Resource Name (Heading 1) - USDA Forest Service - US ...

Summary of Public Comments - Managing Recreation Uses in the
Upper Segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River Corridor EA
I find your proposed alternative 12 entirely too restricting to paddling. Mother nature restricts us enough,
by water level. (Ltr# 184, Cmt# 3)
Subconcern # A
Option 12 still has way too many restrictions on boating. Why can’t boating and fishing be treated equally?
I still fail to understand why there are perceived boating and fishing conflicts on the Chattooga when it’s
not an issue on every other stream I have ever paddled and/or fished on. There is less environmental
impact from boating than fishing - no gear left behind (fishing line), no footprints. Few of the masses even
have the skills to paddle the class 4/5 whitewater of the headwaters so there would be no crowds to speak
of. (Ltr# 190, Cmt# 1)
Subconcern # A
#333- The problem I have with the preferred alternative offered by the Forest Service for managing visitor
use in the upper Chattooga is that it fails in regard to the aforementioned principle of fairness, and the
standard for protection and enhancement of the outstandingly remarkable values of the upper Chattooga
River. (Ltr# 193, Cmt# 323)
Subconcern # A Q
#342- The compartmentalized analysis that ranges from involvement by the Washington Office of the
Forest Service, the Regional Office, three National Forest Supervisor Offices, three District Offices and a
host of consultants have resulted in a lack of focus and consequently, has led to a preferred alternative that
is both unfair to all users, and which fails to protect the Outstandingly Remarkable Values of the Upper
Chattooga River. (Ltr# 193, Cmt# 332)
Subconcern # A T
#350- You preferred alternative is nothing more than a de facto ban and the "predictable mean daily flow"
idea is absurd. Do you really think you have the ability to predict the flow in the river? This flawed
measure is nothing more than a way for you to ensure that boating never occurs. (Ltr# 193, Cmt# 340)
Subconcern # B C
Forest planners led by the Sumter National Forest propose to open 16.5 miles of the narrow, twisting
headwaters reaches of the Chattooga River from Green Creek to Lick Log Creek between Dec. 1 and
March 1, at all flow levels rather than 7 miles of Upper Chattooga previously contemplated for boating by
the Agency. I believe that opening these parts of the river is unwise. The extended stretch includes the
sensitive Chattooga Cliffs, the entire Ellicott Rock Wilderness and the equally wild Rock Gorge section of
the river. These parts of the river include a variety of sensitive and endangered plant and lichen species.
Currently a wild, spiritual haven, the Upper Chattooga is Georgia's only stretch of river designated as wild
and scenic and closed to boating. Keep one piece of river natural! ...Please reject the boating lobby’s
insistence on unrestricted access and the Forest Service’s partial opening of the river. (Ltr# 18, Cmt# 1)
Subconcern # D
I tried to sell myself on the “preferred” Alternative #12, and just can’t do it. The upper section of river is
too narrow to support two conflicting hobbies, as are many other areas within the Delayed Harvest Section
down to Hwy 28 (Ltr# 24, Cmt# 2)
Subconcern # E
I testified at your public hearing on this issue several years ago as to how a moving disturbance such as
kayakers has a much greater impact on lentic and lotic habitats than does a point source disturbance such
as swimmers or fishermen. I felt (and still feel) that the existing kayak usage is ALREADY a compromise
from the perspective of wildlife, and I was disappointed when in your original decision you allowed
kayaking to start at the iron bridge on Bull Pen Road. I did not complain then, but I must say that this
newest alternative demands my condemnation. It is nebulous in its definition of where boating can start,
and greatly expands the impact of a very select group of constituents (kayakers) at the detriment of the
natural environment. Revisit and reselect your earlier compromise. (Ltr# 29, Cmt# 1)
Subconcern # E
Please cancel and reconsider Alternative 12 of the forest plan for the upper segment of the Chattahoochee
Wild and Scenic River. Whitewater boaters of all kinds degrade fish habitat as well as banks of rivers, and
do not maintain existing opportunities for solitude. (Ltr# 43, Cmt# 1)
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