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Fossil Creek Comprehensive River United States Department of Agriculture Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan Coconino and Tonto Forest Service National Forests MB-R3-04-35 November 2020 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Comprehensive River Management Plan Coconino and Tonto National Forests Gila and Yavapai Counties, Arizona This page left intentionally blank Comprehensive River Management Plan ~ Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Summary On March 30, 2009, Congress designated Fossil Creek as a Wild and Scenic River. Fossil Creek, which flows for 17 miles from springs that comprise its headwaters to the Verde River, is located within the administrative boundaries of the Coconino and Tonto national forests in central Arizona. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-542) requires the agency responsible for administration of a designated wild and scenic river to develop a comprehensive river management plan (CRMP) that provides for the protection and enhancement of the river’s water quality, free-flowing condition, and “outstandingly remarkable values,” collectively referred to as “river values,” for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The USDA Forest Service, under the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, is the agency responsible for the administration of congressionally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers on the Coconino and Tonto national forests. This CRMP for the Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River supplements the Coconino and Tonto national forests’ land and resource management plans by providing desired conditions, management standards, guidelines, objectives, and monitoring and adaptive management that will be applied to protect and enhance Fossil Creek’s river values. The plan also addresses resource protection, development of lands and facilities, user capacities, and other management practices necessary or desirable to achieve the purposes of the Wild and Scenic River Act (WSRA, Sec. 3(d)(1)). The CRMP contains the following chapters: Chapter 1. River Setting and Planning Process – Describes the river setting, planning process, wild and scenic river boundary and classifications, and history, and summarizes existing uses and development. Chapter 2. River Corridor Resources – Describes Fossil Creek’s river values and other components of the river system. Chapter 3. Management Direction – Provides desired conditions, standards, guidelines, objectives, and management approaches that promote protection and enhancement of Fossil Creek’s river values. Chapter 4. Visitor Use and User Capacity – Describes the current kinds and amounts of use Fossil Creek receives and the future kinds and amounts of use Fossil Creek can accommodate while protecting river values. Chapter 5. Management Actions – Describes actions to implement the CRMP. Chapter 6. Monitoring and Adaptive Management – Outlines a monitoring plan to ensure Fossil Creek’s river values are protected and adaptive management actions that could be implemented if monitoring indicates adverse impacts or degradation are at risk of occurring. i Comprehensive River Management Plan ~ Fossil Creek Wild and Scenic River Table of Contents Chapter 1. River Setting and Planning Process .....................................................................................................1 River Setting ..........................................................................................................................................................2 Planning Process ....................................................................................................................................................4 Purpose and Goals of the Fossil Creek Plan .......................................................................................................4 Pairing the CRMP with the EIS ..........................................................................................................................5 Fossil Creek River Corridor Boundaries and Classifications .................................................................................5 River Corridor Boundaries .................................................................................................................................6 River Segment Classification .............................................................................................................................7 Fossil Creek’s Segments .....................................................................................................................................7 River Corridor Boundary Change.......................................................................................................................8 Fossil Creek History ...............................................................................................................................................8 Existing Uses ........................................................................................................................................................10 Recreational Use and Management ..................................................................................................................10 Permitted and Other Uses .................................................................................................................................13 Facilities and Other Infrastructure ....................................................................................................................13 Planning Context ..................................................................................................................................................16 Relevant Law, Regulation, and Policy .............................................................................................................16 Forest Plan Consistency and Amendments ......................................................................................................19 Heritage Resources and Relationship to Local Tribes ......................................................................................20 Existing Coordination and Regulatory Authorities ..........................................................................................20 Implementation and Future Modification of the CRMP ......................................................................................22 Chapter 2. River Corridor Resources...................................................................................................................23 Concepts Related to the River Values ..................................................................................................................23 River Values Background ....................................................................................................................................24 Previous Identification of ORVs ......................................................................................................................25 Final River Values, Including ORVs ...................................................................................................................26 Water ................................................................................................................................................................27 Geology ORV ...................................................................................................................................................29 Biological ORV (Fish and Aquatic Resources) ................................................................................................30 Biological ORV (Wildlife) ...............................................................................................................................32
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