outdoor Three of the dams are owned by a series of scoping meetings that were (NEFLOW), American Whitewater recreation, education, and sustainable TransCanada Hydro Northeast, Inc. an attempt to look at all of the facilities (AW), and Friends of the Connecticut economic opportunities in the watersheds and include the peaking Wilder Project comprehensively and give stakeholders River Paddler’s Trail were quick to in which we live, work, and play.” (35.6 MW) extending from Hartford, VT an opportunity to identify issues. Under seize the ILP process as a way to expand The National Blueway designation to Lebanon, NH; the peaking Bellows the ILP process, and over the course of paddling throughout the region. Each of included all the tributaries in the Falls Project (40.8 MW) extending to several days, public hearings were held in these groups took lead roles in the ‘93 watershed and involves multiple federal Walpole, NH; and finally the peaking different communities up and down the relicensings and were experienced in agencies. These agencies include the Vernon Project (32.4 MW) which extends Connecticut River Valley from Turners using science and economics to reach U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Silvio from Vernon, VT to Hinsdale, NH. Falls, MA, north to Bellows Falls, VT, their goals. They now recognized an aging Conte Laboratory & Refuge, U.S. Fish Cumulatively these projects impound and, finally ending in Lebanon, NH. population base would embrace canoeing and Wildlife Service, National Park nearly 100 miles of the Connecticut River. Landowners, farmers, local town and other types of flatwater paddling as Service, and States of Connecticut, Two of the dams further downstream officials and conservation interests an acceptable form of exercise as well Vermont, New Hampshire, and the in Massachusetts are owned by the First throughout the entire river valley turned as whitewater boating. The prospect of Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which Light Power Hydro Generating Company, out to complain about erosion within multiple-day, self-propelled trips along the have prioritized conservation, recreation, a subsidiary of SUEZ, Inc. and include the impoundments and the resulting loss entire river were challenging, and there and restoration in the 7.2 million square the Turners Falls Dam located in the of riverbank from peaking operations. was a need to upgrade existing camping mile Connecticut River Watershed. The Towns of Gill and Montague, MA. The Most were outspoken, vocal, and some facilities and build others. Portages

24 RMS Journal Winter 2013 25 around some of the dams badly needed That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges, or worldviews of stakeholders and improvement and sanitary facilities were and there are many. Following comments applicants, but the ILP provides a process A New Publication: poorly maintained or unavailable. Multiple collected during the January 2013 scoping to work through to develop resolution “Delaware River Basin – dam operations clearly limited pursuit meetings and written comments submitted to issues through procedural rules and of these activities and access points by March 1st, FERC’s project manager communication. National Wild and Scenic River Values” throughout the river were designed for Ken Hogan led a team of FERC staff At this point of the relicensing, in motorized craft rather than kayaks, canoes, to review the studies presented in the evaluating the ILP one must decide if this Outstandingly remarkable values are After four days of intense work or racing shells. “Applicant Prepared Documents” (PADS) process is providing “better decisions” defined by the Wild and Scenic Rivers sessions, the collaboration and hard work With the exception of erratic flows and required revised study plans from the and “good outcomes”, or is this process Act as the characteristics that make a paid off. The end result is a publication below Wilder Dam in Vermont at Hartland applicants by April 15, 2013. Stakeholders failing because some decisions do not river worthy of special protection. Clearly that is the first of its kind—a document Rapids, whitewater recreation had were then given until September 1, 2013 please a percentage of the participants. defining these values is fundamental that unifies the four federally designated been eliminated from the Connecticut to respond to the revised study plans. This is clearly a subjective judgment, but to wild and scenic river management, wild and scenic rivers of the freshwater River. However, bypassed reaches were Throughout the summer and into if the interaction among the stakeholders and the NPS has developed a reliable Delaware River Basin, while also setting left below the Turners Falls Dam in the fall months stakeholders met with generates creative solutions, and will methodology that has helped ensure them apart by describing their unique Massachusetts and at Bellows Falls, applicants, agencies and FERC staff to continue to encourage voluntary actions consistency across many of our agency’s individual qualities. designated rivers. “These clearly defined ORVs are The ORV workshop was a unique important to the NPS Delaware River opportunity for NPS river managers units as we face new challenges to the and staff from the four Delaware River natural and cultural resources we aim by Charles Barscz designated segments to come together to protect. These clearly defined values Recently, the National Park Service to gain a common understanding of the will help guide long-term management (NPS) embarked