Medfor

d District Offi ce July 2004 

Public Lands USA: Use, Share, Appreciate 

ROGUE NATIONAL WILD and 

SCENIC RIVER: 

Hellgate Recreation Area 

RECREATION

AREA

MANAGEMENT ANAGEMENT

PLAN
As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our na tion ally owned public lands 

and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water re sources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the 

environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. 

The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interest of all our people. 

The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under 

U.S. administration. 

BLM/OR/WA/PL-04/031+1792 
Hellgate Recreation Area

Rogue National

Wild and Scenic River

Recreation Area

Management Plan

July 2004

July 16, 2004 

Table of Contents

Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan ...............................................................................................1

Management Guidance and Direction from the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, Oregon: 

Management Guidance and Direction from the Prohibited Acts in Rogue National Wild and Scenic 

Management Guidance and Direction from the BLM Medford District Record of Decision and 

The Planning Area ........................................................................................................................................1

Management Direction.................................................................................................................................2

Management Guidance and Direction as Analyzed in the FEIS ..................................................................2

Management Goals ..................................................................................................................................2

Management Direction.............................................................................................................................2

All Watercraft Use ...............................................................................................................................2

Non-Motorized Floating ......................................................................................................................3

Non-Motorized Boat Angling ..............................................................................................................3

Private Motorized Boating...................................................................................................................3

Commercial Motorized Angling ..........................................................................................................3

Commercial Motorized Tour Boating ..................................................................................................3

Special Boating Events ........................................................................................................................5

Boater Fees and Permits and User Fees...............................................................................................5

Day-Use Only Areas ............................................................................................................................5

Watchable Wildlife Areas .....................................................................................................................6

Camping...............................................................................................................................................6

Public Access .......................................................................................................................................6

Visitor Services ....................................................................................................................................7

Notice of Revised Development and Management Plan of 1972 ............................................................7

Management Objectives.......................................................................................................................7

Management Direction.........................................................................................................................7

River Area of 1992 (Federal Register Vo. 57, No. 110, 24271-24274) .................................................13

Boating...............................................................................................................................................13

Boat Launching..................................................................................................................................14

Operation of Motorized Boats ...........................................................................................................14

Camping.............................................................................................................................................14

Building, Maintaining, Attending, or Using a Fire ............................................................................14

Improper Disposal of Trash or Human Waste ....................................................................................14

Disorderly Conduct............................................................................................................................15

Other Acts – USDI 1992 ....................................................................................................................15

Resource Management Plan of 1995 .....................................................................................................16

Objective ............................................................................................................................................16

Visual Resource Management ............................................................................................................16

Monitoring Absolutes ................................................................................................................................17

Botany....................................................................................................................................................17

Fisheries .................................................................................................................................................18

Landowners’ Perceptions .......................................................................................................................19

Riparian Areas, Wetlands, and Flood Plains ..........................................................................................19

Soils .......................................................................................................................................................20

Transportation ........................................................................................................................................21
User Perceptions ....................................................................................................................................21

Visitor Use .............................................................................................................................................22

Visual Resources ....................................................................................................................................23

Water Quality .........................................................................................................................................23

Wildlife - Bald Eagles ............................................................................................................................24

Wildlife - Great Blue Herons .................................................................................................................24

Wildlife - Osprey ...................................................................................................................................25

Wildlife - Western Pond Turtles .............................................................................................................25

Glossary .....................................................................................................................................................29

Acronyms...................................................................................................................................................45

Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................................47

Appendix A. Figure and Maps..................................................................................................................49

Appendix B. Legislation, BLM Policies, Plans, and Agency Programs ...................................................61

Legislated Requirements and Management Direction...........................................................................61

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act .....................................................................................................61

1972 Comprehensive River Management Plan......................................................................................63

1995 Medford District Resource Management Plan..............................................................................63

Northwest Forest Plan............................................................................................................................64

Noxious Weed Control and Management ..............................................................................................64

Agency Programs...................................................................................................................................64

Josephine County...............................................................................................................................64

Oregon State Parks.............................................................................................................................64

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ...........................................................................................65

Oregon Department of Forestry.........................................................................................................65

Oregon State Marine Board ...............................................................................................................65

Oregon State Historic Preservation Office.........................................................................................65

Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development ..........................................................66

Oregon Division of State Lands.........................................................................................................66

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality..................................................................................66

United States Army Corps of Engineers ............................................................................................66

United States Coast Guard.................................................................................................................66

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ..........................................................................66

United States Fish and Wildlife Service ............................................................................................67

Endangered Species Act .....................................................................................................................67

Management Constraints on Private Lands .......................................................................................67

Index ..........................................................................................................................................................69
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan 

The Planning Area 

The Hellgate Recreation Area, also referred to as the planning area, is located within 

Josephine County, Oregon and covers approximately 8,000 acres in southwestern Oregon 

(see Map 1-1 in Appendix A). Approximately 70 percent (5,500 acres) is managed by the 

BLM Medford District Office Grants Pass Resource Area. 

The Hellgate Recreation Area, the first 27 miles of the Rogue National Wild and 

Scenic River, is classified as a recreational river area (see Figure 1-1 in Appendix A). A 

recreational river is defined by Congress as a river that is readily accessible by road or 

railroad, may have some development on its shoreline, and may have been impounded 

or diverted in the past. Management of this recreational river area will give primary 

emphasis to protecting the values that make it outstandingly remarkable, while 

providing a diversity of river-related recreational opportunities in a developed setting. 

This plan divides the Hellgate Recreation Area into two reaches: the Applegate Reach 

and the Dunn Reach (see Map 1-1 in Appendix A). The Applegate Reach begins at the 

confluence of the Applegate River and ends at Hog Creek. This reach is used primarily 

by motorized tour boaters and boat and bank anglers. In the Applegate Reach (12.8 

miles), the river has a gradient of approximately 7 feet per mile and the channel 

averages approximately 400 feet wide. It is essentially flat to rolling terrain with the river 

meandering through an alluvial plane. At the riverbank, there are scattered groves of 

cottonwood trees, willow and alder trees. Riparian vegetation is lush green along the 

riverbanks and streams feeding into the Rogue, creating a soft visual texture of deciduous 

trees and smooth, flat water. The surrounded landscape consists primarily of eventextured, tan and green agricultural fields on the floodplain, with a backdrop of mixed 

conifer forests on rolling hills, creating partial enclosure of the view. 

Further downriver, approaching the Dunn Reach, the terrain becomes steeper and more 

angular. Cottonwoods and alders transition into darker green conifer forests, creating 

a medium to coarse texture of vegetation and more turbulent waterforms, with river 

cobbles and boulders becoming more common. 

The Dunn Reach begins at Hog Creek and ends at Grave Creek. The Dunn Reach is 

primarily used for white water rafting, though a small amount of power boat use occurs 

there. In the Dunn Reach (14.5 miles), the river has a gradient of approximately 10 

feet per mile and averages approximately 200 feet in width, creating more white-water 

rapids. The Rogue flows through a dramatic rockform area called Hellgate Canyon, with 

near vertical, dark gray basalt bluffs almost completely devoid of vegetation. The river 

is constrained by bedrock and steep mountainsides, creating drastic vertical relief and 

complete enclosure of the view. 

Below Hellgate Canyon, the landscape opens up to long vistas of forested mountains 

with steep, rugged slopes in the middleground and background. The vegetative character 

augments the terrain to provide a vertical edge at the river, which changes from a pattern 

with soft, even lines in hardwood forests, to a pattern that is vertical, angular, and in 

some areas rugged, in the conifer forests. The characteristic of occasional intrusions of 

serpentine rocks and soils and the lush forested landscape create a diverse, coarse and 

dense texture. Waterforms are a series of flat-water pools punctuated by whitewater 

rapids, with numerous large gray boulders protruding from the river and lining the 

banks. 

1 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Management Direction 

This plan outlines management goals, objectives, and direction, which create a 

framework for future planning and decision making. The Hellgate Recreation Area 

Management Plan contains the decision selected from Alternative E, as analyzed in the 

Final EIS, with minor decision changes resulting from public comments on the FEIS, as 

well as, guidance and direction from the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, Oregon: 

Notice of Revised Development and Management Plan of 1972, the Prohibited Acts in Rogue 

National Wild and Scenic River Area of 1992 (Federal Register Vo. 57, No. 110, 24271-24274), 

and the BLM Medford District Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan of 1995. 

The degree to which these specific management decisions are carried out depends upon 

priorities, available personnel, funding levels, and completion of further environmental 

analysis and decision making, as appropriate. 

Management Guidance and Direction 

Management Goals 

Emphasize the protection and enhancement of the outstandingly remarkable values, 

while providing quality river-related outdoor recreation opportunities. 

Provide for diversified recreational opportunities while minimizing confl ict between 

the desires of recreational user groups and their potential effects on other ecological 

components within or adjacent to the HRA. 

Emphasize in the Applegate Reach a quality recreation experience for motorized boaters, 

float anglers, and bank anglers in a setting with higher densities of development on the 

shorelines due primarily to the amount of private land ownership. 

Emphasize in the Dunn Reach a quality recreation experience for motorized fl oaters in 

a setting with lower densities of development on the shorelines due primarily to the 

amount of public land ownership. 

Emphasize scenic easement objectives to protect scenic qualities. 

Minimize impacts on state or federally listed threatened or endangered flora and fauna, 

cultural resources, Native American religious sites, or historical sites. 

Cooperate with other landowners and regulatory agencies within the HRA. 

Management Direction 

All Watercraft Use 

There are eight (8) angling enhancement zones designated. These areas are: Applegate 

Riffle, Whitehorse Riffle, Finley Bend, Brushy Chutes, Ferry Hole, Hellgate Canyon, 

Taylor Creek Gorge, and Morrison’s Lodge Hole. See Map 3-1 in Appendix A. 

There are fourteen (14) fall Chinook spawning areas designated. These areas are: 

Applegate Riffle, Whitehorse Riffl e, Matson Riffle, Panther Chutes, Wharton Riffle, 

Brushy Chutes, Lower Banfield Chute, Robertson’s Riffle, High Banks Riffl e, Pickett 

Riffle, Peach Orchard Riffle, Weatherby Riffle, Two-Bit Riffle, and Jumpoff Joe Riffle. See 

Map 3-2 in Appendix A. 

2 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

There is one (1) three-mile sound sensitive area designated from Flanagan Slough to Dory 

Eddy. No Thrill Power Maneuvers will be allowed between Flanagan Slough and Dory 

Eddy. See Map 3-3 in Appendix A. 

Non-Motorized Floating 

The season of use is year-round in both reaches. 

Use levels would be restricted in the future, if monitoring indicates safety concerns, 

increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects to visitor use satisfaction. Once use limits are 

reached, an amendment to this plan would occur. 

Non-Motorized Boat Angling 

The season of use is year-round in both reaches. 

Use levels would be restricted, if use limits are reached. Once use limits are reached, an 

amendment to this plan would occur. Angling is regulated by Oregon Department of 

Fish and Wildlife. 

Private Motorized Boating 

There are no limits on use levels. Use levels would be restricted in the future, if 

monitoring indicates safety concerns, increase in user conflicts, or visitor use satisfaction 

declines. Once use limits are reached, an amendment to this plan would occur. 

The season of use is year-round in the Applegate and Dunn reaches. The season of use 

would be restricted in the future, if monitoring indicates safety concerns, increase in user 

conflicts, or visitor use satisfaction declines. 

Commercial Motorized Angling 

The season of use in the Applegate Reach is December 1 - September 30, providing 

monitoring indicates that fall Chinook spawning is not occurring earlier. 

