Salt River Allotments Vegetative Management EIS Draft Recreation Affected Environment Report Don R
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Salt River Allotments Vegetative Management EIS Draft Recreation Affected Environment Report Don R. Sullivan November 6, 2012 Introduction The area surrounding the Salt River Canyon, the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, and the Sierra Ancha Wilderness, offer recreation settings that are scarce and unique in the arid southwest. Perennial water that supports vegetation and wildlife, and a remote, wild, non-motorized setting characterize much of the Salt River Canyon area. The Wild and Scenic River Study Report and Environmental Impact Statement for the Salt River recommended “wild designation of 22 miles of the Salt River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System”. This segment of river, from Lower Corral Canyon to the Highway 288 Bridge, remains eligible for inclusion in the NWSR system. Recreationists come to the Salt River Canyon area for a wide variety of recreation opportunities including whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, hiking, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, picnicking, wildlife viewing, hunting, target shooting, Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use, and scenic driving. Additional characteristics that add value to this recreation setting include challenging river rapids, spectacular scenery, dramatic geology, natural salt deposits, archaeological sites, lush stream and river vegetation, and perennial side streams. The 32,100 acres of land that comprise the Salt River Canyon Wilderness were incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1984. Although backpackers sometimes access the river by hiking down side creeks, there are no system trails in the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, so recreational access is primarily accomplished by whitewater boating. The 20,850 acres of land that comprise the Sierra Ancha Wilderness were incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964. Access to the Sierra Ancha Wilderness is primarily by foot or horseback through one of thirteen trailheads. Recreational River Running The Upper Salt River is an undammed, free-flowing whitewater river. As such, its water level is entirely dependent upon the annual rainfall and snowpack in its basin, located in the White Mountains of Arizona. Water levels can drop below 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) in summer and have risen as high as 143,000 cfs at flood stage. Recreational river running typically occurs in the spring, at water levels ranging between 500 cfs and 10,000 cfs, with some additional use in summer monsoon season. The rafting portion of the Upper Salt River runs 52 miles from the put-in near the Highway 60 Bridge to the take-out at the Highway 288 Bridge. Administratively, this is broken up into three Segments; the 9-mile Salt Banks segment, the 11-mile Gleason segment, and the 32-mile Wilderness segment. The Forest Service co-manages the Upper Salt River with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, whose tribal lands on the north side of the river extend 28.9 miles below the Highway 60 put-in. The Forest Service issues permits to four commercial outfitters for the Upper Salt River. The outfitter’s clients are from all over the United States, with the majority coming from the four corners region. These small businesses book half-day, full-day, or overnight trips on the Salt Banks and Gleason segments, or three to five day trips for the entire length of river. Bookings vary yearly with the snowpack and water level. In 2010, a year with normal snowpack, the outfitters sold 8,098 user days (one person on the river for one day), grossing a total of $774,935. From March 1 to May 15 the Forest Service requires a permit for private boaters (people with their own boats who wish to organize their own trips) to boat through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness. Private boaters may pay the $10 application fee to be included in the yearly random drawing for special recreation permits. There are four of these permits available, for trips of up to fifteen people, for each of the 76 days of the permitted season, or 304 available permits. There is a onetime fee of $125 for each permit. In 2010, 1,792 people applied, and 282 permits were issued, to boat through the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, generating $53,170 in permit fees. Private boaters also conduct day and overnight trips on the Salt Banks and Gleason sections where no Forest Service permit is required. Private boater application data shows that boaters come from as far away as Massachusetts and Alaska. Most applicants are from urban areas, and are from the southwest. Sizable populations from the Northwest, California, and Texas also apply. While it is known that, through spending on gas, food, lodging and other items, river recreationists contribute