on a unique collaborative values and resources associated with the and articulate to stakeholders why the river planning exercise with four separate Delaware River that NPS is charged with Delaware River and its precious clean national wild and scenic rivers within protecting. NPS was able to bridge the water is so valuable to current and future the Delaware River basin. The river gaps between the individual designated generations,” said Sean McGuinness, planning effort was coordinated by the segments, as well as reach across the Superintendent, Upper Delaware Scenic NPS Northeast Region, NPS National various natural, cultural and recreational and Recreational River. Wild and Scenic Rivers program and resource disciplines, which often divide “The Delaware River Basin, National NPS Denver Service Center. The purpose staff, to gain a common understanding of Wild and Scenic River Values” report is of the exercise was to define, redefine what makes the Delaware River unique used widely by NPS managers, not only and further articulate the “outstandingly and special. This information will be to guide their long-term management, remarkable values” (ORV) of the four invaluable to both the public and NPS as but also to communicate the national Dry bypass reach below Turners Falls Dam. 2-4-13. Stakeholder IFIM Study Team Selecting Transect sites. 9-10-13. federally designated wild and scenic river we confront the complex and controversial significance of these wild and scenic rivers Photos: Tom Christopher, NEFLOW areas of the Delaware River, north of resource protection issues facing the to the general public. Copies may be Trenton, New Jersey. The effort included a Delaware River in the 21st Century. viewed or downloaded at http://www.nps. Vermont. The Turners Falls bypass reach finalize revisions and fine-tune study and builds trust, then the ILP is working. 4-day workshop in Matamoras, PA, which gov/upde/parkmgmt/index.htm. u would offer the public high-quality Class plans. Having FERC staff available either It is still very early in the process; brought together more than 30 experts Roebling Bridge, Upper Delaware II-III boating at lower flows and Class IV at meetings or by teleconference was “License Applications” will not be filed from various federal and state agencies, paddling during springtime spillage high most helpful when it came to procedural until April 2016 and the “Draft EIS” won’t along with NPS staff, and river partners. flows. Conducting whitewater controlled- questions or requests for work that be issued until May 2017. We have a long The NPS manages over 200 miles flow studies and improving public access may be outside the scope of mandated way to go. But in spite of the pressure of designated national wild and scenic at this site was in the public interest and studies. So far the ILP has laid out an to meet study deadlines and advocate reaches and tributaries in this region of would improve economic benefits for the agenda and procedural rules that began vigorously for one’s interest, the ILP arena the Delaware River basin including the: communities located nearby. with the scoping sessions and extended is more respectful, cooperative, more Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational For whitewater boaters perhaps the throughout the following meetings, which professional and educational. This may River; Middle Delaware National Scenic most exciting and challenging opportunity encouraged discussion, debate, multi-way have something to do with the fact that and Recreational River (within Delaware would be the development of a whitewater communication, and consensus-based many of the stakeholders and consultants Water Gap National Recreation Area); park in the Bellows Falls ¾ mile bypass interaction. To date the ILP has allowed had worked together in many of the earlier Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic reach. The loss of historical whitewater stakeholders to both seek information relicensings in New England. For now, it River (including three PA tributaries: rapids at the Vernon, Wilder, and Bellows from, and provide information to, each is working and the ILP process continues Tohickon Creek, Tinicum Creek and Falls Dams, made the Bellows Falls other or the applicants. In providing equal to show promise. I do not miss the old Paunacussing Creek); and, Musconetcong bypass reach an excellent site for on access to both anecdotal and scientific days of conflict and uncertainty. u National Wild and Scenic River in and off-site mitigation. There are no knowledge, the ILP has generated a New Jersey. Considering the multiple whitewater parks in New England and comprehensive understanding of facts and Tom Christopher is one of the Directors designated reaches and tributaries of the development at this site would clearly data which has encouraged ownership of New England Flow, founded in 1989, Delaware River, the planning framework stimulate economic benefits. among all parties, in the decisions that are and served on the Board of American for this ORV workshop provided a being made. Whitewater for 14 years, many as platform from which to articulate the How Well is the ILP Working? As expected there are some conflicts Conservation Chair. He is currently unique and exemplary values of the This author would describe the ILP as arising from competing economic Principal of Christopher Environmental Delaware River, both for each individual intense, compressed and clearly focused. and social values, cultural lifestyles, Associates. reach and collectively as a whole system.