The season of use in the Dunn Reach is September 1 - May 31, providing monitoring 

indicates that fall Chinook spawning is not occurring earlier. 

The number of commercial motorized angling permits is three (3) permits. No additional 

permits will be allocated. 

Each permittee is allowed to use one boat with two trips per day. No additional trips per 

day will be allocated. 

Up to six (6) passengers are allowed per boat for commercially-operated power boats. 

This limit is set by Oregon State Marine Board. 

Commercial Motorized Tour Boating 

The season of use is May 1 - September 30, providing monitoring indicates that fall 

Chinook spawning is not occurring earlier. If monitoring indicates fall Chinook are 

spawning earlier, the Administrative Official would notify the permittee with three days 

advance notice prior to shutdown. The concern is the effect on spawning and pairing 

behavior and on juvenile fish (BLM Manual 6840-Special Status Species Policy). 

The number of permits is limited to two (2). Any proposal by the current permit holder to 

alter the permits or allocation would require additional NEPA analysis. Permit transfers 

3 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

would follow the procedures as outlined in the Commercial Operating Plan for the 

Hellgate Recreation Section. 

The permitted use level in the Applegate Reach is nineteen (19) trips per day. Additional 

limits on trips per day or other operating parameters may be required if monitoring 

indicates safety concerns, increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects on visitor use 

satisfaction or fi sh populations. 

The permitted use level in the Dunn Reach is eight (8) trips per day, and further restricted 

to four (4) trips per day on weekends and holidays in July and August. The motorized 

tour boats would be required to be out of the Dunn Reach by 1:15 p.m. on weekends 

and holidays in July and August. Additional limits on trips per day or other operating 

parameters may be required if monitoring indicates safety concerns, increase in user 

conflicts, or adverse effects on visitor use satisfaction or fi sh populations. 

The separation time must be less than two (2) minutes between boats in a group. The 

maximum of 19 trips per day must be organized into six (6) or fewer groups per day. 

The separation time is to reduce conflicts (encounters) with other users by compressing 

encounter time. 

The size of one motorized tour boat is up to 43’x14’, and all other motorized tour boats 

are up to 36’x12’6”. 

Boat sequence signing (notice of display) is required for all motorized tour boats in a 

group to alert other river users to the number of boats expected to be in a group. 

Off-plane procedures are required in the Hellgate Canyon. (Also see No-Wake Zones 

below.) 

A daily schedule is required; changes are only authorized by the Administrative Official. 

The daily use window is May through August from 9:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. and in 

September from 9:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. 

The use of two-way radio communications is required. The BLM and the motorized tour 

boat operators have mutual use of the motorized tour boat radio channel. 

Safety sites of concern will be re-designated annually by the permittee and will be 

identified in the operating plan. Land or lead boat spotters could be required. 

One (1) no-wake zone is designated at Bybee Hole. No-wake zones are also designated 

at boat ramps, near people working at water level, and at Josephine County designated 

swim areas. (Also see Off-Plane Procedures above.) 

Thrill power maneuver areas will be identified on an annual basis, as appropriate. The 

areas are designed to minimize erosion, noise, and interference with anglers. Areas 

would be modified, if necessary, throughout the season. Maneuvers would not be 

allowed between Flanagan Slough and Dory Eddy. 

The four (4) current erosion sensitive areas are: Wharton/Flanagan, Bybee Hole, Little 

Pickett, and Jumpoff Joe Creek. Management actions include monitoring and assessment 

to initiate mitigation measures as needed. See Map 2-1 in Appendix A. 

4 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Special Boating Events 

The existing events are: Memorial Day Boatnik (which includes the Marathon Jetboat 

Race) and Labor Day. New events would be considered on a case-by-case basis, pending 

NEPA analysis. Each permit will be issued for fi ve years. 

The season of use is year-round, providing monitoring indicates no fall Chinook 

spawning is occurring. Management has the option to stop possible adverse activities 

when fall Chinook salmon are spawning. The concern is the effect on spawning and 

pairing behavior and on juvenile fish (BLM Manual 6840-Special Status Species Policy). 

The times of use are two hours per day for current permitted events. River closures for 

new events, if necessary, would be limited to two hours per day. River closure is due to 

safety concerns by Josephine County Marine Deputies and to allow other users access to 

the river. New events may or may not require river closures. 

The permissible areas are the Applegate and Dunn reaches. 

Boater Fees and Permits and User Fees 

Special Recreation Permit (SRP) fees and permits are required for commercial use 

as provided by regulation. The number of permits may be limited in the future, if 

monitoring indicates safety concerns, increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects to 

visitor satisfaction. 

While fees and permits are not required for private users, an individual or combination 

of management actions (e.g., permit requirements, user fees, access control/fees) would 

be implemented when monitoring indicates that the protection and enhancement of the 

outstandingly remarkable values are being jeopardized and if there are safety concerns, 

increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects to visitor use satisfaction. 

Fees and permits may be required for private use in the future, if monitoring indicates 

there are safety concerns, increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects to visitor use 

satisfaction. 

Fees may be required for all watercraft users and for vehicle access, if monitoring 

indicates safety concerns, increase in user conflicts, or adverse effects to visitor use 

satisfaction. 

Day-Use Only Areas 

In the Applegate Reach, all BLM-administered lands from the confluence of the 

Applegate River to Hog Creek are open to day-use only. See Map 2-2 in Appendix A. 

The six (6) primitive day-use only areas are: Hussey Lane, Flanagan Slough, Brushy 

Chutes Island (see Map 2-2 in Appendix A), Hellgate Bridge Area, Bud Lewis, and Bailey 

Creek. See Map 2-3 in Appendix A. 

There are six (6) developed day-use only areas designated. They are: Applegate Landing 

and Griffin Lane Complex (see Map 2-2 in Appendix A), Hellgate Canyon Viewpoint, 

Hellgate Bridge Viewpoint, Hellgate Recreation Site, and Rand Historic Site (see Map 2-3 

in Appendix A). 

There is one (1) back country byway previously designated: the Galice-Hellgate National 

Back Country Byway. 

5 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Watchable Wildlife Areas 

The three (3) existing watchable wildlife areas are: Whitehorse Park, Hog Creek Landing, 

and Hellgate Canyon Viewpoint. 

Camping 

The river corridor is closed to camping in the Applegate Reach from the confluence of the 

Applegate River to Hog Creek on BLM-administered lands. See Map 2-2 in Appendix A. 

The corridor area open to camping in the Dunn Reach is on BLM-administrated lands 

from Hog Creek to Grave Creek, except as noted under day-use only. See Map 2-3 in 

Appendix A. 

The five (5) new primitive camp areas are: North Zigzag Creek, Zigzag Creek, Dunn, 

Lower Dunn, and Hellgate Beach. See Map 2-3 in Appendix A. 

The fifteen (15) developed camp areas are: Whitehorse County Park and Griffi n County 

Park (see Map 2-2 in Appendix A), Lower Hellgate, Indian Mary County Park, Indian 

Mary County Park Extension, Paint Creek (float-in), Stratton Creek (fl oat-in), Upper 

Ennis (float-in), Ennis County Park, Rocky Bar, Robert Dean (fl oat-in), Chair, Rand, 

Almeda County Park, and Argo ( see Map 2-3 in Appendix A). 

Human waste pack out is required for all users. 

Campfire requirements must meet State regulations. Fire pans are required. 

The length of stay for camping is a maximum of fourteen (14) days per site, unless 

otherwise posted. 

Camping group size limit is thirty (30) people per campsite. 

Public Access 

The five (5) existing trails that will be improved and/or expanded are: Whitehorse 

Nature Trail (see Map 2-4 in Appendix A), Buckhorn Mountain, Hellgate, Umpqua Joe, 

and Robert Dean (Hellgate Bridge to Ash Gulch, Centennial Gulch to Argo) (see Map 2-5 

in Appendix A). 

The two (2) new trails that will be developed are: Robert Dean (Ash Gulch to 

Centennial, Argo to Grave Creek) and Rainbow. See Map 2-5 in Appendix A. 

No off-highway vehicle trails will be developed. Public use of the trail system within the 

Hellgate Recreation Area, existing and proposed, will be restricted to hikers only (USDI 

1972). 

The ten (10) boat ramps that will be maintained and/or improved are: Whitehorse 

County Park, Ferry Hole County Park, Griffin County Park, Robertson Bridge County 

Park (see Map 2-2 in Appendix A), Hog Creek, Indian Mary County Park, Ennis Riffle 

County Park, Galice County Park, Almeda County Park, and Grave Creek (see Map 2-3 

in Appendix A). 

The two (2) undeveloped boat access sites that will be improved are: Rand and Argo. 

See Map 2-3 in Appendix A. 

No new boat ramps will be developed. 

6 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

The two (2) existing fishing access sites that will be maintained are: Rainbow and 

Carpenters Island (see Map 2-3 in Appendix A). 

A Universally Accessible fishing access site will be considered. 

Five (5) designated vehicle access areas on gravel bars will be maintained. They are: 

Griffin Lane Complex, Rocky Bar, Chair, Rand, and Argo. Vehicles are prohibited off 

existing roads within the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River corridor, except for 

parking at designated gravel bars (Federal Register Vol. 57, No. 110, 1992, 24271-24272). 

Visitor Services 

The Smullin Visitor Center at Rand will be expanded to improve customer and 

administrative services. 

Management Guidance and Direction from the Rogue 

National Wild and Scenic River, Oregon: Notice of 

Revised Development and Management Plan of 1972 

Management Objectives 

Special efforts will be made to: (1) maintain or improve the quality of water which 

empties in the river, (2) improve the fish and wildlife habitat, and (3) maintain its freefl owing condition. 

The recreational river area will be managed to provide or restore a wide range of public 

outdoor recreation opportunities and water-oriented recreational facilities. 

Management Direction 

Management direction statements explain how the management objectives for the river 

will be met. 

Soil and Watershed 

Scenic easements on critical soil areas of privately-owned lands will be acquired to 

protect those areas exhibiting clear and present potential for deterioration if disturbed or 

where serious deterioration presently occurs. 

Stabilize or re-vegetate all areas of exposed soils caused naturally or by human activities. 

Place special emphasis on preventing and controlling soil erosion near the water’s edge. 

Alteration of the stream bed will be limited to that necessary to maintain current levels 

of navigability. Permission must be obtained from the agency having jurisdiction before 

alteration is allowed. Modification of bedrock will not be permitted. 

Allow no surface dumping of garbage or other potential pollutants. Waste material must 

be disposed of in a manner that does not contaminate ground or surface water. 

Sewage disposal systems must meet or exceed the State of Oregon and local government 

sanitation requirements. 

Cooperate with the Oregon State Department of Environmental Quality to achieve 

compliance with the Rogue River Water Quality and Waste Treatment standards. 

7 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Coordinate with the Army Corps of Engineers concerning releases from upstream 

reservoir facilities to benefit fishery resources and recreational use. 

Fish and Wildlife 

Prepare habitat management plans for fish and wildlife: provide management guidelines 

that emphasize protection of species considered to be rare or endangered; direct 

management toward providing the maximum number of wildlife sightings along the 

river and trail consistent with good management practices. 

Manage other resources along the river so that the fishery is enhanced, not diminished by 

siltation or an increase in water temperature. 

Cooperate with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in all matters relating to fi sh and 

wildlife management. 

