KISARALIK RIVER A WILD AND SCENIC RIVER ANALYSIS by the · . neritage Conservation & Recreation Service October 1979 Anchor an '. - .. ·.. :~ .• . ~~ ., ·. ARLIS .· .· Alaska Resources Uotary & Information Services AlM INTRODUCTION At the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service made an independent study of the resources of the Kisaralik River area to determine the river's suitability for designation as a component of the National Wild and Scenic River System. In the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (PL. 90-542) Congress stated: "It is hereby declareq to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which with their immediate envi:r:onments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations." Ibis study was made in compliance with ~he Act. An interagency field inspection was conducted of the Kisaralik River in July 1978. Participating in the inspection were: Bureau of Land Management U.s. Fish & Wildlife Service State of AI;aska, Division Heritage Conseravtion & of Parks Recreation Service The following analysis is largel~ based on information obtained during the interagency field inspection; the Kisaralik River Report of August 7-14, 1976, by BLM staff (unpublished); the BOR aerial reconaissance in 1977; and library materials. THE RIVER AND ITS SETTING ~eral Setting The 3,000-4,000 foot high Kuskokwim Mountains run from near the central Yukon River in a southwest direction to the Bering Sea. The Kuskokwim River one of Alaska's largest rivers, bisects these mountains while flowing \ to Kuskokwim Bay and the Bering Sea. The Kilbuck Mountains are a part of th; . ~-.. :~ Kuskokwim Mountain system, lying in their southern portion. Kisaralik Lake, a deep and transparent lake is bordered by the snow-capped Kilbuck Mountains Out of the two mile wide by three mile long Kisaralik Lake flows the Kisaralik River.· The river runs along a northwesterly course, breeches the Kilbuck's, then meanders across the Kuskokwim lowlands, and finally enters the Kuskokwim River about 32 miles upstream of Bethel, Alaska. The Kisaralik River is approximately 100 miles long and drains a 1,470 square mile area. It is a clearwater blue-green colored stream flowing II~ ., .. I through a rocky bed for most of its distance. The river lies within a I basin like area dominated by moist tundra for its first 20 miles •. The J river then cuts a 1/2 to 2 mile wide valley 40.miles long through the I Kilbuck's. Moist tundra remains the dominate cover. The remaining I I I reaches of the river flow through the Kuskokwim lowlands that are I dominated by upland spruce-hardwood forests. Small stands of paperbirch I . I . and aspen, white spruce and cottonwood, and black spruce and alder genrally line these lower reaches. The mountains around Kisaralik Lake · ..and the upper 20 miles of river are 4,000 feet a.s.l, while the mountains along the next 40 river miles are generally 1,800 to 2,400 feet a.s.l. The lowlands are under 250 feet a.s.l. ·River Characteristics Kisaralik Lake lies at an elevation of 1,500 feet a.s.l. Kisaralik River enters the Kuskokwim River at an elevation of about 300 feet a.s.l. giving an overall gradient of 12 feet per mile. However most of the elevation drop occurs during the upper 45 river miles, i.e., from the lake to just below Golden Gate ~apids. This elevation drop results in a gradient of 22.2 feet per mile, with a gradient of 3.6 feet per mile for the lower 55 river miles. From the lake downstream about 75 miles materials that'form the river's bed consist of rock varying from gravel to five foot diameter boulders to unbroken volcanic stems. The usual material consist of a mixture of gravel and fist-sized rock. Upper Falls and Golden Gate rapids are areas of large boulders, with the remaining (Class II) rapid areas having smaller. boulders. The riverbed along the lower is miles are characterized.by a mixture of sand an:d silt. The river is .non-glacial, flowing out of a snow fed lake. ·water clarity is related directly to riverbed materials in the Kisaralik; in the rocky portion water is cleat, in the sand/silt portion it is b~own and not clear below about one inch from the surface. The river is an average sized for the Kuskokwim drainage but a little smaller than . , average for Alaska: It has a mean annual runoff between one and two cubic feet per second per square .mile. Its