26 RMS Journal Winter 2013 27 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Training - Denver, 2014

by Helen Clough Session Organizers / Presenters. As part of the Environmental Track comment on an environmental assessment Helen Clough, U.S. Fish and at the upcoming Managing Rivers in or environmental impact statement will Wildlife Service, retired, and Judy Changing Climes: Training Tomorrow’s be covered. As with other sessions, river Kurtzman, Dept of Environment and River Professionals, RMS will offer five management topics will provide case Society, Utah State University, are sessions on the National Environmental examples. organizing the sessions and will be Policy Act (NEPA) with emphasis and key presenters. examples relevant to rivers and river NEPA Impact Assessment for River management. All sessions will be set Management. This session will describe Helen Clough, current RMS up to allow ample time for discussion impact analysis focused on topics relevant Treasurer, recently retired after and questions from participants. Brief to river management at the environmental almost 40 years of federal service. descriptions of each session and the assessment (EA) level. Examples She was actively involved in a wide session organizers follow. relevant to both river planning and variety of environmental documents river management will be explored and prepared for the Bureau of Land NEPA Overview. critiqued. Resource-specific analysis (for Management, Forest Service, and This session is designed to provide a example, effects on wildlife, recreation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. general overview for anyone who is and water quality) and cumulative impact Helen oversaw preparation of NEPA Program Update: interested in learning about the NEPA analysis (effects of past, present, and documents for management of rivers process. No previous knowledge of “reasonably foreseeable” future actions) within Togiak National Wildlife NEPA is needed. Topics to be covered will be explored. Sources of additional Refuge and most recently the From April 15-17, 2014 in Denver, Colorado, find out what your Legal and Legislative - This track is a follow-up from the rivers/ include the purpose and procedural information and training on the subject Environmental Impact Statement for Managing Rivers peers are doing. Learn how to do it yourself. water-focused continuing legal education training that will be requirements of NEPA; how NEPA is used will also be shared. Hands-on exercises management of the Arctic National in Changing Climes: Training Tomorrow’s River Professionals presented on Monday, April 14. Topics include Federal, State, and as a decision making tool; applicability will help participants expand knowledge Wildlife Refuge, which included will usher in an updated format for the River Management administrative water protections, traditional water rights vs. the of NEPA; different levels of NEPA and skill in impact assessment. Target wild river studies. She has taught Society’s biennial hallmark event. As we reported in the last public trust doctrine, and detailed training on how to complete the analysis and documentation including audience includes federal agency over 50 courses for the National issue of the Journal, we are modifying the traditional symposium Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Form 80. The Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), employees and others who are interested Conservation Training Center in format to a more focused training format. Below is a synopsis FERC Form 80 training will continue on Friday, April 18—it will Environmental Assessments (EAs), and in impact assessment. Individuals with West Virginia, and she developed of the event. Look for continuous updates on the RMS website be offered as a stand alone training, or as part of the Managing Categorical Exclusions (CEs). The basic substantial impact assessment experience and taught NEPA and planning http://www.river-management.org/. Registration is open now. Rivers in Changing Climes full registration. components of a NEPA analysis, including are encouraged to participate to expand the courses for the National Wildlife the requirement for public involvement, discussions and supplement the expertise Refuge System and other agencies RMS symposiums in the recent past have been programmed with Environmental - Most sessions will cover the National will also be covered. In addition, this of the presenters. throughout Alaska. panel discussions, case study examination and talks about policy Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process (see article on next overview will include a brief discussion and precedent, none of which are the substance for which an page). Applying the NEPA process to river management will be of how NEPA can be used in complying NEPA Writing Environmental Judy Kurtzman is a Program ‘on-the-river’ staff person would be able to request attendance offered in several sessions. These range from the overview level with other Federal environmental Assessments (EAs), Parts 1 & 2. Coordinator, Student Advisor, and in the current budget climate for most state and federal agencies. to specifics of how to analyze effects. laws, and how NEPA is integrated into Writing clear and comprehensive Instructor for Utah State University’s We believe events that provide needed training are still welcome natural resource agency planning and Environmental Assessments (EAs) as NEPA Certificate Program and and very much a part of most technical and field staff annual Wild and Scenic Rivers - This track will cover topics from the decision making. People with little or no required by NEPA is critical to successful Master of Natural Resources degree. schedules. While much training can take place virtually, others overview to specifics of how to conduct studies, how to manage knowledge of NEPA would find it useful implementation of the law, and more The NEPA Certificate Program is a require an irreplaceable on-site format in order to experience Wild and Scenic Rivers, and specifics of Section 7 of the Wild to take this session before attending other importantly in fostering good decisions collaborative effort between Utah an effective, interpersonal learning dynamic. In the new format, and Scenic Rivers Act. NEPA sessions, as they will expand upon that consider environmental impacts. The State University and The Shipley plenary sessions will be flanked by focused mini-workshops that topics introduced in this overview. NEPA process must be well documented in Group. Judy has served as a faculty will partner topical training with presentations that offer best Funding River Management - Sessions will share insights clear language so proposals, alternatives, instructor for these programs practices and critical learning for river professionals. Participants to non-traditional sources of funding and how to successfully Participating in the NEPA Process. and environmental effects are clearly for over 15 years, offering both will be able to attend several training tracks that will enable them compete for grant monies. This session is designed for those outside explained. Often, the NEPA analysis for graduate level semester courses and to bring summary understanding and tools to use on the job, right the federal government who would like determining adverse and beneficial effects short-course training opportunities away. Professional Development - A number of specific professional to be involved in the NEPA process. of an action is not well documented, to students and natural resource development training sessions will be offered including youth The best time to get involved in any resulting in costly delays in projects as professionals on compliance Managing Rivers in Changing Climes: Training Tomorrow’s partnerships, and the River Studies and Leadership Certificate planning process is at the beginning. appeals and litigation occur regarding the with NEPA and other federal River Professionals will offer both specific training tracks and inter-university collaboration with RMS. However, many individuals and validity of a NEPA analysis. This two- environmental laws. Currently, Judy plenary panels on evolving precedent-related topics. The program organizations find themselves entering part training session will focus on how teaches 12 courses for the University is almost complete at the time of this writing. Training tracks are: Attendees may choose to follow one track or skip among tracks the NEPA process faced with having to properly document the NEPA analysis in the following areas: NEPA and to meet their personal training and professional development to familiarize themselves with and for EAs with emphasis and examples corresponding CEQ Regulations, River Planning and Management - Sessions include specific needs. At the event, RMS will use technology to provide more comment on voluminous environmental relevant to rivers and river management. Technical Writing, Cultural Resource tools such as kayak-based mapping for river system management, information, more easily to attendees on site and off: there will assessments and environmental impact Target audience includes federal agency Policies, Natural Resource Policies, innovations for water trails project leaders, a guide for developing be an option to participate virtually via one of the great distance statements prepared completely by others. employees who may work with NEPA and Endangered Species Act, and Team u whitewater parks, and a story of flood control success on the learning tools available. Information about how to participate others who wish to learn more about the Building/Project Management. South Platte River, Denver 1968 to 2013. in the process and how to effectively NEPA process.