Minerals 

Subject to future regulations, all prospecting, mining operation, or other activity relating 

to mineral exploration or production on valid mining claims will be administered under 

the criteria established by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 

Determine the validity of all mining claims. 

Access routes to mining claims will be judged on the basis of minimum adverse affect on 

values of the river area. 

Mining or associated operations contributing amounts of noise, smoke, dust, or other 

elements detrimental to the river environment may be required to limit operations during 

peak recreation use periods each year. 

Removal of mineral materials known as “common varieties” for commercial purposes 

from the riverbed or adjacent bars will not be allowed subject to valid existing rights. 

Before any gravel is disturbed, precautions must be taken to eliminate siltation or 

maintain siltation at an acceptable level and approval obtained from the Oregon 

Department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with other State and Federal Agencies. 

Where existing material removal operations are adversely affecting recreational values 

on the river, purchase of the mining rights on these sites will be sought as rapidly as 

possible. Early acquisition of scenic easement on remaining undeveloped deposits will 

also be pursued. 

The agencies will cooperate with the Oregon State Land Board in meeting the objectives 

of the Act, where State-owned lands are involved. 

The agencies will cooperate with the Oregon State Department of Environmental Quality 

to control water pollution caused by mining activities, including those beyond the river 

boundaries. 

Protection 

Due to the roadless character along segments of the river and the need to maintain this 

character, special protection requirements are established. The unique and irreplaceable 

values involved demand the employment of all necessary means to insure prompt 

control of wildfires. Criteria for protection are as follows: 

8 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Plans will be developed for prevention, detection, and suppression of wildfi re and 

disease or insect infestations. These plans should emphasize: (a) speed in which the 

above factors can be accomplished; and (b) methods of accomplishing the above factors 

which would create the least amount of impact to the environment. 

Take restoration action to reduce the impact and return the damaged area to its original 

condition. 

Cooperate with other governmental and private organizations in planning and 

implementing the protection program. 

Recreation 

Consistent with the objectives of the individual river areas, suffi cient recreation 

facilities, on both private and Federal land, will be developed to meet the needs of the 

recreationists. Care will be taken that use levels do not reach the point where the quality 

of recreation experience or quality of the stream environment deteriorates. Recreationists 

using the river in groups of larger than 10 people may be required to camp in developed 

campsites. 

Since boating, fishing, and sightseeing are the main recreational uses on the river, top 

priority for recreation development would be given to improving the quality of these 

activities. 

Although current levels of all types of boating activity create few problems, uncontrolled 

future use would probably result in safety hazards and a lowering of the quality of the 

recreation experience. When the need warrants, this will be prevented by establishment 

of regulations limiting size, number, type, speed, etc., to provide optimum boat use. 

These regulations will be developed in cooperation with the State and other agencies. 

Future technological advances may result in new types of equipment that could be used 

on the river. Only such types of equipment compatible with management objectives 

would be permitted. 

Recreation facilities may be developed to provide a wide range of opportunities for riveroriented recreation consistent with management objectives and protection of the river 

environment. 

Private enterprise will be encouraged to develop recreational facilities on lands outside 

the river boundaries. 

No action to regulate boat use will be initiated unless public safety or the recreation 

experience is threatened. Launching and mooring facilities may be provided within this 

area. 

Acquisition 

On land that remains in private ownership, compliance with the management directions 

will be accomplished through acquisition of scenic easements. As used herein, the term 

scenic easement means purchase of the right to control the use land, including the air 

space above such land, for the purpose of protecting the scenic view from the river. Such 

control shall not affect, without the owner’s consent, any regular use exercised prior to 

the acquisition of the easement. 

Scenic easements will be sought to protect the natural environment or setting. Easements 

will consider protection of the view from the river or its environs as well as protection of 

critical resources. 

9 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Scenic easements will be written so that improvement or alteration of the property or 

change in land use that may impair the scenic quality or basic resource will require 

review and approval by the agency having jurisdiction before such activity may begin. 

Conforming and nonconforming uses of land are covered in this plan in a general way. 

Specific application of these guides will necessarily be determined on a case-by-case 

basis. 

Where a scenic easement for a parcel of private land is needed, an attempt will be made 

to negotiate an easement for the parcel within the river boundary. 

Acquisition of fee title will be considered on any parcel of land that becomes available if 

it is in the public interest to do so. 

Where there is a need and the terrain is suitable, an easement for public access along the 

bank of the river will be acquired. 

Fee acquisition will not be considered essential, but may be desirable in some instances. 

Scenic easements will recognize the existence of more human-made modifications. 

Easements will be sought if there is a need to control uses that conflict with the basic 

resource. 

Timber 

The most important value of the timber within the boundaries is in the makeup of the 

landscape. Timber management, therefore, will be directed toward maintaining or 

restoring an aesthetically pleasing timber stand. 

Removal of timber is not precluded within the boundaries. When timber is to be 

removed, it will be done in a manner that has the least possible adverse effect on the 

landscape. Some cutting will be necessary in construction of approved improvements 

and recreation facilities or to remove hazards. Selective cutting may be allowed in some 

instances if the operation, including roads, is not visible from the river. There are few 

areas within the boundaries where this is feasible. 

Timber may be removed in cases of natural catastrophe, such as fire or wind throw with 

its resultant buildup of insects or natural occurrences of insects or diseases, which could 

become epidemics. If failure to remove affected trees creates an unacceptable fi re hazard 

or threatens to destroy large numbers of trees within the river area or adjacent land, a 

thorough study will be made to determine the impact of leaving the trees or removing 

them. The decision on whether to remove the timber will be made after considering all 

factors and will be based on what will be least destructive to the river area values. 

Protection of timber visible from the river or its environs within the river boundaries will 

be accomplished through scenic easement purchase of the timber on privately-owned 

lands or on non-private lands through cooperative agreements. Such easements and 

agreements will not necessarily preclude all cutting of timber but will require prior 

approval of the agency having jurisdiction. This will be stipulated in the easements and 

agreements. Each situation will require individual analysis and judgement. 

Selective harvest of timber stands within the boundaries may be permitted provided 

the effects are not apparent to river users and the cutting does not affect recreational or 

aesthetic qualities. 

10 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Improvements 

There are places along the river where new developments or resource improvements may 

be desirable to meet public needs. 

Structures that can be seen from the river, trail, or developed recreation sites will: 

• Be of attractive design. 

• Have sufficient topography or vegetative screening to make them as inconspicuous 

as possible reduce visual impacts of improvements. 

• Be designed so that little or no soil is left exposed when construction is complete. 

• Contain no direct or indirect design features that are obtrusive or incompatible with 

the scenic qualities of the area. (A direct design feature is one which is a physical 

part of the development. Examples of incompatible direct design features are shiny 

metal siding or roofing, large areas of bright colors, large or lighted signs, etc.). 

An indirect design feature is one resulting from the development. Examples of 

incompatible indirect design features are noise, smoke, odor, etc.). Structures that 

cannot be seen from the river will contain no indirect design features obtrusive or 

incompatible with the scenic qualities of the area and will be designed so that little 

or no soil is left exposed when construction is complete. 

Improvements on private land will be controlled through purchase of scenic easements. 

Additional recreation residences will not be permitted on public lands. 

No new developments, except trails, boat ramps, mooring facilities, and service roads, 

below the high-water line of December 1964, except where land was covered with slack 

water and is not visible from the river. 

No signs will be erected without written approval of the agency having jurisdiction. 

Structures permitted within the recreational area of the river, provided they are in 

harmony with their surroundings are: residential buildings, farmsteads and appurtenant 

facilities, and lodges or public recreation facilities needed to serve the river user. 

There may be instances where it is necessary to locate commercial public service facilities, 

such as gasoline stations, roadside restaurants, and motels, within the recreational river 

boundaries. With the exception of boat-servicing marina operations, developments 

adjacent to the river will be discouraged. Where other developments are necessary 

within the boundaries, they will be designed and placed so as to be as unobtrusive as 

possible. Vegetative screening and topography will be used to keep them from direct 

view of the river. 

Developments will be limited so that no more than four structures on each side of 

the river will be readily visible in any one mile of river frontage, with no structure of 

one development closer than 200 feet to a structure of another development. Where 

developments cannot be seen from the river, they will be allowed on the basis of 

a minimum lot size of one acre each, provided sewage disposal can be adequately 

accomplished. Lots will have a minimum side dimension of 100 feet. Within these 

limitations, cluster-type developments may be permitted. Existing developments are 

part of the quota. 

On lots of less than one acre which existed prior to October 2, 1968, the owner may 

construct a single-family dwelling on the same basis as if the lot was one acre or more. 

11 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Other structures will be permitted where necessary for the administration of the river or 

essential to accomplish other activities allowed in this area. 

Construction and placement of salmon boards on private lands where thy have not been 

used before will be regulated through scenic easement purchase. To be permitted, they 

must be of attractive design and must not obstruct navigation. They should not become 

so numerous as to affect other recreational uses of the river. Their use on public lands 

may be allowed under permit from the administering agency. They will be removed each 

year by June 15 and stored out of sight. 

Transportation 

Existing roads and bridges affect the quality of the landscape along the river. 

Great care will be taken in the location and design of any future roads to assure they are 

not visible in a way that would detract from the river environment. 

Construction of roads, trails, or tramways will be controlled on private land through 

scenic easements. Approval of construction will be determined on a case-by-case basis. 

No additional airstrips or railroads will be permitted. 

Helispots may be located only in locations out of view of the river, trail, or recreation sites 

and where they do not adversely affect the recreation experience. 

There will be no additional bridges or cable crossing across the Rogue River with the 

possible exception of a foot bridge or ferry at Agness. 

Public use of the trail system, existing and proposed, will be restricted to hikers only. 

Roads and trails will be constructed to the minimum safe standard consistent with the 

intended use. Public roads will be treated to eliminate dust, when deemed necessary by 

the administering agency. 

Transportation plans will be reviewed and updated periodically to refl ect the 

management objectives for the Wild and Scenic River. 

New roads needed for developments will be permitted providing the design, location, 

and standards are such that the least impact on the environment is assured. Additional 

through roads paralleling the river will not be permitted. 

Parking areas will be located out of sight of the river or recreation sites. Screening will 

be provided if necessary. If there is any other suitable nearby place to park, parking 

will not be permitted on the gravel bars in view of the river. Where there is no suitable 

alternative, vehicles will be parked where they are least conspicuous. 

Utilities 

With a few exceptions along the recreational river areas, existing utility development 

along the river has had little adverse affect on recreational and scenic values. However, 

construction of additional developments and expansion of existing ones will increase the 

need for additional utilities. Construction of new utilities will be done in such a way that 

the scenic and recreational values are not degraded. 

Try to locate all new utility lines out of view of the river or its environs. Where this is 

not possible, the visual impact will be reduced by use of screening, color non-reflective 

12 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

hardware and conductors, and treatment of the new utility corridor. Reduction of visual 

impact of existing lines should be encouraged. 

Where feasible, utility lines will be buried. 

Power-generating equipment will be located and designed so that it cannot be seen or 

heard from the river. 

If possible, existing and proposed utility lines will be grouped and aerial crossings of 

the river are reduced. The possibility of attaching new utility lines to bridges should be 

investigated. 

Where necessary for protection of the scenic quality of the river front, scenic easement 

purchase of the right to construct utilities visible or audible from the river will be 

undertaken. This includes power generating equipment. 

Visitor Information 

Manned visitor information stations will be needed in the Hellgate Recreation area and at 

the confluence of the Illinois and Rogue River. 