tributaries are all small with Gold Creek, North Fork, Quicksilver Creek, and Nuktuk Creek being the major ones. ®. The Kisaralik River from its outlet to Gold Creek is Class I water on the International Whitewater S~ale (IWS). Normally it is 4' deep, 50' wide, and has a 3 ~ph current at the outlet. I~ runs a braided course to Gold Creek wi.th no ·change in size. Resulting channels are often ·extremely narrow and shallow, requiring alertness. Alder and willow brush line the streambanks. I From Gold Creek to the North Fork, it basically runs in a single channel i \ . I 75 1 wide, .2' deep, ·with a 5 mph current. Water class on the IWS is a mixture of Class I and II, with one Class III rapids just before the I North Fork. ... I I Between the North Fork and Upper Falls the river remains a mixture of I Class I and II water. It averages about 3' in depth with occassional 6' I I pools; is 100' wide,. and flows between 3-5 mph.. Upper Falls consist of I a short Class ·III r'apid followed 50 yards later by a Class VI rapid. ~ The Class VI rapid drops 10' vertically over a 20' horizonal distance. ~~,t~ i A relatively easy portage can be made around the left .or south side of /. the river. I I I Between Upper Falls and Lower Falls the river is Class II as it flows in I a single 75'-100' wide channel. The channel is usually_ 4' deep with I I occassional 10 1 pools and a current of 4 mph. River temperature (during I I the 1978 field inspection) at QuicksiLver Creek· was 42°F with the creek . being 57°F. Lower Falls consists of small, vertical drop shelves and I it a Class III rating on the IWS. ·II • ~ The river from Lower Falls to Golden Gate is a mix of Class I and II (IWS) water. The river's width, depth, and speed remains the same as between Upper and Lower Falls. Golden Gate rapids rates Class III on the IWS. Here the river narrows to 25 1 in width and 15' in depth, with vertical 25 1 high rock walls forming the riverbanks for about 100 yards. Large boulders are scattered in the rapids. This small gorge appears to be the result of a rock dike. I i The river is Class.~I from Golden Gate to about 25 miles above its mouth .~ ..'·~:~ ~~ : .. I It flows in a 100'-125' wide channel i (to the sand/s~l~ riverbed area). I with ·S.ome braiding in the lower reach. Water depth is generally l'-4 1 with occassional 10' pools and a curr.ent speed of 3 mph. Sweepers I . (trees leaning into or over the river) are numerous and.constitute the I main hazard. ~I . The last 25 river miles rate as flat water with a current speed of 2 I· mpho The river meanders through a sweeper lined 100' wide, 6 1 deep channel. LAND AND WATER- GENERAL ·. Climate .. The Kisaralik·Riv~r·lies within .the Continental climatic zone of Alaska ~ . which zone basicaliy includ.es all of interior. Alaska. This zone experiences extreme summer and winter temperatures, with light precipitation and ... light surface winds • The Kisaralik River. lies in an area having mean annual precipitation between 20 and 40 inches, also with 40 to 60 inches of annual snowfall. There are no weather gathering stations on or close by the river. However, the Bethel station (30 miles distance) and the NYAC station (30 miles distance) are in the same climatic zone. At Bethel: summer temp. and 86°F,·and precipitation is 16" including 50" snow. At NYAC: summer .. temp. -49°F and 87.~F, and precipitation is 23" including 71" snow. Due to its I\Orthern latitudes, much of Alaska has extreme periods· of light and darkness. From about June 10 to July 4 there is continuous sunlight in the river area; from about May l to August 15 the area experiences 18 hours. of daylight each day. · In contrast, from December 4 to January 15 the river area experiences only 8 hours of daylight each day. Breakupof lake and river ice occurs in early J:une, with freezeup occurring in mid-September. Land Use The only known ex~sting land uses in the river are_.· subsistence use Jl fishing for certain, probably some hunting for large game, and probably some trapping. Connected with this use are Native (land) allotment applications filed under the 1906 Native Allotment Act. Nineteen applications -I lie within the area proposed for wild river. An additional seventeen I~ applications lie near the river but are within village selection lands. There are no known active mining, farming, timper harvesting, commercial big. game. guiding,.