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Upper Chattooga River Environmental Assessment

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Upper Chattooga River Environmental Assessment Environmental United States Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service Managing Recreation Uses on August, 2009 the Upper Chattooga River Sumter National Forest: Oconee County, South Carolina Chattahoochee National Forest: Rabun County, Georgia Nantahala National Forest: Jackson County and Macon County, North Carolina Responsible Officials: MONICA SCHWALBACH Acting Forest Supervisor Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests GEORGE BAIN Forest Supervisor Chattahoochee – Oconee National Forests MARISUE HILLIARD Forest Supervisor National Forests in North Carolina For Information Contact: Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests 4931 Broad River Road Columbia, SC 29212 (803) 561-4000 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250- 9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION ................................................ 1 1.1 NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTIONS...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROPOSED ACTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 4 1.3 DECISIONS TO BE MADE....................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 SIGNIFICANT ISSUES RELATED TO THE PROPOSED ACTIONS................................................................. 4 1.5 OTHER ISSUES ...................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2. ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................... 8 2.1 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED IN DETAIL............................................................................................... 8 2.2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT EVALUATED IN DETAIL ........................................................ 17 2.3 COMPARISON OF THE ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED IN DETAIL........................................................... 18 CHAPTER 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ......................................................................................................... 26 3.1 PHYSICAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................ 26 3.1.1 Water and Riparian Corridor .................................................................................................... 26 3.1.2 Soils............................................................................................................................................ 47 3.2 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................... 55 3.2.1 Vegetation .................................................................................................................................. 56 3.2.2 Terrestrial Wildlife..................................................................................................................... 78 3.2.3 Aquatic Species and Habitats..................................................................................................... 95 3.3 SOCIAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................... 111 3.3.1 Recreation................................................................................................................................ 111 3.3.2 Scenery..................................................................................................................................... 157 3.3.3 Human Health and Safety (Search and Rescue) ...................................................................... 160 3.3.4 Heritage Resources.................................................................................................................. 162 LIST OF PREPARERS AND AGENCIES/PERSONS CONSULTED................... 164 APPENDICES............................................................................................................... 166 APPENDIX A – OUTSTANDINGLY REMARKABLE VALUES OF THE CHATTOOGA WILD AND SCENIC RIVER ............................................................................................................................................................... 166 APPENDIX B – IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND MONITORING QUESTIONS ..................................... 168 APPENDIX C – FLOW LEVEL AND BOATABLE DAY ESTIMATES........................................................... 172 APPENDIX D........................................................................................................................................ 174 ENCOUNTER CALCULATIONS.................................................................................................................. 174 APPENDIX E – ALL RARE WILDLIFE SPECIES LISTED ON THE CONF, NNF AND SNF......................... 185 APPENDIX F – MAP OF THE CHATTOOGA WILD AND SCENIC RIVER CORRIDOR.................................. 190 REFERENCES CITED................................................................................................ 191 Figure 1.1 0 CHAPTER 1. PURPOSE AND NEED Chapter 1. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION Three national forests—the Sumter in South Carolina, the Chattahoochee in Georgia and the Nantahala in North Carolina—are proposing to establish new management direction for the 21-mile section of the wild and scenic Chattooga River corridor above the Highway 28 bridge known as the upper Chattooga (Figure 1.1). A map of the wild and scenic Chattooga River corridor is included in Appendix F. New management direction will be established by amending the land and resource management plans for the three national forests. The purpose of the new management direction is to ensure continued enjoyment of the upper Chattooga by a variety of recreationists consistent with protecting and enhancing the river’s free flowing condition, water quality and Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs) (see Appendix A) as required under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This new direction also will preserve the natural conditions, wilderness character, “outstanding opportunities for solitude” and a “primitive and unconfined type of recreation” within the Ellicott Rock Wilderness as required by the Wilderness Act. 1.1 Need for the Proposed Actions The 57-mile wild and scenic Chattooga River includes lands in three national forests: the Nantahala, the Chattahoochee and the Sumter and passes through approximately five miles of the 8,724-acre Ellicott Rock Wilderness (see Appendix F). It provides important recreation opportunities for visitors to the area such as high-quality fishing, nationally-recognized whitewater boating, hiking, swimming, camping and hunting. The highly scenic nature of the river corridor has attracted substantial numbers of people which, in turn, has led to increased concern about visitor impacts. When the Chattooga River was designated wild and scenic, recreation was determined to be one of the river’s ORVs. Specifically, the recreation ORV was described as follows: The recreation values of the river and corridor are outstanding along its 57-mile course. The river offers a wide variety of activities in a high-quality setting. Activities range from swimming to hiking and horseback riding with spectacular scenery to excellent trout fishing and nationally-recognized whitewater rafting opportunities. Other activities include backpacking, photography and nature study. Most of these activities take place in largely unmodified natural surroundings with many opportunities for remoteness and solitude. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act does not indicate which types of recreation should be emphasized in any specific location. Searching for balance among potentially conflicting/competing groups is difficult at best. The Forest Service has been tasked with finding the right balance for the Chattooga River corridor so that the overall recreation ORV is protected and enhanced. As the agency cannot optimize for every type of recreation opportunity at every time and place, the goal is to find an appropriate mix of recreation uses in the corridor given information about demand and river characteristics. The Chattooga is considered one of the best trout streams in the country according to a national survey (Ross 1999) and “has long been recognized as one of the finest stocked trout fisheries in the region” (Robertson 1999). It is the largest self-sustaining trout stream in South Carolina (Frampton 1 CHAPTER 1. PURPOSE AND NEED 2007) and one of the southernmost coldwater stream systems – therefore
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