Grazing 

Presently, there is very little grazing land within the river boundaries. Private land now 

in pasture is compatible with the scenic qualities of the river and may continue to be used 

for that purpose. 

Bordering Lands 

The area within view of the river extends beyond the river boundaries in many placaes. 

Preservation of the scenery within this area is an established management objective. The 

administering agencies will manage the resources to protect the aesthetic and recreational 

qualities of the area visible from the river or trail. There will be intensive coordination 

and analysis of resources before any activity is authorized within the bordering lands. 

Although timber cutting is restricted, it is allowed if done in accordance with the 

management objective and does not pollute the Rogue or its tributaries. 

Management Guidance and Direction from the Prohibited 

Acts in Rogue National Wild and Scenic River Area of 

1992 (Federal Register Vo. 57, No. 110, 24271-24274) 

Boating 

Going onto or being upon the Rogue River between Grave Creek and the Siskiyou 

National Forest boundary at Marial using any type of floatable craft or object without: (1) 

A Rogue Wild and Scenic River management group permit (of which BLM is a signatory), 

or (2) a joint BLM/US Forest Service (USFS) permit, or (3) an individual BLM permit for 

such use. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be applicable to persons engaged in 

noncommercial boating trips on the river from September 16 to May 31. 

13 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Boat Launching 

Using any of the lands described in Exhibit A located between Grave Creek and the 

Siskiyou National Forest boundary at Marial for the purpose of entering or going upon 

the Rogue River with any type of floatable craft or object without: (1) A Rogue Wild and 

Scenic River management group permit (of which BLM is signatory), or (2) a joint BLM/ 

Forest Service permit, or (3) an individual BLM permit for such use. The provisions of 

this paragraph shall not be applicable to persons engaged in noncommercial boating trips 

on the river from September 16 to May 31. 

Operation of Motorized Boats 

Operation of any motorized boat on the Rogue River between Grave Creek and the 

Siskiyou National Forest boundary at Marial between May 15 and November 15. The 

provisions of this paragraph shall not be applicable to persons having a valid BLM 

permit for such use. 

Camping 

Camping for a period longer than 14 consecutive days (7 days in the Wild Section of the 

river), or as posted. 

Camping in any area posted as closed to that use. 

Occupying any portion of a developed or undeveloped recreation site for other than 

recreation purposes. 

Occupying between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. a place designated for day-use only. 

Building, Maintaining, Attending, or Using a Fire 

Carelessly or negligently throwing or placing any burning substance, or any other 

substance or thing which may cause a fi re, or firework or explosive into any place where 

it might start a fire; causing timber, slash, brush, or grass to burn except as authorized by 

BLM permit; leaving a fire without completely extinguishing it; allowing a fire to escape 

from control; or building, attending, maintaining or using a campfire without adequately 

removing all flammable material from around the campfire, which could allow its escape. 

Failing to observe State fire closure regulations or notices issued by the Oregon State 

Department of Forestry. 

Building, maintaining, attending, or using an open fire in any confi guration within 400 

feet of the river’s edge, except when the fire is in a firepan or similar device that will 

contain the fire and its residue. 

Improper Disposal of Trash or Human Waste 

Placing in or near a river, a stream, or other water any substance which does or may 

contribute to polluting such river, stream or other water. 

Failing to dispose of all trash or human waste either by removing it from the area or by 

depositing it into receptacles or at places provided for such purposes. Human waste may 

also be buried six to eight inches deep in the soil, away from campsites or water. 

Leaving in a trash container or dump, any trash brought as such from private property. 

14 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Disorderly Conduct 

Engaging in fighting or in threatening, abusive, indecent or offensive behavior. 

Making unreasonable noise. 

Being nude where a person may be observed by the general public. No person under the 

age of 10 years shall be considered nude under this paragraph. 

Other Acts – USDI 1992 

a. Violation of the terms of any written permission or permit issued by the BLM which 

authorizes an act omission otherwise prohibited by the order. 

b. Operating motorized vehicles off roads within BLM Wild and Recreational Sections 

of the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River corridor, except for the following 

five areas which are open to day use vehicle parking on the gravel bar. These five 

limited access points are the gravel bar fishing areas at Rand Recreation site, Rocky 

Riffle Recreation site, Griffin Park Group Recreation site, Argo Recreation site, and 

Whitehorse Recreation site. 

c. Discharging a firearm or any other implement capable of taking human life, 

causing injury, or damaging property (1) from June 1 to September 15 from the 

land or waters between Grave Creek and the Siskiyou National Forest boundary 

at Marial, or (2) at any time within 150 yards of a residence, building, developed 

or undeveloped recreation site, or occupied area, or (3) at any time across or on 

any public road, or across or on any trail or body of water whereby any person or 

property is exposed to injury or damages as a result of such discharge. 

d. Constructing, placing, or maintaining any kind of road, trail, fence enclosure, 

communication equipment building or other structure or improvement without a 

BLM authorization. 

e. Damaging, disturbing or removing any timber or other vegetation or forest product, 

except as authorized by a BLM permit or timber sale contract. The provisions of this 

paragraph shall not be applicable to the use by campers of reasonable amounts of 

dead and down timber for campfi re. 

f. Defacing, disturbing or removing any national feature or any property of the United 

States. 

g. Entering any structure owned or controlled by the United States when such 

structure is not designated open to the public. 

h. Digging in, disturbing, or removing any archaeological, paleontological or historical 

object, without a BLM permit. 

i. Digging, scraping, disturbing, or removing natural land features for the purpose 

of mineral prospecting or mining. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be 

applicable to: (1) Valid existing mining rights, (2) recreational gold panning that 

does not require digging, dredging, or sluicing, or (3) the use in accordance with 

State law and regulations of up to a four inch diameter motorized suction dredge 

in the river channel between the mouth of the Applegate River and the mouth of 

Grave Creek. Suction dredges are restricted to operations below water level and 

within existing banks. 

j. Using or possessing a bicycle, motorized vehicle, saddle, pack or draft animal on 

the Rogue River Trail from the trail head at Grave Creek to the Siskiyou National 

Forest boundary at Marial, or the Rainie Falls Trail from the trail head at Grave 

Creek to Rainie Falls. 

k. Operation or use of any aircraft within 1,000 feet of the water surface from June 1 to 

September 15 between Grave Creek and the Siskiyou National Forest boundary at 

Marial. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be applicable to the operation and 

use of aircraft by persons forced to land due to circumstances beyond their control 

and by persons with a BLM permit for such use. 

15 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

l. Failing to exhibit required permits and identification when requested by a BLM 

Authorized Officer or representative. Failure to properly display boat tag. 

m.Conducting any kind of business enterprise without a BLM permit. 

n. Threatening, resisting, intimidating or interfering with any BLM offi cial or 

employee engaged in or on account of the performance of his official duties in the 

administration of the National Wild and Scenic Rogue River. 

o. Jumping, falling, rappelling, dangling, throwing or causing or assisting any object, 

person or animal to jump, fall, rappel, dangle or be thrown from Grave Creek 

Bridge or Hellgate Bridge. Occupancy of any portion of the above bridges, other 

than the roadway or pedestrian footpaths located on these bridges. 

The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8, b, c, j, k and o shall not be applicable to any 

federal, state or local officer member of any organized rescues of fire fighting force in the 

performance of an offi cial duty. 

Violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or 

imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. (Title 16 U.S.C. 3) [43 CFR 8351.2-1] 

Management Guidance and Direction from the BLM 

Medford District Record of Decision and Resource 

Management Plan of 1995 

Objective 

Manage designated segments of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to protect 

their outstandingly remarkable values and maintain and enhance the natural integrity of 

river-related values. 

Visual Resource Management 

The Congressionally-designated Rogue Wild and Scenic River corridor is a Visual 

Resource Management Class I. 

16 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Monitoring 

Monitoring is the process of tracking the implementation and effectiveness of a land 

use plan. The purposes of monitoring are to: ensure protection and enhancement of 

the outstandingly remarkable values, provide a mechanism to address user capacities, 

ensure activities are occurring in conformance with the plan, determine if activities 

are producing the expected results, and determine if activities are causing the effects 

identified in the RAMP/FEIS. 

Monitoring and evaluations will be utilized to ensure that decisions and priorities 

conveyed by the plan are being implemented, that progress toward identifi ed resource 

objectives is occurring, and that mitigating measures and other management direction are 

effective in avoiding or reducing adverse environmental impacts. 

Based on information from monitoring and specific analysis of proposed projects, specific 

mitigation measures will be addressed as projects are analyzed. Baseline data gathered 

during the planning process will be utilized as a comparison to monitor the river 

activities and resource conditions (see Table 1. Monitoring, p. 27). 

Botany 

Goal 

• Maintain or enhance native vegetation and plant communities. 

Objectives 

• Maintain native vegetation at current levels of coverage. A decrease of 20 percent 

cover at a specific site due to trampling, vehicle use, or noxious weed spread, for 

example, will initiate management actions. 

• Utilize existing noxious weed and plan survey information to develop control 

strategies. 

• Decrease the current coverage of specific noxious weed populations by 20 percent 

annually, when and where control efforts have a possibility of success. 

• Treat newly discovered weed invasions annually given appropriate funding and 

resources. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if public activities will reduce the extent of native 

vegetation. 

Unit of Measure - Percent of area disturbed and extent of noxious weeds. 

Threshold – 20% decline in native vegetation cover. 

Frequency of Monitoring - Photo monitoring annually. Transects or perimeter mapping 

every other year. 

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000 for monitoring. $2,000 for weed treatments. 

Management Responsibility - Botanist, River Program, and possibly Oregon 

Department of Agriculture. 

17 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Fisheries 

Goals 

• To support the BLM’s special status species policy regarding Fall chinook. 

• To protect Fall chinook spawning, associated spawning behavior, and fry rearing. 

Objectives 

• Annually conduct three monitoring trips to document adult spawning activity for 

apparent spawning behavior, actual spawning, and redds by floating and/or bank 

observations. 

• Document location, time, and date of survey; 

• Determine if adverse effects are present; 

• Determine the level of unacceptable impacts to Fall chinook; 

• Document unacceptable adverse effects; and 

• Notify Field Manager and River Manager in writing of the type and location of 

adverse effects and recommendations for mitigation, if needed. 

Assumptions 

• Fall chinook redds are found in riffles where boating activity occurs; 

• Fall chinook salmon spawning, courtship displays, redd building, and fertilization 

are considered sensitive to disturbance from boats passing over or near these areas; 

• Motorized boating and boat and bank angling have a high probability for 

disturbance to eggs and spawning behavior; and 

• Float craft with kickers (outboard motors) may disturb chinook spawning or eggs in 

the gravel. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose - To determine the extent of harm or harassment to spawners, redds, or eggs. 

Unit of Measure - Presence of spawning behavior, or actual spawning pairs, or number 

of redds.

Threshold - Stop human activity when unacceptable impacts are identified. 

Frequency - Annually conduct two monitoring trips in September and one in October.

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000.

Management Responsibility - Fisheries and River Program.

18 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Landowners’ Perceptions 

Goal 

• Periodically sample landowners’ perceptions to augment and update data gathered 

in the baseline study done in 1994 (York et al. 1994). 

Objectives 

• Evaluate the 1994 study for determination of any new parameters needed, including 

but not limited to, perceptions of special boating events. 

• Determine what trends are developing in landowners’ perceptions utilizing the 

same evaluation criteria from the baseline study. 

Assumptions 

• Landowners’ perceptions to the parameters in the study will change over time, or 

may change over time. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if landowners’ perceptions are changing.

Unit of Measure - Landowner survey results.