to local jobs and revenue, no study has been conducted to determine the amount of revenue that boaters provide to the communities near the Upper Salt River. Given that almost all of the commercial and private boaters are from outside the Globe/Miami area, it is likely that boating on the Upper Salt River is this local community’s largest source of ecotourism. Commercial and private boaters on the Upper Salt River must practice leave no trace camping and have a number of special regulations that they must follow, abbreviated in the table below. These include containing their fires in a firepan so as not to leave a mark on the beach and carrying and using a human waste removal system. Upper Salt River Regulations Abbreviated Regulation Segment CFR Boating permit required March 1 to May 15 Wilderness 36 CFR 261.57(a) Must remove human solid waste Salt Banks, Gleason, Wilderness 36 CFR 261.57(g) Upper Salt River Regulations Abbreviated Regulation Segment CFR No wheeled vehicles Wilderness 36 CFR 261.57(h) Group size of 15 or less Wilderness 36 CFR 261.58(f) Group size of 25 or less Salt Banks, Gleason 36 CFR 261.58(f) No camping at Walnut Falls Gleason 36 CFR 261.58(e) Campfire must be contained in firepan Salt Banks, Gleason, Wilderness 36 CFR 261.52(a) Indigenous plants dead and down only Salt Banks, Gleason, Wilderness 36 CFR 261.58(t) No littering Salt Banks, Gleason, Wilderness 36 CFR 261.57(g) Other Recreational Use Road and trail access is a key factor that determines amount and type of non-river- running recreation use along the Upper Salt River Canyon area. OHV use, horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, picnicking, wildlife viewing, bird watching, hunting, target shooting, and scenic driving primarily take place where forest roads and trails provide access. Scenic Driving / Mountain Biking / OHV Use: The area surrounding the Salt River Canyon offers a variety of views of some of the most beautiful scenery in the Southwestern United States. Views range from the pine forests of the Timber Camp and Sierra Ancha Mountains, to Saguaro laden vistas of the Sonoran Desert. Vehicles used for scenic driving vary with the terrain, and range from passenger cars to dirt and mountain bikes. District recreation personnel report that OHV scenic driving is the most common recreational use in the uplands of the analysis area, and is often combined with other recreational uses like hunting, Target shooting, fishing and picnicking. Hunting / Fishing: Hunting and fishing are year-round activities in the analysis area. Not surprisingly, hunting increases in the seasons permitted for taking large game. Fishing on the Upper Salt River is primarily for Catfish and initiates at vehicle access points like Horseshoe Bend and Gleason Flat. Horseback Riding: While much of the horseback riding in the analysis area emanates from the Timber Camp Equestrian Site (see below), the trailheads of the Sierra Ancha Wilderness and forest roads like the Horseshoe Bend Road (FR 219) and the Gleason Flat Road (FR 303) are also launching off points for equestrians. Hiking: Most of the hiking in the analysis area takes place in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. While there are no trails in, or leading into, the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, people occasionally hike down side canyons like Cherry Creek or Coon Creek. Wildlife Viewing / Bird Watching: Due to its close proximity to the high elevation Mogollon Rim and Sierra Ancha Mountains, and low elevation deserts surrounding the Upper Salt River, there is a great range of available birds and wildlife to view in the area surrounding the Upper Salt River. Much of this activity happens from forest roads in combination with scenic driving. Developed Recreation Areas There are three developed recreation areas in the analysis area; Timber Camp Recreation Area, Jones Water Recreation Area, and Bull Canyon Trailhead. Timber Camp Recreation Area is a heavily used campground located 26 miles east of Globe Arizona on the north side of Highway 60. It is broken into 4 separate sites, all of which are fenced off from the surrounding grazing allotment. Timber Camp Equestrian Site and Brundrett Site 1 are available for use by reservation. Brundrett Site 2 and Timber Camp Day Use Picnic Area are open year-round. o Timber Camp Equestrian Site: With a large parking area to accommodate horse trailers, this site has three corrals, two hitching posts, two manure receptacles, a concrete vault toilet, a fire ring, and a ramada that shelters six picnic tables. o Brundrett Site 1: Brundrett Site 1 has two ramadas (each with six picnic tables) and a fire ring. It has three concrete vault toilets available for use from the fourteen campsites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. o Brundrett Site 2: Brundrett Site 2 has a parking area for large groups and three day use picnic tables. It has a concrete vault toilet available for use from three campsites, each with a picnic table and fire ring.