28 RMS Journal Winter 2013 29 Colorado’s Front Range: Northern Water is a public agency created in 1937 to build the No Stranger to Water Scarcity and Overabundance Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) Project, which collects water One if by Land, Two if by … River west of the Continental Divide and delivers it to Northeastern The story of the 2013 floods in Colorado’s Front Range Colorado for agricultural, municipal, domestic and industrial by Risa Shimoda communities is still a present day topic, as restoration and uses. Northern Water operates and maintains the C-BT Project Water Management at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National rebuilding continues. However, stories of torrential rain and its with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Northern Water’s This slightly veiled reference is to Henry Wadsworth Wildlife Refuge: Once Superfund Site, Now Wildlife impacts are not new to our host region: Municipal Subdistrict is a separate and independent conservancy Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” where he mentions Sanctuary district formed by six municipalities. This group will visit a the lanterns lit in the Old North Church tower notifying the • June 16, 1965 - Fourteen inches of rain fell in three hours in facility for each organization, and learn how they are addressing Confederates that the British were on the move. Today, our ever- Join an examination of the water management program at this Douglas County, sending a 20-foot wall of water down the future water needs. approaching adversary is the collective challenge to our rivers. unique national wildlife refuge that is a study in contrasts. An South Platte River into downtown Denver. Sixteen bridges Further development, climate change and new extractive mining impressively large natural area, more than 25 square miles of over the Platte were destroyed, as were 62 businesses. By South Platte River Greenway: Flood Plain, Water Quality, techniques are coming! (Repeat…) open land, it is located only 10 miles from downtown Denver. the time the water had swept the length of the river, 33 and Recreational Access Improvement Once short-grass prairie, the area became farmland during the Colorado communities had been declared federal disaster The quantity, quality and availability of water we rely upon to mid-19th century westward expansion, and from 1942 until the areas. Twenty-one people died and total damages reached Two trips will give participants options for learning how a live, work and play are moving to the forefront of agendas in all 1980s the site of chemical production by the US Army and later $540 million. The flood led to the construction of the massive devastating flood in 1968 and its aftermath have created a states, but none more quickly than in Colorado. Managing Rivers in partnership with the Shell Chemical Company. Environmental Chatfield Dam southwest of town, completed in 1975. redevelopment effort to re-establish the river as a source of pride in Changing Climes: Training Tomorrow’s River Professionals damage put the Arsenal on the Superfund National Priorities • July 31, 1976 - A foot of rain in three hours in the valleys and economic investment. Individuals will meet us along the field sessions will offer a variety of opportunities to learn Project List in 1987. above the Big Thompson River west of Loveland poured way, including representatives from the City of Denver, Urban firsthand how river management and water resource professionals down the steep canyon walls. The 2-foot-deep creek at its Drainage and Flood Control District, the Greenway Foundation, have embraced, tackled and tenaciously pursued storage, use, Through a herculean cleanup process, restored areas were base turned into a 19-foot-high torrent that swept away and local business owners. protection and remediation of Colorado’s lifeblood. Sessions transitioned to the newly created Rocky Mountain Arsenal cars, campers and people. Nearly 150 people were killed, are field components to classroom trainings making the advice, Wildlife Refuge. In part, the refuge was established to conserve six bodies were never recovered, and 418 homes and 152 South Platte River Float Trip tactics and lessons learned clearer and in some cases, palpable. and enhance land and water, improve the natural diversity of fish, businesses were destroyed. In all, damages totaled more than Participants will see ‘up close and personal’ improvements wildlife, and plants, and protect aquatic habitat. The cleanup was $40 million. that have been made, and others in process, resulting from the Thanks go to our planning committee and Denver-based completed in 2010. • July 28, 1997 - Fort Collins and Colorado State University progressive vision of the South Platte River stakeholders. You’ll colleagues interested in sharing their stories and instructing bore the brunt of 10 inches of rain that fell in five hours on see improvements to outdated or failed in-channel structures, and others regarding river and water management. Several types of aquatic communities exist on the refuge. Four ground already swollen from previous storms. Five people projects that continue to minimize the likelihood and effects of reservoirs are surrounded by wetlands. The reservoirs, First died in a trailer park when Spring Creek rose over its banks. flooding. Creek, and small ponds and drainages elsewhere on the refuge CSU sustained more than $100 million in damages.1 Images from Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge — provide habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife. Refuge staff South Platte Bike Trip scenic lake, pelicans, and bison. Photos: US Army/Rich Keen/DPRA Inc. and key partners will showcase the challenges and opportunities In a six day period last fall, many regional weather stations Participants will pick up bikes on site and travel to the Sand of water management within this urban refuge. We will visit the recorded precipitation amounts exceeding what they usually get Creek Trail and its confluence with the South Platte (where there spillway of a dam that was breached during recent flooding and during the entire month of September. During the flood, peak may still be evidence of the 2013 flooding) and the location of the see first-hand corrective measures being applied. We will also flows on the Big Thompson River, which average 880 cfs, were Metropolitan Wastewater plant. The group will travel upstream learn about some of the unique water management features of estimated at 10,000 cfs – a far cry from the estimated 32,000 cfs to Confluence Park where Cherry Creek joins the South Platte, the refuge, such as ensuring that water does not infiltrate capped reached during the 1976 flood. Peak flows on the Poudre River the centerpiece for decades–long redevelopment. Biking will also landfills that were created as part of remediation of the superfund were estimated at 10,000 cfs – less than half of the 1891 record.2 include a stop at Commons Park to give context to the sampling site. We will also learn about how the refuge is attempting to use program discussed in the Water Quality Monitoring session. reclaimed water to provide for aquatic habitats. There will also be Three ‘in-town’ field sessions will provide a greater time to go through the Visitor Center. For additional information understanding of Denver’s deeply-rooted respect Confluence Park. Photo: McLaughlin Whitewater Design Group about the refuge visit: www.fws.gov/refuge/rocky_mountain_ for the South Platte, and its commitment to work arsenal/ with Mother Nature. Projects are underway by the City and Denver’s unique river-based organizations to increase and improve access to the South Platte and recreation opportunities for citizens and visitors alike. They will make it clear that they are proud of their vision and accomplishments, as they should be!