Threshold - Downward trend in landowner satisfaction.

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 5 years.

Estimated Annual Cost - $3,000.

Management Responsibility - River Program.

Riparian Areas, Wetlands, and Flood Plains 

Goal 

• Maintain or enhance existing desired natural conditions in riparian areas, wetlands, 

and flood plains. “Desired natural conditions” refers to existing conditions or 

conditions that are at less than excess disturbance. 

Objectives 

• Establish a baseline of existing conditions for the purpose of future comparison. If 

existing ground disturbance is at excess levels (15 to 25 percent of any given site), 

actions would be initiated to reduce disturbance levels. 

• Maintain desired natural conditions by monitoring the same sites annually to 

establish trends of disturbance. Where trends show net increases, implement actions 

that would reduce disturbed areas. 

Assumptions 

• Most ground-based recreation activity takes place adjacent to the river. Some 

wetlands may be separate and isolated from riparian areas and fl ood plains. 

19 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

• Recreation activity can cause ground disturbance that will affect soil productivity 

and may result in erosion. 

• Ground disturbance consists of human- or domestic animal-caused changes in the 

soil surface including: deflection, mechanical soil or organic matter displacement, 

and artificial surfacing gravel or pavement. Monitoring of ground disturbances is 

limited to areas that are not affected by peak river flows. 

• Excess disturbance is considered at high levels where areal extent of disturbance is 

roughly in the range of 15 to 25 percent of any given site. This quantity is subject to 

adjustment, depending on finding of existing condition. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if human-caused activities cause major impacts to 

these areas. 

Unit of Measure - Percent of disturbed area. 

Threshold - Increase in disturbance. 

Frequency of Monitoring – Every 5 years. 

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000. 

Management Responsibility - Soil Scientist and River Program. 

Soils 

Goal 

• To assess human-caused erosion, bank loss, and sedimentation, and to identify 

potential future bank degradation and natural/property loss. 

Objectives 

• To survey changes in stream bank conditions due to erosion utilizing Klingeman’s 

study as baseline information. Surveys will be conducted at specified sites using 

photographic comparisons. 

• To initiate mitigation measures, as needed. 

Assumption 

• Bank erosion is primarily a natural process (Klingeman 1993). 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if human activities are causing bank erosion and the 

extent. 

Unit of Measure - Observation and photographic year-to-year comparison. 

Threshold - Local river bank loss is substantial. “Substantial” is a relative term and will 

be determined upon establishment of monitoring trends for each site. 

20 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Frequency of Monitoring - Photo points and standard notes at each site annually.

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000.

Management Responsibility - Soil Scientist and River Program.

Transportation 

Goal 

• To provide a safe and efficient transportation system for those participating in 

Hellgate Recreation Area activities. 

Objectives

 • Measure traffic counts for vehicle traffic on the BLM-administered portion of the 

Merlin-Galice Road utilizing traffic studies (1991 and 2000). 

• Compare actual traffic counts to projected traffi c counts. 

Assumptions 

• The majority of traffic occurs during a 10-hour period each day. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine traffic counts and compare to maximum road 

capacity. 

Unit of Measure - Vehicles per hour (vph). 

Threshold - 2,094 vph. 

Frequency of Monitoring – Every 5 years. 

Estimated Cost - $2,000. 

Management Responsibility - Engineering Staff and River Program. 

User Perceptions 

Goal 

• To assess user perceptions on social and ecological impacts, environmental 

conditions, and user preferences on potential management actions as compared to 

data gathered in the baseline study done in 1993 (Shindler and Shelby 1993). 

Objectives 

• Compile demographic data on the user population. 

• Identify user perceptions of existing opportunities, conditions, and problems. 

• Assess user support for a range of management actions for improving river 

conditions. 

21 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if user perceptions change over time while 

maintaining and enhancing the outstandingly remarkable values of natural scenery, 

recreation, and fish while providing quality recreation experiences through management 

actions. 

Unit of Measure - User survey results.

Threshold - A 10 percent increase in any survey parameter that directly relates to a 

decline in providing a quality recreation experience (i.e., resource/ecological conditions, 

crowding, conflicts, safety, satisfaction, etc.).

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 5 years.

Estimated Annual Cost - $40,000.

Management Responsibility - River Program.

Visitor Use 

Goal 

• To estimate the number of recreational users within the Hellgate Recreation Area, 

utilizing different sampling methods, for the purpose of developing management 

actions to address concerns associated with the social and ecological impacts 

assessed in the User Perception surveys. 

Objective 

• To assess recreation visitor use as compared with the data gathered in 1995. To 

count visitors participating in private and commercial float/boating activities and 

primary shoreline activities including day-use, camping, hiking, angling, etc. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Record the total number of visitors to the Hellgate Recreation 

Area within any calendar year and determine activity trends based on an increase and/or 

decrease in visitors participating in any specifi c activity. 

Unit of Measure - Visitor use day. 

Threshold - An increase in any user activity that triggers unacceptable social and/or 

ecological impacts.

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 2 years.

Estimated Annual Cost - $10,000.

Management Responsibility - River Program.

22 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Visual Resources 

Goal 

• To maintain and enhance the natural integrity of the river corridor as a VRM Class I 

(USDI 1995) through the BLM’s Visual Resource Management (VRM) process (USDI 

1986). 

Objectives 

• To use the BLM’s Visual Contrast Rating Worksheet to evaluate the degree of 

contrast between the proposed activity and the existing landscape to ensure VRM 

Class I consistency. 

• To initiate mitigation measures, as needed. 

Assumption 

• Recreation activities and ground-disturbing projects can cause alterations to the 

existing character of the landscape. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring – Ensure that shoreline recreation activities and management 

projects are meeting the VRM Class I objective. 

Unit of Measure – Level of change must not attract attention to the casual observer. 

Threshold – Changes to the existing character of the landscape is not substantial. 

Frequency of Monitoring – Photo points, visual contrast rating worksheet, and standard 

notes as needed. 

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000. 

Management Responsibility - River Program. 

Water Quality 

Goal 

• To be involved and active in the planning process for the Department of 

Environmental Quality’s Water Quality Management Plan. The Water Quality 

Management Plan will identify water quality problems and result in problem 

mitigation. It will also establish if there are impacts from recreation on water 

quality. 

Objective 

• Provide preliminary and supplemental data in the form of E. coli sampling and 

testing for DEQ’s Water Quality Management Plan in order to assist in reducing 

disease-causing organisms in the Rogue River. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine if recreation activities are negatively impacting 

water quality. 

23 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Unit of Measure - Number of E. coli per 100 milliliters. Sampling and testing for E. coli 

will be consistent with DEQ protocol. Samples will be taken at three locations relative 

to the Hellgate Recreation Area: above, below, and in the central part of the Hellgate 

Recreation Area. Testing will be coordinated with the DEQ’s testing program. 

Threshold - Monthly average of 126 E. coli per 100 milliliters or 406 per sample. 

Frequency of Monitoring - Testing will begin the summer of 2005. Further testing will 

occur every three years, or as needed.

Estimated Annual Cost - $3,000. 

Management Responsibility - Soil Scientist and River Program.

Wildlife - Bald Eagles 

Goal 

• To ensure recreation activities in the Hellgate Recreation Area do not impact the 

reproductive success of known bald eagle pairs. 

Objectives 

• Annually record the number of young fledged in the Hellgate Recreation Area to 

determine reproductive success. 

• Identify recreation impacts potentially affecting reproductive success of known bald 

eagle pairs. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Determine reproductive success.

Unit of Measure - Number of young fledged.

Threshold - Annual average of 1 fledged per pair with average success of greater than 65 

percent over a 5-year period.

Frequency of Monitoring - Annually.

Estimated Annual Cost - $2,000.

Management Responsibility - Wildlife Staff.

Wildlife - Great Blue Herons 

Goal 

• To ensure recreation activities in the Hellgate Recreation Area do not impact the 

number of active great blue heron nests. 

Objectives 

• Document the location of rookeries and count the number of active great blue heron 

nests in the Hellgate Recreation Area and determine trends for number of active 

nests. 

24 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

• Identify recreation impacts potentially affecting the nesting activity of great blue 

herons in the Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Document the location of rookeries and determine the number 

of active great blue heron nests. 

Unit of Measure - Number of active nests. 

Threshold - 20 percent reduction in the number of active great blue heron nests over a 

10-year period. 

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 3 years.

Estimated Annual Cost - $3,000.

Management Responsibility - Wildlife Staff.

Wildlife - Osprey 

Goal 

• To ensure recreation activities in the Hellgate Recreation Area do not impact the 

number of active osprey nests. 

Objectives 

• Record the number of active osprey nests within the Hellgate Recreation Area and 

determine trends for number of active nests. 

• Identify recreation impacts potentially affecting the nesting activity of osprey in the 

Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Document the number of active osprey nests.

Unit of Measure - Number of active nests.

Threshold - Greater than 20 percent reduction in the number of active nests over a 10-

year period.

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 3 years.

Estimated Annual Cost - $3,000.

Management Responsibility - Wildlife Staff.

Wildlife - Western Pond Turtles 

Goal 

• To manage recreation activities in the Hellgate Recreation Area in a manner 

compatible with western pond turtles. 

Objectives 

• Obtain an estimate of the western pond turtle population. 

25 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

• Determine trends for the western pond turtle population within the Hellgate 

Recreation Area. 

Monitoring Plan 

Purpose of Monitoring - Obtain an estimate of the western pond turtle population in the 

Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Unit of Measure - Number of western pond turtles. 

Threshold - 20 percent reduction in the number of western pond turtles over a 10-year 

period. 

Frequency of Monitoring - Every 3 years. 

Estimated Annual Cost - $20,000. 

Management Responsibility - Wildlife Staff. 

26 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Table 1. Monitoring 

Resource Purpose Unit of Measure Baseline Threshold Management Actions 

Botany 

Native 

Vegetation 

Noxious Weeds 

Determine if public 

activities are reducing 

the extent of the native 

vegetation. 

Decrease the current 

coverage of specific 

noxious weed 

populations where 

control efforts have a 

possibility of success. 

Percent of area 

disturbed. 

Area and 

location of 

noxious weeds. 

Medford District 

Aerial Photos, July 

2001. 

Noxious Weed 

Mapping, 2003. 

20 percent decrease in cover 

at a specifi c site. 

20 percent decrease annually. 

User education, 

signing, access control. 

Manual and biological 

treatments. 

Fisheries 

Fall Chinook Determine the extent 

of harm or harassment 

to spawners, redds, or 

eggs. 

Presence of 

spawning 

behavior, or 

actual spawning 

pairs, or number 

of redds. 

Annual monitoring 

since 1992. 

Unacceptable impacts are 

identified. 

User education, 

signing, access 

control, motor or craft 

exclusions, use limits. 

Landowner 

Perceptions Determine if landowner 

perceptions are 

changing. 

Landowner 

survey results. 

Survey of the 

attitude of residents 

along the Hellgate 

Recreation Area of 

the Rogue River 

toward user groups 

and their impact 

(1994). 

Downward trend in 

landowner satisfaction. 

User education, 

signing, access 

control, motor or craft 

exclusions, use limits. 

Riparian Areas, 

Wetlands, and 

Floodplains 

Determine if humancaused activities are 

impacting these areas. 

Percent of 

disturbed area. 

Rogue Basin 

Riparian Condition 

Assessment ODEQ, 

January 2004. 

20 percent increase in 

disturbance. 

User education, 

signing, access control. 

Soils 

Determine if humancaused activities are 

causing bank erosion 

and to what extent. 

