Regulating Jet Boat Use on the Wild and Scenic Snake River in Hells
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1996 Regulating jet boat use on the wild and scenic Snake River in Hells Canyon: An examination of the public participation process and an environmental organization's strategy within that process Marnie L. Criley The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Criley, Marnie L., "Regulating jet boat use on the wild and scenic Snake River in Hells Canyon: An examination of the public participation process and an environmental organization's strategy within that process" (1996). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 8575. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/8575 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University ofIVIONXANA Pennission is granted by tire author to reproduce tliis material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature Yes, I grant pennission No, I do not grant permission____ Author’s Signature Date 11 * f Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author’s explicit consent. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. REGULATING JET BOAT USE ON THE WILD AND SCENIC SNAKE RIVER IN HELLS CANYON — AN EXAMINATION OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION'S STRATEGY WITHIN THAT PROCESS By Mamie L. Criley B.A. English, University of Michigan, 1989 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science University of Montana 1996 Approved by: Chairman, Board of Examiners Dean, Graduate School Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number; EP39376 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. U M I* Dissertation Rjblishang UMI EP39376 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOW LEDGEMElSrTS I have been working with HCPC for over three years on the issue of regulating jet boating in Hells Canyon so there are many people I have to thank. First, I would like to thank Mary O'Brien for introducing me to Hells Canyon and the Snake River, and Ric Bailey for giving me the opportunity to get to know the place and work to protect it. I also want to thank my committee members, William Chaloupka, Leonard Broberg and Stephen McCool for all their wonderful suggestions and guidance- Next I give my special thanks and love to Jenny Flynn, who encouraged me when I struggled with writing this paper, and to my best friend, Mark Vander Meer, who provided me with a wonderful place to write despite the fact that the solar powered computer did die on me at a couple of crucial moments. I also received encouragement and love from my mother, Jane, and my stepfather, Jean, although their encouragement had a special motive; they want me back home in Tennessee. There are several people who provided me with helpful information for this paper: Woody Fine, Deputy Area Ranger for the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area; Tim Palmer, river ecologist and author; and Michael Walker, Rogue River Planner. Finally, I wish to say a special thank you to my late father for instilling in me the importance of actively working to preserve the places that you love, and the Snake River in Hells Canyon is certainly one of those for me. JL JL Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONTENTS Acknowledgements............................................ii Contents................................................... iii Acronyms and Abbreviations.................................. vi Introduction................................................. 1 Significance of Issue................................... 3 Background................................................. .11 Jet Boats............................................. 11 The Snake River....................................... 13 CHA.E>TER ONE LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND................................ 18 Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act........18 Wilderness Values................................ 20 National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.............. 22 Public Land Regulations for Hells Canyon......... 26 CHAI>TER TWO PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROCESS............................28 Hells Canyon Preservation Council................ 28 Hells Canyon Alliance.............................29 United States Forest Service — Wallowa-Whitman National Forest............. 31 Commercial Outfitters — Float and Jet Boaters... 32 Congressional Members............................ 32 ± ± ± Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 0]HLA.E>TER T H R E E VISITOR USE STUDY....................................... 33 CZHLA.PTER F O U R LIMITS OF ACCEPTABLE CHANGE PROCESS....................44 CHAFTER FIVE THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT PROCESS......... 58 So 1 itude A1 te m a t i v e s ............................ 60 Draft Environmental Impact Statement............. 62 Hells Canyon Alliance........................ 63 Hells Canyon Preservation Council........... 66 Final Environmental Impact Statement............. 69 Record of Decision and Appeal Process............ 70 The Forest Service.................................74 CHARTER SIX THE JET BOAT BILL....................................... 85 OONCEUSIOlSf ........................................ 90 A.RRENDIX A MAP OF THE HELLS CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA......100 A R R E H O I X H RECORDED AND PROPOSED INCREASES IN JET BOAT USE OF THE SNAKE WILD AND SCENIC RIVER: 1975 TO 1994....... 101 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A.E>r»ElSÏDXX G CHRONOLOGICAL PRESENTATION OF PROCESS TO REGULATE JET BOAT USE AND NUMBERS ON SNAKE WILD AND SCENIC RIVER................................................... 102 A.X»I>ElSrDXX D MEMBERS OF THE HELLS CANYON ALLIANCE................. 105 AI>X>ElSrDX3C E THE SOLITUDE ALTERNATIVES.............................. 106 AX>E>ENDXX E MOTORIZED VS. NON-MOTORIZED SNAKE RIVER MILE DAYS 127 A.EEENOX3C G EFFECTS OF JET BOATS ON SALMON POPULATIONS IN THE SNAKE RIVER; Documentation of Studies Concerning Jet Boat Impacts........................................128 A E E E N D X X H FOREST SERVICE JET BOAT FACT SHEET.................... 153 AEEENDX3C X LETTER TO JOHN LOWE REGARDING APPEAL VIOLATIONS...... 154 A.EEENDXX J S.1374/H.R.2568 — THE CRAIG/COOLEY JET BOAT BILL---- 163 X^XTERATXJRE CXTED ................................................................166 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ÀCROISÏYMS A N T y ABBREVIATIONS CMP- Comprehensive Management Plan for the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area DEIS- Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan ESA- Endangered Species Act FEIS- Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan HCA- Hells Canyon Alliance HCNRA- Hells Canyon National Recreation Area HCPC- Hells Canyon Preservation Council LAC- Limits of Acceptable Change NEPA- National Environmental Policy Act NWSRA- National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act PA- Preferred Alternative ROD- Record of Decision SWSR- Snake Wild and Scenic River Survey- The 1989 University of Idaho Visitor Profile and Recreation Use Study for the Snake Wild and Scenic River USDA- United States Department of Agriculture WSSRRMP- Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. X M TRO DXJCT X O N •'We have to earn silence... to work for it: To make it not an absence but a presence; not an emptiness but repletion. Silence is something more than just a pause; it is that enchanted place where space is cleared and time is stayed and the horizon itself expands. In silence, we often say, we can hear ourselves think; but what is truer to say is that in silence we can hear ourselves not think, and so sink below ourselves into a place far deeper than mere thought allows." Pico Iyer My introduction