Northern Water Conservation District and Denver Water

Denver Water serves 1.3 million people in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, and a portion of its surrounding suburbs. Established in 1918, the utility is a public agency funded by water rates and new tap fees, not taxes. It is Colorado’s oldest and largest water utility.

30 RMS Journal Winter 2013 31 Climate Change may be a Joke, but it’s Effect on Field Components to Classroom Workshops Outdoor Recreation is Serious [The following is an excerpt from (continued) ACA: Paddlesports Accessibility Workshop Assessing the Costs of Climate Change] The following sessions will enable participants to learn from The classroom component of this workshop will explore professional outdoor recreation veterans how changes in The ski industry also is linked to Colorado’s Paddlesports launch site accessibility for individuals with precipitation, seasonal temperatures, and competition for During the last 50 years, Colorado has $42.17 billion (2007) insurance, real estate physical disabilities. To complement the classroom session in resources are affecting business and their plans for the future. experienced rising temperatures, increased and leasing sector because so many which we review the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) precipitation, and altered surface water flow tourists, vacationers and Colorado residents and additional efforts that have been made to make Paddlesports Front Range Fisheries as a result of climate change. The state on buy or rent homes or condos near the launch sites accessible, we will take the workshop outdoors and Learn about how climate change and fire affect cold water experience first-hand the challenges of transferring into kayaks fisheries on the front range of Colorado. Participants will spend the whole has warmed faster than the U.S. resorts. and canoes from various launch site designs. More importantly, the day on South Boulder Creek, guided by a local professional average. At higher altitudes, winter and we will discover what equipment and launch site designs work fly shop. summer temperatures may have increased Tourists also enjoy Colorado’s national and best to make access as safe and comfortable as possible for by 5º F to 6º F. Seasonal temperature changes state parks, forests and recreational areas everyone. Whitewater Parks Have Reinvented River Recreation and overall increased precipitation, but less for various outdoor activities. The state has Participants will visit two of Colorado’s unique river towns that Chainsaw Safety in/on Water - Training and Debris have become iconic destinations for different reasons. They are of which is falling as snow, is leading to less 41 wilderness areas, 28 recreational trails, Relocation Demonstration of Techniques, and Illustration of tethered, however, in that they both boast popular whitewater snow pack and earlier spring thaw. During and countless acres of state and federal Benefits to Learning the Techniques parks, sections of the Arkansas River that have been modified the next century, winter precipitation could public land that attract campers, climbers, Coordinators: Erik Wrede, Minnesota Department of Natural with engineered features, and almost-guaranteed water, thanks increase by 20 percent to 70 percent, with hikers, bikers and anglers. In 2006, nearly 27 Resources, Mike Wight, Southwest Conservation Corps, and to a Recreational Instream Channel Diversion (RICD) during high altitudes receiving the largest boost. million tourists spent a total of $9.15 billion Steve Materkowski, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District tourist season. You will take a ride southwest from Denver to visit the Buena Vista River Park, located adjacent to the South This could alter the seasonal flow patterns in Colorado, supporting 112,000 jobs and This session will follow a brief classroom introduction to Main residential development. You’ll then float the Arkansas of major rivers that originate in the Rocky generating $1.8 billion in payroll revenue. It comprehensive safety training on how to use chainsaws while downstream into the town of Salida through its whitewater Mountains, intensifying summer droughts in is possible that seasonal activities, such as wading in a river, and while cutting from a Jon boat. The full park. Rafts and gear will be provided by your hosts, the Upper downstream areas. whitewater rafting, hiking, and camping, training includes a narrated PowerPoint with photos of various Arkansas Headwaters Park Staff and owners of local rafting may do well under a scenario of longer scenarios, and five quizzes, typically followed by two days of companies, so you will hear about today’s news and tomorrow’s field training, guided by lesson plans and field evaluation forms. projections from the professionals who are creating them. Colorado’s tourism sector could see seasons and higher minimum temperatures. By understanding the anatomy of woody obstructions, river significant economic losses from climate managers and crews will improve their risk analysis and planning Managing and the Business of ‘White’ Water on the Slopes change. As the nation’s favored skiing Natural resources play a critical role in skills. The Minnesota DNR manages over 4,500 miles of routes Participants will visit Winter Park for a day of skiing that begins and snowboarding destination—with Colorado’s economic and cultural identity. for canoeing, kayaking, boating and camping. Its Water Trails with a welcome from their Planning Director. He will explain 23 percent of the market share and an Today, Colorado’s natural resources system started in 1963 and includes 32 rivers and the North Shore how they are adjusting to trending climatic shifts and issues of Lake Superior. related to supply and demand. estimated $2 billion in annual revenue—the sectors account for 2 percent of the state’s Colorado economy thrives on national and workforce, or about 63,000 jobs, and $2.12 Quantifying Recreation Use and Assessing Visitor Needs international tourism. (2007) billion in revenue. at FERC Projects: Why river managers should care about Form 80s Coordinator: Mark I. Ivy, PhD, FERC If global greenhouse gas emissions continue Changes in temperature and precipitation This is the field component to a full day (Thursday pm, Friday at the current rate, the snow line—or the could affect forest health, biodiversity (the am - April 17, 18) workshop. Participants will be introduced elevation above which snow and ice cover number of different species) and water to tools that can be used to gather visitor use and recreation the ground throughout the year—could availability. Forests are likely the single needs data, provide hands-on experience estimating capacity of increase by as much as 1,312 feet, and the most threatened natural resource, since recreation amenities, explain recent modifications to the Form 80 snow season could end 30 days earlier. If a foreign and native pests and diseases, and how Form 80 data is used for compliance and relicensing. Projected Loss in Snow Pack by 2085 We will travel to a nearby reservoir to assess recreation capacity shortened ski season leads to a 1% annual as well as forest fires, tend to thrive in a With no Greenhouse Gas Reductions for a variety of recreation amenities, to explore methods for decrease in the number of tourists at warmer climate. The most severe damage estimating recreation use, and to discuss the types of recreation Colorado resorts, the total economic effects has been caused by the mountain pine enhancements typically provided at hydropower projects which Resort Loss in Snow Pack would include losses of more than $375 beetle, which benefits from longer summers are licensed by FERC. u Telluride 82 percent million and more than 4,500 jobs by 2017. and warmer winters that no longer are cold ______1 Johansen, Erin and Proctor, Cathy, How vulnerable is Denver area Vail and 57 percent enough to kill it, and which has destroyed to flooding?, Denver Business Journal, Sept. 11, 2005. http://www. Beaver Creek The 2006 Colorado College State of the 1.5 million acres of lodgepole pine since bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2005/09/12/story2.html?page=all 2 Winter Park 54 percent Rockies Report Card highlights the significant 1996. Beetles infected roughly 500,000 Insert, Northern Water, Water News, Nov., 2013, pg. 9. 3 Assessing the Costs of Climate Change, National Conference Breckenridge and 50 percent losses predicted in snow pack for the state acres in 2007 alone, and full thinning of of State Legislatures and the University of Maryland’s Center for 3 Copper Mountain (see adjacent table). these forests would have cost $1 billion. Integrative Environmental Research and the National Conference of State Legislatures, 2008. http://www.cier.umd.edu/climateadaptation/ Climate%20change--COLORADO.pdf