Annual 

observation 

with photo 

documentation 

for comparison. 

FEIS Mapping. Local river bank loss is 

substantial based on trends 

for each site. 

User education, 

signing, access control. 

Transportation 

Determine traffic 

counts and compare 

to maximum road 

capacity. 

Vehicles per hour 

(vph). 

Transportation 

Research Board, 100 

vph, 2000. 

2,094 vehicles per hour. Access control, 

transportation 

upgrade. 

User 

Perceptions Determine if user 

perceptions change 

over time. 

User survey 

results. 

Rogue River Study: 

Assessments of 

Recreation Impacts 

and User perceptions 

on the Bureau of 

Land Management 

Recreation Section 

(1993). 

10 percent increase in survey 

parameter that relates to 

a decline in providing 

a quality recreation 

experience. 

User education, 

signing, access 

control, motor or craft 

exclusions, use limits. 

27 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Visitor Use 

Determine recreation 

visitor use to the 

Hellgate Recreation 

Area and determine 

activity trends. 

Visitor use day. Visitor Use 

Background Paper 

for revising the 

Hellgate Recreation 

Area Management 

Plan (1995). 

unacceptable social or 

ecological impacts. 

Increase in use that triggers User education, 

signing, access 

control, motor or craft 

exclusions, use limits. 

Visual 

Resources Ensure that shoreline 

recreation activities and 

management projects 

are meeting the VRM 

Class I objective. 

Level of change 

must not attract 

attention to the 

casual observer. 

RMP mapping 

(1995). 

Change to the existing 

landscape is not substantial. 

Water Quality 

Determine if recreation 

activities are negatively 

Number of E. 

coli per 100 

Sampling per ODEQ 

protocol (2005). 

126 E. coli per sample. 

impacting water milliliters. 

quality. 

Wildlife 

Bald Eagle Determine reproductive 

success. 

Number of 

young fledged. 

Monitoring since 

1995. 

Annual average of one 

fledged per pair with 

average success greater than 

65 percent over a 5-year 

period. 

Access control, motor 

or craft exclusions, 

and use limits. 

Great Blue 

Heron Document the location 

of rookeries and 

determine the number 

Number of active 

nests. 

Monitoring since 

2002. 

20% reduction over 10-year 

period. 

of active nests. 

Western Pond 

Turtle Obtain an estimate of 

the western pond turtle 

population. 

Number of 

Western Pond 

Turtles. 

Monitoring since 

2002. 

20% reduction over 10-year 

period. 

Osprey Document the location 

of nests and determine 

the number of active 

Number of active 

nests. 

Monitoring since 

2002. 

20% reduction over 10-year 

period. 

nests. 

28 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Glossary

Acquired lands - Lands within the Rogue Wild and Scenic River corridor obtained by the BLM under 

the authority of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Acquired lands are closed to mineral entry. 

Administrative rules - Regulations established by State agency boards and commissions in 

accordance with Oregon Revised Statutes. 

Agricultural, forestry, commercial, or industrial sound generators - Equipment, facilities, 

operations, or activities employed in the production, storage, handling, sale, purchase, exchange, 

or maintenance of a product, commodity, or service. 

Alevin - Newly hatched salmon or trout, with exterior yolk sac, residing in the gravel prior to 

emergence to the stream. 

Allocation - Apportionment of types and levels of use to individual users at specific times; usually 

necessary when levels of use exceed acceptable limits and established standards. 

Alluvium - Any sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a river bed, flood plain, and delta. 

Alternatives - Different management options. 

Ambient sound - All-encompassing sound associated with a given environment, usually consisting 

of a composite of sounds from various sources near and far. 

Anadromous fish - Fish, such as salmon and steelhead, that migrate as adults from the ocean into 

fresh water streams to produce young. The young return to the ocean to grow to maturity. 

Analysis file - Records of the scoping and analysis process conducted in the preparation of a NEPA 

document; typically stored at the BLM office that issued the fi nal decision. 

Anchoring prohibited zones - A measure to promote the safe navigation of all watercraft by 

prohibiting boat anchoring within a specific area of the shoreline and within a specific time frame. 

These zones are established and managed by the Oregon State Marine Board. 

Angling enhancement zone - Specific area designed to enhance the angling watercraft recreational 

experience by prohibiting boat anchoring within a specific area of the shoreline during the 

primary fishing seasons. Most angling enhancement zones are outside the motorized tour boat 

season of use. The objective is for the maximum number of anglers to have an opportunity to use 

prime fishing holes. These zones are similar to anchoring prohibited zones, however, these zones 

could be accomplished through special BLM stipulations or through user education. 

Annual daily schedule - An element of some alternatives that establishes a permit stipulation 

requiring a schedule. The purpose is to inform other users of the approximate time motorized 

tour boats (MTBs) plan to pass certain points on the river. The MTB permittee would provide the 

schedule to BLM by April 1 prior to each use season. 

Applegate Reach - The upper river stretch in the Hellgate Recreation Area from the confluence of the 

Applegate River to Hog Creek. 

Aquatic - Living or growing in or on the water. 

Aquatic habitat - Standing or flowing water that satisfies survival requirements for terrestrial or 

aquatic species during at least a portion of their life cycle. 

29 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Archaeological site - Geographic locale containing structures, artifacts, material remains, and/or 

other evidence of past human activity. 

Artifi cial structures - Constructed cavities, such as bird houses, that provide shelter for wildlife. 

Back Country Byway - Vehicle routes that traverse scenic corridors utilizing secondary or back 

country road systems. National back country byways are designated by the type of road and 

vehicle needed to travel the byway. 

Baseline - Starting point for analysis of environmental consequences; may be the conditions at a point 

in time or the average of a set of data collected over a specified number of years. 

Basic site protection measures - Engineering techniques designed to reduce or control recreation 

impacts. In campsites, basic site protection measures could include tent pads, toilets, footpaths, 

steps, and vegetative plantings (see Campsite Hardening). 

Big game - Large mammals that are hunted, such as Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and black bear. 

Biological corridor - A more or less continuous connection between habitats that allows for 

movement from one region to another. 

BLM-administered lands - Any land or interest (e.g., property with scenic easements) in land 

managed by the federal government and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through 

the BLM. 

Boat - All fl oating watercraft. 

Boater - Any person who utilizes floating watercraft for river transportation. 

Bureau assessment species - Additional species designated by a BLM State Director besides Bureau 

Sensitive; this species category pertains only to the states of Oregon/Washington; they are species 

not currently eligible for official federal or state status but are of concern in these states; they, at a 

minimum, need protection or mitigation in BLM activities. 

Bureau sensitive species - Those species designated by State Director, usually in cooperation with 

a State agency responsible for managing the species and State Natural heritage programs, as 

sensitive. They are those species that: (1) could become endangered in or extirpated from a 

state, or within a significant portion of its distribution; (2) are under status review by the FWS 

and/or NMFS; (3) are undergoing significant current or predicted downward trends in habitat 

capability that would reduce species’ existing distribution; (4) are undergoing signifi cant current 

or predicted downward trends in population or density such that federal listed, proposed, 

candidate, or state listed status may become necessary; (5) typically have small and widely 

dispersed populations; (6) inhabit ecological refugia or other specialized or unique habitats; or (7) 

are state listed but which may be better conserved through application of BLM sensitive species 

status. 

Bureau tracking species - These species are not considered as special status species for management 

purposes. These species may become of concern in the future, so districts are encouraged to 

collect occurrence data for more information to determine if species will need status within the 

state. 

Camp areas, primitive - An area without designated campsites and specified for both day and 

overnight use. It does not provide improvements for visitor comfort or sanitation. 

Campground, developed - An area having designated campsites and specified for both day and 

overnight use. It contains improvements for visitor comfort and sanitary facilities, such as toilets, 

drinking water, tables, and trash receptacles. 

30 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Camping - Outdoor living for recreation. 

Campsite hardening - Measures to reduce camper impact on the natural resources. Example: paving 

a footpath (see Basic Site Protection Measures). 

Campsite rehabilitation - Measures to restore damaged campsites and to prevent further damage to 

natural resources, such as planting grass and shrubs. 

Campsite, suitable - A site with soil, vegetation, and slope conditions capable of accommodating 

camping use without causing significant damage to the basic resources. 

Candidate species - Those plants and animals included in Federal Register Notices of Review that are 

being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or the National Marine Fisheries 

Services (NMFS) for listing as threatened or endangered. 

Casual use - Activities ordinarily resulting in negligible disturbance of federal lands and resources. 

Cavity excavator - A wildlife species that digs or chips out cavities in wood to provide a nesting, 

roosting, or foraging site. 

Cavity nester - A wildlife species that nests in cavities. 

Chemical spills - Accidental releases of chemical products that have the potential for damaging 

natural or human resources. 

Client - A paying member of a guided or outfi tted group. 

Commercial use - The use of public lands and related waters for business or fi nancial gain. 

Commodity resources - Goods, products, or services of economic use or value. 

Community stability - Capacity of a community (incorporated town or county) to absorb and cope 

with change without major hardship to institutions or groups within the community. 

Concern - A management topic of public interest that is not well enough defined to become a 

planning issue and does not involve either controversy or dispute over resource management 

activities or allocations nor lend itself to designating management alternatives. A concern may be 

addressed in analysis, background documents, procedures, or a noncontroversial decision. 

Congressionally-designated areas - Areas that require congressional enactment for their 

establishment, such as National Wilderness Areas, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, and National 

Recreation Areas. 

Conservation release season - Time for releasing water either stored or held back during the 

conservation storage season. The release season is based upon stream flow and temperature 

objectives, primarily for fishery enhancement. Release for Applegate and Lost Creek reservoirs, as 

set by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, is May 1 through October 31. 

Conservation storage season - Time when water is stored or held back for release at later time to 

meet water needs for fishery enhancement, irrigation, or municipal and domestic water uses. 

Storage season for Applegate and Lost Creek reservoirs, as set by the United States Army Corps 

of Engineers, is February 1 through April 30. Storage allocations during the conservation season 

total 180,000 acre feet (125,000 acre feet for fishery enhancement; 35,000 acre feet for future 

irrigation needs; and 20,000 acre feet for future municipal and domestic water needs). 

31 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Consistency - The adherence, under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, of BLM resource 

management plans to the terms, conditions, and decisions of officially approved and adopted 

resource related plans or, in their absence, with policies and programs of other federal agencies, 

state and local governments, and Indian tribes, so long as the plans are also consistent with the 

purposes, policies, and programs of federal laws and regulations applicable to BLM-administered 

lands. 

Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) - An advisory council to the President established by 

the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. It reviews federal programs for their effect on 

the environment, conducts environmental studies, and advises the President on environmental 

matters. 

County lands - Any land or interest in land managed by a specific county, such as Josephine County 

for this plan. 

Crucial habitat - Habitat that is basic to maintaining viable populations of fish or wildlife during 

certain seasons of the year or specific reproduction periods. 

Cultural resources - Remains of human activity, occupation, or endeavor reflected in archaeological 

or historic districts, sites, structures, buildings, objects, artifacts, ruins, works of art, and 

architecture; and natural features of importance in past human activities and cultural practices. 

Cultural resources consist of: (1) physical remains; (2) locations of significant human events in the 

past, or locations for traditional cultural practices, even though physical evidence of those events 

and practices may not exist; and (3) those elements of the natural setting that contribute to a site’s 

historic cultural significance. 

Daily use - Time of day when a permitted activity is prescribed to occur. 

