The US Forest Service is conducting a statewide suitability study to determine which of the outstanding rivers in Utah’s National Forests should be protected as Wild and Scenic Rivers.  The Forest Service released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the suitability study on November 29, 2007.  In this Draft, the Forest Service is recommending that 24 of the 86 rivers that have been identified as eligible for designation should be formally recommended for Wild and Scenic designation.  

 

About half of the 24 rivers the Forest Service recommended are among Utah’s most beloved rivers.  Despite having a huge amount of public support the Forest Service’s recommendation fails to include another handful of Utah’s classics.  The rivers that were left out include the Logan River and all its tributaries, Fish and Gooseberry Creek, the headwaters of the Bear River, Dark Canyon, and the Provo River.

 

Take Action by February 15^th!

 

We recommend that paddlers submit comments on this issue that:

 

1. Support the USFS for declaring the 24 rivers as suitable for Wild and Scenic designation.

2. Recommend that additional eligible river segments be declared suitable.

3. Share stories and personal experiences with any of the rivers being considered.  Agencies are not always aware of recreational, ecological, scenic, historical, or geological values of certain stream reaches.  Telling the agencies about the reasons you value specific rivers will help them define and protect those values as "Outstanding Remarkable Values" under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

4. Recommend the Logan River for designation as well as the others already recommended. 

 

To submit comments:

 

By mail:                                                                      

Utah NF Wild and ScenicRiver DEIS
PO Box 162969                                                                     
Sacramento, CA 95816-2969                                    

or electronically via email:                                                   

utahnfwsdeis@fscomments.org

 

For more information check out the table below of the rivers the USFS has recommended as suitable for Wild and Scenic Designation. You may also wish to visit the Utah Rivers Council website at http://www.utahrivers.org/, or the USFS page regarding this process at: www.fs.fed.us/r4/rivers/comment.shtml , which contains the DEIS.

 

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Rivers Proposed as Suitable for Wild and Scenic Designation
River Segment	Miles	Classification
Ashley National Forest
Black Canyon	10	Wild
Green River	13	Scenic
Lower Main Sheep Creek	4	Recreational
Middle Main Sheep Creek	5	Recreational
Reader Creek	6	Scenic
Upper Uinta River, including Gilbert Creek, Center Fork, and Painter Draw	40	Wild
Dixie National Forest
Death Hollow Creek	10	Wild
Mamie Creek	2	Wild
Moody Wash	5	Wild
North Fork Virgin River	1	Scenic
Pine Creek	8	Wild
Fishlake National Forest
Fish Creek	15	Wild and Recreational
Steep Creek	4	Wild
The Gulch	2	Recreational
Manti – La Sal National Forest
Hammond Canyon	10	Scenic
Roc Creek	9	Wild
Uinta National Forest
Fifth Water Creek	8	Scenic
Little Provo Deer Creek	3	Recreational
Wasatch – Cache National Forest
East Fork Smith’s Fork	8	Wild
Henry’s Fork	8	Wild
Middle Fork Beaver Creek	11	Wild and Scenic
West Fork Beaver Creek	10	Wild and Scenic
West Fork Blacks Fork	12	Wild and Scenic
Willard Creek	4	Scenic
TOTAL	212