Now is a critical time for the future management of the Chattoogaas the USFS works to revise the Sumter Forest Plan. This is our best chance toinfluence the management of the entire Chattooga River for the next 10 -15 years.All of the letter writing regarding the Chattooga River over the past 6 years has gotten us to this point. Now is crunch time as we enter the final stretch.
Our Goal by July 3, 2003
We want to mobilize significant public support supporting AW’s comments and position regarding the proposed forestplan. Click herefor an early outline and information on how to submit your official commentsregarding the proposed plan. We continue to analyze the DEIS and proposed planand will update our website on a regular basis so keep coming back and visitingto stay informed.
We want the USFS to modify the preferred alternative in theFinal EIS to include boating above Highway 28 and other key issues as wedetermined in our analysis.
Overview ofthe Current Situation
Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMP) govern the use andmanagement of National Forest lands. Each National Forest has its own plan. TheChattooga Riveris in Sumter National Forest. Specifically the river is located in theAndrew Pickens District of the Sumter NFand this district is responsible for management of recreational boating on the Chattooga River. Thus, use of the Chattooga River is governed by the LRMP for Sumter NF.
The current LRMP for Sumter NFwas published in 1985 and this plan has been amended 14 times. The latestrevision, Amendment 14, dealt entirely with management of recreational boatingon the Chattooga River.Many boaters will remember AW’s involvement working with the USFS to shape thefinal form of Amendment 14 during the past two years or so. Many of you probably wrote letters to theAgency regarding Amendment 14. For those who did, thank you, your involvementmade a difference.
The USFS published a ProposedRevised LRMP in early March 2003. This proposed revised plan willreplace the current 1985 LRMP in it’s entirety including all amendments. TheLRMP is meant to last about 10 years between revisions, making the 1985 LRMPrevision long overdue.
The USFS concurrently published a DraftEnvironmental Impact (DEIS) document along with the proposed LRMP. The DEISis a study that establishes the environmental impacts of the preferredalternative and also evaluates several alternative management prescriptions forthe forest and their associated environmental and social impacts. The“preferred alternative” is the proposed LRMP. This is represented asAlternative I in the DEIS.
There is a 90 day official comment period once the DEIS ispublished in the Federal Register. The official comment period ends July 3, 2003 (commentsmust be postmarked by this date). During the comment period the Agency solicitspublic input in the proposed plan and the alternatives vetted in the DEIS.
The agency may then choose to modify (or not) the proposedplan based on public comment. The USFS then publishes a final EIS along with adecision memo adopting the modified (or not modified as the case may be)preferred alternative in the final EIS document. This then becomes the newforest plan. The Final EIS and decision memo are due out at the end of 2003 orearly 2004.
The preferred alternative will most probably change from theDEIS to the Final EIS based on public comment and input placed on the recordduring the comment period. This is not to say that the preferred alternativewill simply switch to one of the other alternatives evaluated in the DEIS butrather the preferred alternative will be recast based on public comment.
Issues in the Plan that Involve the Chattooga
The Proposed LRMP does not open the Chattooga headwaters towhitewater boating. One of our primary goals is legal headwaters boating access on a yearround basis. AppendixH of the DEIS provides the analysis of boating above Highway 28 and dealsspecifically with this issue. Alternatives A and E do include boating in theheadwaters to varying degrees.
Pages 4-6 through 4-14 of the proposedrevised plan deal with the management of the Chattooga River belowHighway 28.
These pages in the DEIS along with Appendix H mentionedabove would be good reading for the boater interested in learning how theChattooga River will be managed under the new plan.
There are several aspects of the proposed managementprescription for the Chattooga Riverthat AW will want to influence in different directions. Many of these issueswere originally addressed in our comments regarding Amendment 14 of the 1985Sumter LRMP.
And finally, there are many general forest management issueswe are looking closely at to make sure that the Chattooga watershed is managedin the best way possible. This analysis will take a bit longer.
Other important links to learn more:
AWofficial comments regarding Amendment 14 – This is a good discussion of thedecisions made in August 2002.
Opening ChattoogaHeadwaters to be considered By USFS! – this linkincludes minutes toour August 23, 2002 meeting with the USFS and provide agood summary of the history of the management of the Headwaters.
AW webpage withlots of Chattooga Links and other information
Click hereto read a newspaper article about the Chattooga aspects of the proposed forestplan published Feb 27 by the Anderson Independent Mail
Click hereto read a newspaper article about the Chattooga aspects of the proposed forestplan published March 13 by the Anderson Independent Mail
AW’s core Chattooga Advocacy team includes:
Don Kinser
Charlene Coleman
Kevin Colburn
If you have any questions, want to discuss the issue or justshare your thoughts just drop us an email and let us know. Stay tuned here atthe AW’s website for current information.