Day-use area, developed - An area designated as day-use only. It contains improvements for comfort 

and sanitation, such as toilets, drinking water, tables, and trash receptacles. 

Day-use area, primitive - An area designated as day-use only, but without improvements for comfort 

or sanitation. 

Day-use parking pass - An annual permit required by the BLM when parking in BLM-administered 

day-use areas, including camping areas, within the Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Dedicated fund - A common pool of monies from fees collected by all the managing agencies and 

only expended for the benefit of the resources and users of the Hellgate Recreation Area. BLM’s 

participation would require congressional legislation. 

Dispersed recreation - Outdoor activities that occur over relatively large areas. Facilities or 

developments are provided primarily for access and protection of the environment rather than 

user comfort or convenience. 

Diversity - The distribution and abundance of different plant and animal communities and species 

within an area. 

Dunn Reach - The portion of the Rogue River within the Hellgate Recreation Area from Hog Creek to 

Grave Creek. 

Economic impact area - For purposes of this plan, Jackson and Josephine counties. 

Economic impact coefficients - Factors affecting the economy, such as dollars earned and/or spent 

and jobs created and/or abolished. Dollar and job coefficients were developed for every 10,000 

visitors in several different recreational activity types and lodging types within the Hellgate 

Recreation Area. For example, the job coefficient for every 10,000 private floaters is 2.69; 10.76 

32 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

jobs would be created in Jackson and Josephine counties for 40,000 private floaters using the 

recreation area in one year. 

Economic input-output model - A model showing linkages between sectors of an economy, including 

exports from the economy. The model is useful in evaluating how changes in final demand affect 

the total economy activity within an impact area. 

Effects - Impacts or consequences occurring directly, indirectly, or cumulatively in the following 

categories: aesthetic, historic, cultural, economic, social, health, or ecological (such as the effects 

on natural resources and on the components, structures, and functioning of affected ecosystems). 

Cumulative effects - Environmental impact which results from the incremental impact of the 

identified actions when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions 

regardless of what agency (federal or non-federal) or person undertakes such other actions. 

Cumulative effects can result from individually minor, but collectively signifi cant, actions 

occurring over a period of time.

 Direct effects - Impacts caused by the action and occur at the same time and place.

 Indirect effects - Impacts caused by the action and occur later in time and place, or farther 

removed in the distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable. 

Endangered species - Any species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its 

range, and identified by the Secretary of the Interior as endangered in accordance with the 1973 

Endangered Species Act. 

Environmental analysis - An evaluation of alternative actions and their predictable short-term 

and long-term environmental effects, incorporating physical, biological, economic, and social 

considerations. 

Environmental assessment - A concise public document that analyzes the environmental impacts of a 

proposed federal action and provides sufficient evidence to determine the level of signifi cance of 

the impacts. 

Environmental impact - The positive or negative effect of any action upon a given area or resource as 

measured relative to the existing condition. 

Environmental impact statement (EIS) - A detailed written statement required by the National 

Environmental Policy Act when an agency proposes a major federal action signifi cantly affecting 

the quality of the human environment. 

Ephemeral streams - Streams that contain running water only sporadically, such as during and 

following storm events. 

Erosion - Detachment and movement of soil or rock fragments by water, wind, ice, gravity, people, 

watercraft, and vehicles. 

Erosion sensitive areas - Areas of riverbank having limited or severe erosion potential. 

Extensive recreation management areas (ERMAs) - All BLM-administered lands outside special 

recreation management areas, possibly including developed and primitive recreation sites with 

minimal facilities. 

Fall chinook spawning area - An element of some alternatives to inventory and manage specific 

areas where fall chinook spawn. 

33 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Fire hazard - A fuel complex defined by kind, arrangement, volume, condition, and location that 

forms a threat of ignition, spread, and difficulty of suppression. 

Fire protection - Prevention efforts to protect an area from wildfire, including public contact, patrol, 

sign posting, and regulated use closures. 

Fire risk - The chance of potential ignition sources to cause a fire that threatens valuable resources, 

property, or life. 

First mate - Additional person on a motorized tour boat to assist the boat operator. 

Fish-bearing streams - Stream that has fish present for a portion of the year as part of their life cycle. 

Float-in campsite - A campsite accessible only by watercraft. Minimum development is a toilet; 

maximum development may include toilets, fire pits, picnic tables, and trash cans. 

Flood plain - The relatively flat area or lowlands adjoining a body of standing or fl owing water 

which has been or might be covered by fl oodwater. 

Flood season - Most likely time for an area to flood. For the Rogue River, usually from November 1 

through January 31. 

Fry - Tiny fish, measuring approximately 1-inch long, that emerge from the gravel after the alevins 

deplete their yolk sac. Fry stay in calm pools of water to search for food. 

Goal - The purpose of directing an effort. 

Gravel recruitment - Downstream movement of gravel caused by high volume of water fl ow. 

Ground cover - Grasses or other plants that stabilize soil, preventing the soil from being blown or 

washed away. 

Group - Motorized tour boats trips scheduled to travel together to limit the duration of encounters 

with other users. 

Group/party size - The number of people in a boating or camping trip, including guides and any 

support personnel. 

Guide - A person who, for a fee, provides services by leading one or more persons in outdoor 

recreation activities. 

Guide permit - A license issued by the Oregon State Marine Board to provide guide services. 

Habitat - A specific set of physical conditions that surround a species, group of species, or a large 

community. 

Haul-back- The act of angling through a fishing hole, then utilizing a motor to haul the boat back to 

the beginning of the hole for multiple angling passes. 

Hellgate Recreation Area - A 27-mile corridor of the Rogue River, from approximately its confluence 

with the Applegate River to Grave Creek, determined by Congress to meet the objectives for a 

recreational river in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The area encompasses about 

5,500 acres of BLM-administered land (see Wild and Scenic Rivers System). 

Historic site - Areas or sites relating to European, American, and Asian immigrants in southwest 

Oregon. 

34 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Impact - Environmental consequences (the scientific and analytical basis for comparison of 

alternatives) as a result of a proposed action. 

Indicator species - A prevalent species which can be used for the purpose of observing impacts to 

that one species and similar species. 

Instream water right - A legal right to the use of water that remains in the stream, such as for fish, 

recreation, or pollution abatement. 

Interdisciplinary team - A group of individuals, each knowledgeable in various disciplines, who are 

assembled to solve a problem or perform a task. 

Interim stipulation - Temporary guidance to protect resource values until guidelines are established 

through the planning process. 

Intermittent stream - A stream that flows most of the time, but occasionally is dry or reduced to 

pools. 

Interpretive services - Methods of putting information into a form that visitors have the ability and 

desire to understand. 

Issue - A subject or question of widespread public discussion or interest regarding management of 

a geographic area, usually identified during scoping and addressed in alternative design. Issues 

can be unresolved questions about management actions and/or a resource use that may have 

significant or unacceptable environmental impacts. 

Landing site - Riverbank location where boats are taken from the river. 

Launch site - Riverbank location where boats are placed on the river. 

Leave No Trace - A national public education program that strives to teach outdoor recreationists 

how to minimize their impacts on the environment. 

Level of service (LOS) - A qualitative measure describing operational conditions within a traffic 

stream, generally described in terms of such factors as speed and travel time, freedom to 

maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort and convenience, and safety. 

Light scattering - The sum of the scattering caused by gasses and the scattering caused by suspended 

particles in the atmosphere. 

Limited entry system - A system that restricts the number of participants in an activity to meet 

certain management objectives. 

Listed species - A species officially listed as threatened or endangered by the Secretary of the Interior 

under the provisions of the ESA. 

Locatable minerals - Minerals (including valuable deposits of gold, silver, and other uncommon 

minerals) subject to exploration, development, and disposal by staking mining claims as 

authorized by the Mining Law of 1872 (as amended). 

Long-term - The period starting 10 years beyond initial implementation of the revised Hellgate 

Recreation Area Management Plan. 

Management presence - Means of conveying to visitors which agency manages an area. The most 

common form of management presence is onsite uniformed personnel. 

35 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Mineral estate - The ownership of minerals, including rights necessary for access, exploration, 

development, mining, ore dressing, and transportation operations. 

Mineral withdrawal - A formal order that withholds federal lands and minerals from entry under 

the Mining Law of 1872 and closes the area to mineral location (staking mining claims) and 

development. 

Minimum streamflow - Quantity of water needed to maintain existing and planned in-place uses of 

water in or along a stream channel or other water body and to maintain the natural character of 

the aquatic system and its dependent systems. 

Mining claims - Portions of public lands claimed for possession of locatable mineral deposits by 

locating and recording under established rules and pursuant to the 1872 Mining Law. 

Mitigating measures - Methods or procedures that reduce or lessen the impacts of an action. 

Monitoring/evaluation - The periodic observation and orderly collection of data on: 1) changing 

conditions of public land related to management actions, and 2) the effects of implementing 

decisions. 

Motor vehicle - Any self-propelled vehicle, including motorized boats and aircraft. 

Motorboat sound levels - Levels of sound (measured in decibels by a stationary test) that are 

emitted during operation of motorboat engines. The maximum allowed is 90 dBA for engines 

manufactured prior to January 1, 1993 and 99 dBA for engines manufactured that date or later 

(see Sound level/loudness), with exemptions possible for special activities, such as regattas, boat 

races, or speed trials. 

Motorized boating - Boating that involves motorized watercraft, regardless of the motor’s 

horsepower rating. The “kicker” (a small horsepower motor) presently used by some drift boat 

anglers is considered motorized. 

Motorized fi shing boat - Motorized fishing craft for commercial use. The boat operator is usually 

an “operator of an uninspected passenger vessel” (OUPV). A “six pack” or an OUPV license is 

required of fishing guides or charter vessel operators to carry six or fewer paying passengers. The 

U.S. Coast Guard issues the licenses. 

Motorized tour boat (MTB) - Any motorized boat carrying seven or more paying passengers. An 

MTB operator must have at least a “limited master’s” license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. 

All MTBs have been issued a certificate of inspection (COI) by the Coast Guard. The COI lists 

conditions that MTBs must satisfy to comply with applicable laws, rules, and regulations relating 

to safe construction, equipment, manning, and operation. The COI also requires MTBs be in a 

seaworthy condition for the services they are operated. 

Multiple use - The use of land or water resources for more than one purpose, such as angling, 

floating, motorized boating, and homeowner activities. 

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) - An act that encourages productive and 

enjoyable harmony between humankind and the environment, promotes efforts that prevent 

or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere, stimulates the health and welfare of 

humanity, enriches the understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important 

to the nation, and establishes a Council on Environmental Quality. 

National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) - A register of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and 

objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, and culture, established by the 

“Historic Preservation Act” of 1966 and maintained by the Secretary of the Interior. 

36 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System - A system of nationally designated rivers and their 

immediate environments that have outstanding scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, 

historic, cultural, and other similar values and are preserved in a free-flowing condition. The 

system consists of three types of streams: (1) recreation—rivers or sections of rivers that are 

readily accessible by road or railroad and that my have some development along their shorelines 

and may have undergone some impoundments or diversion in the past; (2) scenic—rivers or 

sections of rivers free of impoundments with shorelines or watersheds still largely undeveloped 

but accessible in places by roads; and (3) wild— rivers or sections of rivers free of impoundments 

and generally inaccessible except by trails, with watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive 

and waters unpolluted. 

Native species - Plants or animals that are natural to an area. 

Noise - Any sound that is unwanted by the listener, presumably because it is unpleasant or 

bothersome, interferes with the perception of the wanted sound, or is physiologically harmful. 