32 RMS Journal Winter 2013 33 RMS Chapters 2013 River Ranger Rendezvous

by Jennifer Jones “Fall Classic” Trip to the Great Egg Harbor River The RMS Southwest Chapter Our river activities for the weekend hosted the River Ranger included floats on two distinctly different Rendezvous on September 12- stretches of the river above and below 14, 2013, along the banks of the the Camp. On Saturday, we launched our Colorado River. Ten hardy folks flotilla of a dozen kayaks and canoes from arrived at the Colorado River the Camp’s rustic put-in, no more than Ranch for a weekend full of river a gravel road to river’s edge. The river was running on low flows typical to late and water management discussions. season, about 50 cfs, which ensured a nice The Colorado River Ranch would smooth run. This section of river starts as be our base camp and contains a narrow winding creek and then grows two miles of river frontage, into a broader slackwater, and finally into wildlife habitat and scenic views. the pool of Lake Lenape. It was a nice Recently Eagle County Open Space introduction to gliding one’s way past partnered with the owners of the submerged logs, and tree tops that littered gorgeous ranch, Colorado Open the river’s edges. Prior to the lake the river Lands and The Conservation Fund, was only 20-30’ across in most places, a statewide non-profit land trust, with low banks and a tree canopy of to create a 1000-acre conservation mixed hardwoods and noted Pine Barrens easement which is home to a brand pitch pine. A wonderful aspect was its new public access boat ramp. “Jersey” Jenn McKinney, Paul Kenney, Randy Welsh, Fred Akers (GEHR Administrator), primitiveness for until we reached the lake Risa Shimoda, Jeff Harn, Joan Harn, and Lynn Maun (GEHR Coordinator). Photo: Julie Akers there were only a few homes visible along Additionally, the county purchased its banks. It was quite a surprise to many the 230-acre Red Dirt Creek Stew Pappenport, Jason Carey, Toby Sprunk, Hannah Schechter, Ken Vanetta, Sam Castaldo, Jennifer Jones, Troy Schnurr, Britt Hornsby, Charlie Holtz. Photo: Ken Neubecker by Randy Welsh of us to find such a hidden jewel so close to so many people. parcel upstream of the Colorado When one thinks of southeast New Jersey, Atlantic City Our float the next day was on the upstream segment River Ranch and plans to use the comes to mind, but for several members of the RMS Northeast originating at Weymouth Furnace, a relic limestone kiln ruins, property for primitive camping and added public river access. Commissioners and Colorado State Parks - Arkansas Headwaters Chapter the experience was more akin to wilderness exploration in a small picnic area next to the river. There was no developed Both properties are protected by conservation easements held Recreation Area. They covered many topics such as Wild & in the Pine Barrens on the Great Egg Harbor River. Over the access, but it was small labor to drop our kayaks into the gently by Colorado Open Lands. Combined, these two acquisitions Scenic River inventory and designation, local geology and weekend of September 28-29, the Great Egg Harbor River flowing water. This segment of the river embraced the same permanently protect 3.7 miles of Colorado River frontage, as archaeology, the politics and economics of water and recreation, Council led by Fred Akers, Administrator, sponsored their annual level of primitiveness once we passed through a line of houses well as an important wildlife movement corridor between the water development, using chain saws in moving water, dam float and campout at Camp Acagisca, a unit of the Atlantic bordering the river. Here the river was quite constrained, 10-20’ Flat Tops Wilderness and the Bull Gulch Wilderness Study Area. decommissions, native versus non-native fish and vegetation, and County Parks System. A contingent of Washington, DC Northeast across, and only a few feet to just inches deep. Woody vegetation Eagle County will utilize dedicated Open Space Funds for public issues related to dispersed camping and ‘people’ management. Chapter members participated in the festivities, including Joan filled the corridor, but there was always room to find passage, Harn, National Park Service, Randy Welsh, Forest Service, and probably owing to the efforts of the two boat liveries who access improvements on both properties in 2013. Toby Sprunk The afternoon culminated in a short float downstream of the Risa Shimoda, RMS Executive Director. Paul Kenney from the are allowed to keep the river open for transit following strict of Eagle County Open Space joined the trip to discuss the recent ranch to attend the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting for the NPS Northeast Region also participated. clearing guidelines. We appreciated their efforts and did not find riverfront land acquisitions, public access and primitive campsite new public access boat ramp and parking area. The Great Egg Harbor River and its tributaries were any obtrusive work that spoiled our view of the naturalness of development and design along this stretch of the Colorado River. designated in 1992 and consist of over 129 miles of creeks and the corridor. We ended our trip back at the Camp put-in after a Unfortunately, there were a number of speakers and registered streams leading into a broad tidewater estuary. Its name derives delightful morning float. After a quick lunch at the ranch we headed upstream to launch at participants that were not able to attend due to the epic flooding from the abundance of sea bird eggs that once existed during pre- After hasty goodbyes we parted ways but not without Pinball. The sky was clear blue and we were greeted by a resident in the Boulder, Colorado area (up to 15” of rain over three days). colonial times. Today the river is a hidden gem running through two revelations. First, these priceless treasures still exist Bald Eagle. Before long the ominous rumbling of thunder As a result we altered the agenda to include some excellent free farmland, the Pine Barrens, small communities, leading to a because of the protection of Wild and Scenic River Act and the surrounded us and we were treated to a great lightning show. flowing group discussions. River managers always seem to have bustling sea lane. dedication of local people who care for and protect these gems. The group shared campsite location and design ideas with Toby plenty to chat about and strong opinions. The Great Egg Harbor River was established as the first Second, the importance of gathering as river professionals to at three locations along the Red Dirt Creek parcel or Red Dirt locally managed partnership river within the Wild and Scenic share information, observe new situations, and to expand our Camp. Along the way the crew picked up trash and was able to On day three we continued downstream and cleaned the river River System. The Council consists of representatives from knowledge of other rivers. My hope is that you have the chance the 12 communities in the area and was created to provide to explore the Great Egg Harbor yourself sometime in the future extricate a tire (attached to the wheel and axle) that was located banks as part of the Eagle County river clean-up project. We consistency in implementation of the Comprehensive River or some other hidden river gem in your own backyard. And, a mid-stream. found the typical river trash (plastic bottles, vehicle parts, Management Plan for the WSR. In addition to Fred, the Council RMS Chapter trip is the perfect setting to experience it! u aluminum cans) and a twin bed frame to boot. employs Lynn Maun as an Education Specialist. She plans and During the second day of the Rendezvous folks relaxed at the implements a variety of educational programs in the area to Randy Welsh is a member of the Northeast Chapter and Advisor ranch while being treated to a variety of speakers from the White A fabulous time was had by all and we missed those of you that help youth and residents understand the value of the WSR, river to the RMS Board. He works for the USDA Forest Service as the River National Forest, Bureau of Land Management - Colorado were not able to make the trip! u values in general, and the importance of clean water specifically. National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Lead. River Valley and Kremmling Field Office, Eagle County

