Future Management of the Chattooga North Fork

The Forest Service has selected Alternative 4

    After considering public comments, preparing responses to those comments and reviewing the final analysis, the Forest Service has selected Alternative 4. Boating will be allowed during December, January and February when the flow at Burrell’s Ford is above 450cfs (2.5 feet).  No boating will be permitted between Burrell’s Ford and Highway 28 Bridge or in the North Fork tributaries. 

    Boating, using single/tandem hard boats, or canoes, and inflatable kayaks, will be allowed (no rafts, no commercial guiding and no commercial shuttles).  The Forest Service plans to announce the available boating days in advance.  The Forest Service set limits on boating group size to no more than six and no fewer than two people.

    “The final decision still provides additional boating opportunities on the main stem Chattooga River above the Highway 28 bridge while continuing to emphasize, protect and enhance optimal, year-round, high-quality trout fishing,” said Monica Schwalbach, acting forest supervisor for the Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests. “This decision minimizes user conflicts and also takes steps to reduce resource damage from existing and future recreation uses.”

     Backcountry angler group size above Highway 28 Bridge (including the Delayed Harvest section) will be set at a maximum of four and the trail-user group size maximum will be 12.   Backcountry camping group size is six or fewer in designated sites only.  Backcountry is defined as more than ¼ mile from the bridges.

    Some other minor modifications have been made to Alternative 4 since July 2008: boating is now permitted from the confluence of Norton Mill Creek (instead of County Line Trail) in NC south to Burrell’s Ford Bridge in SC; no limits on number of boater groups per day; language regarding large woody debris removal has been changed to “Removal of large wood debris to accommodate recreation in the upper reaches is prohibited”; and language closing parking within ¼ mile of Burrell’s Ford Bridge has been removed from the alternative.

    To read the News Release, Click http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/press/20090826-chattooga-rvr-dn.pdf

    A public implementation workshop will be held in the fall. Specifics regarding that meeting (location, date, time, etc.) will be released at a later date. Boating above Highway 28 may begin December 1, 2009.

    To read the Decision Notice, click http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/sumter/resources/documents/conf_dn_amendment.pdf and go to page 5 for the details of the Selected Alternative. 

    All other documents are available, click http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/sumter/resources/Chattooga.php .

Editor’s Notes: I believe the Forest Service (FS) designed and conducted a professional, comprehensive, and fair User Capacity Analysis. The FS attempted to involve all affected and interested parties in the analysis process through outreach using the media, the FS website and public meetings.  I believe it was very important for all the stakeholders, not just the organized boaters and anglers, to have opportunities to express their opinions, desired condition needs, and vision for the future of the Chattooga North Fork.

    I would rather the preferred alternative had been Alternative #3 (zoned completely boat-free with high-quality trout fishing), but I can accept Alternative #4. 

    I believe that the FS‘s preferred alternative is a compromise that is fair to all stakeholders.  It is obvious that not all recreation activities are compatible.  Stewardship encompasses far more than picking up litter; it includes the protection of the aesthetic values of natural resources such as remoteness and wildness, the proper regard for the rights of others to solitude, and the responsibility of preserving these values intact for future generations. I believe the zoning stipulations in Alternative #4, if properly enforced, will provide good protection for the Chattooga North Fork backcountry’s Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORV) of solitude and remoteness for present and future generations.

    Doug Adams – Newsletter Editor, Rabun Chapter of Trout Unlimited

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