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
P) The Chattooga River is a marginal cold water fishery made possible by
stocking (all comments from 2009 EA comment period);
Q) The 2009 EA assesses fly and bait fishing, yet spin casing represents the
majority of anglers (all comments from 2009 EA comment period);
R) Best available science does not support statements in the 2009 EA
regarding optimal flows dictating angling and correlating to fewer anglers
and/or a reduction in overall angler quality (all comments from 2009 EA
comment period);
S) Reports by Shelby and Vaske 1991, Backlund 2002, Bixler and Backlund
2002, Hammitt, Backlund and Bixler 2004 and Hammitt, Backlund and Bixler
2006 should be considered for the availability of resource substitutes for
recreationalists when considering future management on the upper
segment of the Chattooga WSR (all comments from 2009 EA comment
period); and
T) Bait is not permitted above the Bull Pen Bridge (all comments from 2009 EA
comment period).
Response to PC 16
A) In the report Capacity & Conflict on the Upper Chattooga River (Whittaker and Shelby 2007)
Litter on Trails begins on page 45. From this section, some findings include:
Monitoring was rarely able to determine which types of users were
responsible for trash at a site, and this has not been analyzed….Few
studies have documented a relationship between use levels and litter.
Instead, litter appears to be caused by a small proportion of users and
correlated with environmental cues (such as the presence of other litter,
general condition of the setting) and the strength of norms within
recreating groups” (Cialdini et al., 1991; Schwartz, 1973; Heberlein,
1971).
B) Angling above Bull Pen Bridge was considered in the expert panel report (Berger Group 2007)
and the use estimation workshop report (Berger Group and Confluence Research & Consulting
2007), all of which fed into the Capacity & Conflict on the Upper Chattooga River (Whittaker
and Shelby 2007) and informed the analysis in the Environmental Assessment, Managing
Recreation Uses in the Upper Segment of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River. The report
Capacity & Conflict on the Upper Chattooga River (Whittaker and Shelby 2007) discusses
backcountry angling on pages 19-22.
C) The highest use time of year for backcountry angling is from March through October. See
page 29 of the Capacity & Conflict on the Upper Chattooga River (Whittaker and Shelby 2007)
and the Chattooga River Use Estimation Workshop Summary (Berger and CRC, 2007). Angling
above Bull Pen Bridge was considered in the expert panel report (Berger Group 2007) and the use
estimation workshop report (Berger Group and Confluence Research & Consulting 2007), all of
which fed into the Capacity & Conflict on the Upper Chattooga River (Whittaker and Shelby
2007) and informed the analysis in the EA. The report Capacity & Conflict on the Upper
Chattooga River (Whittaker and Shelby 2007) discusses backcountry angling on pages 19-22.
D) See item C above. During the “limits of acceptable” change, the delayed harvest area was
identified as the most highly used fishing section of the Chattooga WSR. Physical characteristics
of the river and proximity to access points and trails create a popular fishing area in the delayed
harvest area.
E) Angling was considered in the expert panel report (Berger Group 2007) and the Use
Estimation Workshop report (Berger Group and Confluence Research & Consulting 2007), all of
57