34 RMS Journal Winter 2013 35 their float trip. To address this, RMS trip participants discussed the advantages of RMS Chapters recreation staff working closely with fire public information officers to ensure that all audiences are reached with critical Rogue River RMS Northwest Chapter Trip information. by Colby Hawkinson The non-regulated permit season The October 18–20th RMS Rogue early morning hours of Friday, July 26th, protection of outstanding values within generated multiple discussions. Many float in Oregon treated participants to creating a series of ignitions that combined the river corridor. They also outlined the rivers, the Rogue included, have a self- beautiful fall weather, relaxing stays at to form the Big Windy Complex Fire. fire knowledge and training that river issue permit process during the non- riverside lodges, and lively discussion of By the time it was declared contained on management staff need to have prior to regulated season. This system works on hot river management topics. September 30th, the Big Windy Complex fire season in order to be ready to advise the honor system so it can be difficult Day one of the trip began under burned 27,555 acres, including 11.3 miles fire incident command staff once a fire to ensure that users obtain a permit and sunny skies at the Rand Recreation Site, along the river left shoreline of the Rogue starts. adhere to the terms of it. Various solutions on the Recreational stretch of the Rogue, River. In addition to impacting significant were discussed that could encourage and ended at Black Bar Lodge where RMS trip participants were pleased acreage, the Big Windy greatly affected use of and adherence to self-issue RMS members enjoyed a nice meal and to see that much of the fire-affected float trips during the busiest part of the permits. River use monitoring during the discussed river management issues before area visible from the river was a healthy permitted float season on the Rogue. non-regulated permit season was also turning in. Day two saw opportunities ‘underburn,’ a fire consuming grasses, Forest Service and BLM managers discussed. With the warm, clear weather for fishing, a nice lunch stop at the shrubs, dead trees, and an occasional implemented closures of the Wild section there were a lot of other float parties Rogue River Ranch, and the excitement live tree, but generally leaving large of the Rogue between Grave Creek and with us on the Rogue. This has been an Risa Shimoda paddling through Upper Black Bar rapid on the Rogue River in Oregon. of running Mule Creek Canyon and stands of live trees untouched. While Mule Creek, the Rogue River trail, and increasing trend, especially during the Blossom Bar. It ended at Paradise Lodge the fire yielded mostly beneficial results, vehicle shuttle routes. Such closures take weekends immediately before and after with another great meal and discussion it required significant numbers of fire time to implement, affecting people out the controlled permit season. of river management topics. The third personnel to work and camp within on the river and those traveling to the A particularly interesting talk on and final day brought additional fishing the river corridor to contain it, creating put-in prior to their anticipated launch ‘ARMS History’ was given by Tom Mottl. opportunities and warm weather en route the potential to adversely impact the date. RMS members on the float shared ‘ARMS’ was the precursor to RMS. Tom to the takeout at Foster Bar. Outstandingly Remarkable Values that examples of how to best work with gave an engaging and colorful rendition of The ‘hottest’ topic of discussion make the Rogue so special. RMS trip agency representatives and incident what it was like to help start a professional on the trip was management of wildfire participants, including some with a wealth commanders to ensure that adequate river management organization during that within a Wild and Scenic River corridor. of experience in wildfire as well as river lead time is given prior to implementing era, and how the transition to RMS came Southwest Oregon had a busy fire season management, took a careful look at this closures. In addition, river users may not to be. in 2013. A lightning storm rumbled issue. They discussed effective strategies be aware of the means that fire managers Campsite competition is an issue on through the Rogue River drainage in the for balancing fire suppression efforts with use to distribute information critical to most multi-day river stretches, and that is definitely the case on the Rogue during the limited permit season. One discussion on the RMS trip looked at factors influencing campsite competition on the Rogue such as typical trip length, presence or absence of pit toilets at camps, and user familiarity with riverside camps, especially the lesser known and smaller ones. This discussion also looked at how the management approach taken on the Rogue may affect Jessie Dubuque fishing for half pounders on the Rogue River. Photos: Lisa Byers campsite competition. On the Rogue, the management strategy looks to maximizing user opportunities to float the river. how users learn about the rules (fire pans/ were mentioned as two potential solutions. Some of the key mechanisms used in portable toilets/campsite size), campsite Risa also talked about the upcoming River this approach are: 1) managing the total monitoring, and Rogue River Trail hiker Management Society’s Managing Rivers number of individual floaters launching impacts on the river corridor and their in Changing Climes training/workshop each day (versus managing total launches interactions with boaters at mutual camp opportunity in April 2014. as is practiced on many other multi-day locations. 2013 marks the 8th time that RMS rivers), and 2) reallocating each unused To wrap up the discussions, Risa has done a Rogue trip and a big thank you launch space. RMS trip participants led a valuable session on how RMS can goes out to Becky Brown for organizing considered this, and looked at possible help river management staff and agencies it. We hope you’ll come along next time… improvements to the system to alleviate continue to do an excellent job in an era you missed out on a great trip! u some of the tension associated with of dwindling budgets and decreasing campsite competition on the river. seasonal staff levels. Actively recruiting Colby Hawkinson is a Park Ranger with Other subjects examined in the and engaging volunteer assistance and the Bureau of Land Management in evenings included: restricted use limits, getting ‘Friends of the River’ groups going Grants Pass, Oregon.

36 RMS Journal Winter 2013 37 Chapter Officers To Join RMS

ALASKA SOUTHWEST Name______David W. Schade, MPA, President Greg Trainor, President Letters to RMS Alaska Department of Natural Resources City of Grand Junction, Public Works & Utilities 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1020 250 N 5th St, Grand Junction CO 81501 Home Address______Anchorage, AK 99501-3577 tel (970) 244-1564 / fax (970) 256-4022 tel (907) 269-8645 / cell (907) 230-6061 [email protected] [email protected] City______Jason Carey, Vice President Helen Clough, Vice President River Restoration 1765 Mendenhall Peninsula Road PO Box 2123, Glenwood Springs CO 81602 State______Zip______a great job of educating their clients about safety and resource Juneau, AK 99801 tel (970) 947-9568 protection requirements, I am skeptical about how well they tel (907) 790 4189 / cell (907) 321-4004 [email protected] [email protected] Home Phone______would do this in the absence of the contractual requirements in (vacant), Secretary Jennifer Reed, Secretary their concession permits, or in the absence of enforcement. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Jennifer Jones, Treasurer Organization______Concessioners are not the only people using the river; private 101 12th Ave, Rm 236, Fairbanks AK 99701 Bureau of Land Management tel (907) 455-1835 / fax (907) 456-0428 82 E Dogwood, Moab UT 84532 trips would presumably be there, too, had NPS decided to keep [email protected] tel (435) 259-2136 / fax (435) 259-2158 [email protected] the river open. How would AOA propose we ensure these private Bill Overbaugh, Treasurer trip members stay safe and follow the rules in the absence of any Bureau of Land Management Work Address______222 W 7th Ave #13, Anchorage AK 99513 SOUTHEAST NPS oversight? Or, maybe AOA thinks only commercial trips tel (907) 271-5508 / fax (907) 271-5479 Mary Crockett, President [email protected] Congaree Land Trust City______From a colleague who did not renew her membership: should have been allowed to go during the shutdown . . . 2231 Devine St #100, Columbia SC 29205 tel (803) 988-0000 PACIFIC [email protected] State______Zip______I am disappointed that RMS is geared mostly towards recreation There are priceless cultural sites along the river in GRCA which (vacant), President and Vice President Stephen Hendricks, Vice President of rivers instead of ecological management. I do not plan to have seen plundering and vandalism in the past. (Park personnel Scott Springer, Secretary 27 Colonial Place, Asheville NC 28804 Work Phone______renew my membership. have actually “seeded” sites with faux Anasazi split-twig figures Bureau of Reclamation tel (828) 273-5581 2800 Cottage Way, Ste E2711, Sacramento CA [email protected] they made themselves, and have seen these disappear almost tel (916) 978-5206 [email protected] Glen Bishop, Secretary Thank you, immediately.) There are rules about camping -- permissible sites, Arkansas Tech University Elizabeth Verdeccia, Natural Resource Specialist food prep and waste management practices, etc. -- that might Larry Freilich, Treasurer Dept of Parks and Recreation Email______Inyo County Water Department Williamson Hall, Russellville AR 72801 International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Section be very tempting to break if you knew no one was watching. PO Box 337, Independence CA 93526 tel (479) 964-3228 / fax (479) 968-0600 Job Title______Obviously, there are also limits on the number of trips that can tel (760) 878-0011 / [email protected] [email protected] Hi Elizabeth, occur. How would any of these visitor management requirements Bill Marshall, Treasurer NORTHWEST South Carolina Dept of Natural Resources Duties/interests______Thanks for your feedback: the organization does reflect the be enforced with only a skeleton crew of rangers and other park Lynette Ripley, President PO Box 167, Columbia SC 29202 Bureau of Reclamation tel (803) 734-9096 / fax (803) 734-9200 activity and interest of active members, and your comments personnel in place? Would it also be OK to let visitors armed 1375 SE Wilson Ave, Ste 100, Bend OR 97702 [email protected] ______cause me to think about how we can better serve members with cans of spray paint flood the Louvre if all the museum’s tel (541) 389-6541 x.233 [email protected] whose work does not intersect with recreation. We have made security guards were furloughed? MIDWEST ______Jim Beaupre, Vice President Peter Hark, President specific forays into environmental management with our Summer Bureau of Land Management Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources 2012 RMS Journal focus on aquatic invasives and partnerships I would ask that the RMS Board reconsider whether forwarding 3050 NE 3rd St, Prineville OR 97754 500 Lafayette Rd, St Paul MN 55155 Rivers you manage______tel (541) 416-6776 / fax (541) 416-6798 tel (651) 259-5618 / fax (651) 297-5475 with the riparian restoration collaboratives (March, 2013 in disinformation such as was produced by the AOA -- an entity [email protected] [email protected] ______Grand Junction and September, 2013 in Cottonwood, AZ) and with a major financial incentive to allow concessioners to utilize Ryan Turner, Secretary Randy Thoreson, Vice President we will be conducting NEPA training and water law / rights more than their fair share of public resources at the expense of Bureau of Land Management National Park Service 1 Butte Dr, Cottonwood ID 83522 111 E Kellogg Blvd, St Paul MN 55101 ______workshop training next spring in Denver, to further mix science independent visitors, the rest of the American public, and the tel (208) 839-2146 tel (651) 290-3004 / fax (651) 290-3815 and practitioner-based content. In sharing your note in our next resources themselves -- is in the best interests of our professional [email protected] [email protected] journal, we will seek comments from other RMS members who society. Molly Baumann, Treasurer (vacant), Secretary Membership Category (please check one) 4701 France Ave S, Minneapolis MN 55410 may know others who share your sentiment. tel (503) 803-1640 Sue Jennings, Treasurer ❐ Professional $50/yr ($200 for 5 years) Best wishes in your position and career, Thanks for considering this, [email protected] Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore ❐ Associate $30/yr 9922 Front St, Empire MI 49630 ❐ Risa Shimoda Cassie Thomas, Program Analyst tel (231) 326-5134 x.422 Organization $120/yr (government/corporate) Canadian River Management Society (CRMS) [email protected] ❐ Organization $60/yr (NGO/non-profit) WASO Park Planning & Special Studies Division (Chapter Affiliate) ❐ Student $25/yr In response to an RMS News Digest article regarding impacts AK Coordinator, NPS Hydropower Assistance Program Michael Greco, President Max Finkelstein, Secretary-Treasurer NORTHEAST ❐ Lifetime $500 (for individuals only) of the Fall, 2013 US government shutdown on outfitters: c/o CRMS, 6333 Fortune Dr, Ottawa, Ontario (vacant) Canada K1C 2A4 Hi Cassie, tel (613) 824-0410 Who referred you to RMS?______I am likely one of several RMS members who are also NPS I appreciate your message. We send clips from AOA bulletins [email protected] employees and who strongly disagree with the version of facts (often edited) to encourage dialogue with organizations who we Make checks payable to “RMS” propagated by the America Outdoors Association concerning the hope can hash out differences. RMS sometimes receives requests RMS also accepts VISA or Mastercard: shutdown-related closure of GRCA and the Colorado River. The for more in-depth info on the articles, and so now we include the statement that NPS does nothing substantive to support outfitted link to the original bulletin. We could not have been more excited Card #: trips is simply not true. What about the mandatory briefing at to have All Star Rafting join last month from Oregon, and hope Exp date: Amount: Lee’s Ferry? What about river ranger patrols to ensure that others do as well. It would be healthy for members to challenge visitor safety and resource protection requirements are being one another for coloring an association’s information-sharing Send this form, with payment, to: followed? As all RMS members should know, river safety is about with unnecessary bias. RMS, P.O. Box 5750, Takoma Park, MD 20913-5750 more than who will operate and pay for a helicopter extraction! Thanks again for speaking your mind on behalf of members, (301) 585-4677 • [email protected] While I’m sure most of the commercial guides on the river do Risa Shimoda

38 RMS Journal Winter 2013 39 Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit 536

RMS, P.O. Box 5750, Takoma Park MD 20913 Missoula MT 59801

Next Journal Deadline - Pacific Chapter - Submissions due February 1, 2014