Noise standards - Measurements of sound used to determine the point at which sound becomes 

unpleasant or bothersome to humans. 

Noncommercial - Activity with bona fide cost sharing among all participants (see Private Use). 

Nongame wildlife - All wild vertebrate and invertebrate animals not subject to sport hunting or 

trapping (furbearers). 

Nonmotorized boating - Boating that involves use of a watercraft without any type of motor. 

No anchor zone - See Anchoring Prohibited Zones. 

Notice of display - A stipulation of motorized tour boats requiring them to inform other users of the 

number of boats in a group and their sequence. The notice must be legible from both riverbanks. 

No-wake zone - An area where boat speed is reduced to 5 mph or less to minimize the wake. In these 

zones, boats are to proceed off plane and at such a speed so that a minimal wake is generated. 

No-wake zones are intended to minimize soil erosion in erosion sensitive areas and are in 

place near swimming areas, near people working at water level, and at boat ramps to prevent 

disturbance to others. 

Noxious plant - A plant species designated by Federal or State law as generally possessing one or 

more of the following characteristics: aggressive and difficult to manage; parasitic; a carrier or 

host of serious insects or disease; or nonnative, new, or not common to the United States. 

Number of trips - Part of alternative design that refers to watercraft trips; round trips for motorized 

tour boats, either one-way or round for other motorized watercraft, and one-way trips for nonmotorized fl oat craft. 

Number of visitors - Estimated annual number of visitors resulting from the different alternatives, 

but not part of alternative design. The number of visitors is an environmental consequence. 

O & C lands - Public lands granted to the Oregon and California Railroad Company and 

subsequently revested to the United States. 

Objectives - A description of a desired condition for a resource. Objectives can be quantifi ed and 

measured and, where possible, have established time frames for achievement. 

37 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) - Off-highway vehicles, as addressed by Oregon Revised Statute, 

Chapter 821, is any unlicensed vehicle designed for cross-country travel or other natural terrain. 

These vehicles are classified into three different categories: Class I - vehicles less than 50 inches 

wide with three or more low pressure tire, commonly referred to as a “quad”; Class II - a vehicle 

that weighs between 800 and 8,000 pounds, commonly referred to as a “dune buggy”; and Class 

III - a vehicle weighing less than 600 pounds and travels on two tires, commonly referred to as 

a “dirt bike”. Any motorized vehicle capable of, or designed for, travel on or immediately over 

land, water, or other natural terrain, excluding emergency vehicles and vehicles in offi cial use. 

Off-highway vehicle designations -

Open - Designated areas and trails where off-highway vehicles may be operated subject to 

operating regulations and vehicle standards set forth in BLM Manuals 8341 and 8343.

 Limited - Designated areas and trails where off-highway vehicles are subject to restrictions 

limiting the number or types of vehicles, date and time of use; limited to existing or designated 

roads and trails.

 Closed - Areas and trails where off-highway vehicles are permanently or temporarily prohibited, 

except for emergency use. 

Off-plane area - An area where boats are required to slow down. Boats proceed off plane at a safe 

speed where wake is not a critical factor in areas of heavy traffic or where passage is narrow. 

Onsite management - Regulations, restrictions, facilities, policies, services, or controls that limit or 

influence how people use an area or resource. 

Oregon scenic waterways - Waterways selected, per the Oregon Scenic Waterways Act of 1970, for 

protection or enhancement of special river attributes. The act was initiated by a citizens’ initiative 

and places primary emphasis on aesthetic, scenic, fish and wildlife, scientific, and recreational 

features. An 84-mile reach of the Rogue River, from the Applegate River downstream to Lobster 

Creek Bridge, was one of the original six scenic waterways. Administration of scenic waterways, 

including a distance of one-quarter mile from each riverbank, is mandated to maintain the 

existing character of the river environment. 

Outfitter - A commercial dealer providing guides, equipment, or supplies for outdoor recreational 

activities, including angling, camping, fi shing, and floating. 

Outstandingly remarkable values - Section 10(a) of the WSRA states that: “Each component of the 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers System shall be administered in such a manner as to protect and 

enhance the values which caused it to be included in said system without, insofar as is consistent 

therewith, limiting other uses that do not substantially interfere with public use and enjoyment of 

these values. In such administration, primary emphasis shall be given to protecting its aesthetic, 

scenic, historic, archaeologic, and scientific features. Management plans for any such component 

may establish varying degrees of intensity for its protection and development, based on the 

special attributes of the area.” 

Paleontological resource - The physical remains of plants and animals preserved in soils and 

sedimentary rock formations. Paleontological resources are important for understanding past 

environments, environmental change, and the evolution of life. 

Partnerships - Two or more individuals or groups in cooperation with one another because of a 

common interest in a river resource or some management facet. The cooperation may involve 

issue identification, inventories and studies, alternative design, ownership, funding, staffi ng, and 

management. 

38 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Pass-through zone - An area of streambank where boaters are prohibited from stopping as a means 

of enhancing the safe navigation of all watercraft in an area. In this defined length of the river, all 

floating watercraft are prohibited from anchoring, stopping, or holding from August 1 through 

September 30. 

Passerine birds - Birds of the order Passeriformes, which includes perching birds and songbirds, such 

as black birds, jays, finches, warblers, and sparrows. More than half of all birds belong to this 

order. 

Peak flow - The highest amount of stream or river flow occurring in a year or from a single storm 

event. 

Perennial stream - A stream that typically has running water on a year-around basis. 

Performance evaluation - An annual evaluation conducted by BLM on the professional performance 

of a permittee (outfitter) as a means of assuring compliance with permit stipulations and 

regulations concerning public safety. 

Permit system - A method of regulating use of a public resource through issuance of permits. 

Permittee - An outfitter who holds a permit issued by BLM to use BLM-administered land or water 

for fi nancial gain. 

Personal income - The sum of wage and salary disbursements, other labor income, proprietors’ 

income, rental income of persons, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and 

transfer payments to persons, less personal contributions for social insurance. 

Personal watercraft - A small class “A” motorboat that: 1) uses an outboard motor or an inboard 

motor powering a water ski pump as its primary source of power; and 2) is designed to be 

operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on a vessel unlike the conventional manner 

of sitting or standing inside a vessel; includes jet skis. Personal watercraft is prohibited in the 

Hellgate Recreation Area and are regulated by OSMB. 

pH - A measure of acidity or hydrogen ion activity. Neutral is pH 7.0. All values below 7.0 are acidic, 

and all values above 7.0 are alkaline. 

Plan - A document that contains a set of comprehensive, long range decisions concerning the use and 

management of Bureau administered resources in a specific geographic area. 

Plan amendment - A change in the terms, conditions, or decisions of a resource management plan. 

Plan maintenance - Any documented minor change that interprets, clarifies, or refines a decision 

within a resource management plan, but does not change the scope or conditions of that decision. 

Planning area - A geographical area for which plans are developed and maintained. BLM planning 

decisions apply only to BLM-administered lands and mineral estate. 

Planning issue - See Issue. 

Prehistoric - The period wherein Native American cultural activities took place which were not yet 

influenced by contact with historic nonnative culture(s). 

Prescribed fire - The introduction of fire to an area under regulated conditions for specific 

management purposes. 

Presuppression - All actions involved in the location or allocation of suppression resources in order 

to be prepared to suppress wildand fi res. 

39 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Private motorized boating - Noncommercial motorized boating.

 Private use - The use of public lands and related waters in which there is no business involvement or 

financial gain (see Noncommercial). 

Proposed species - Plant, animal, or fish species that have been officially proposed for listing as 

threatened or endangered by the Secretary of the Interior. A proposed rule has been published in 

the Federal Register. 

Public contact person - An individual assigned to provide information to the public in person. 

Public domain lands - Original holdings of the United States that were never granted or conveyed to 

other jurisdictions or that were reacquired by exchange for other public domain lands. 

Public lands and related waters - Lands and interest in lands administered by the BLM. Related 

waters are waters that lie directly over or adjacent to public lands and require some management 

control to protect federally-administered resources or to provide for enhanced visitor safety (see 

BLM-administered lands). 

Racing-motorboat testing areas - Areas on the river where tests of racing motorboats are allowed. 

Raptor - Birds of prey with sharp talons and strongly curved beaks, such as hawks, owls, vultures, 

and eagles. 

Rearing habitat - Areas in rivers or streams where juvenile salmon and trout find food and shelter to 

live and grow. 

Recovery plan - A management strategy for the conservation and survival of an endangered or 

threatened species listed under the Endangered Species Act, the purpose being to improve the 

status of the species to make continued listing unnecessary. 

Recreation - Use of leisure time to provide personal satisfaction and enjoyment and contribute to the 

renewal and refreshment of one’s body, mind, and spirit. 

Recreational river - See National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

Recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) - A framework for stratifying and defining classes of 

outdoor recreation environments, activities, and experience opportunities. The settings, activities, 

and opportunities for experiences are arranged along a continuum or spectrum divided into six 

classes: primitive, semiprimitive nonmotorized, semiprimitive motorized, roaded natural, rural, 

and urban. The resulting analysis defi nes specific geographic areas on the ground, each of which 

encompasses one of the six classes. 

Recreation site - A setting that provides an opportunity for enjoying the outdoors. 

Redd - The spawning ground or nest of various fishes. 

Resource management plan (RMP) - A land use plan prepared by the BLM under current regulations 

in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. 

Right-of-way - A permit or a easement which authorizes the use of public lands for certain specified 

purposes, commonly for pipelines, roads, telephone lines, electric lines, reservoirs, and 

communication sites; also, the lands covered by such an easement or permit. 

40 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Riparian area - A geographic area containing an aquatic ecosystem and adjacent upland areas that 

directly affect it. This includes floodplain, woodlands, and all areas within a horizontal distance 

of approximately 100 feet from the normal line of high water of a stream channel or from the 

shoreline of a standing body of water. 

Riparian reserve - Designated riparian areas found outside the Late-Successional Reserves. 

River community areas - Areas identified and managed by the Oregon State Parks and Recreation 

Department under the Oregon Scenic Waterways system. River community areas within the 

Hellgate Recreation Area include platted subdivisions and plotted tracts existing in 1970. 

River ranger - A uniformed person with citation authority assigned to do law enforcement on BLMadministered land or water within the Hellgate Recreation Area. 

River reach - An element that divides the Rogue River into the Applegate Reach and the Dunn Reach 

for the purpose of analysis and management in the Hellgate Recreation Area. The Applegate 

Reach is the upper river stretch, at the start of the Hellgate Recreation Area (a small distance 

upstream of the Applegate River) to Hog Creek. The Dunn Reach is the lower river stretch from 

Hog Creek to the Grave Creek Boat Landing. 

Rogue River studies program - A comprehensive studies program, including contracted and agency 

inventories and studies, that represents the facts of the planning process used in revising the 

Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan. 

Rural interface areas - Areas where BLM-administered lands are adjacent to or intermingled with 

privately-owned lands that either already have residential development or are zoned for 1- to 20-

acre lots. 

Safety sites of concern (SOC) - An element of some alternatives that identifies areas on the Rogue 

River between Grants Pass and Grave Creek having boating safety concerns. Examples: channels 

that limit watercraft operational options; and bank conditions that limit line-of-sight. 

Salmonid - Any fish of the Salmonidae family, including salmon and trout. 

Scenic quality - Relative worth of a landscape from a visual perception. 

Scenic river - See National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

Scoping - Process of identifying the range of issues, management concerns, preliminary alternatives, 

and other components of an environmental impact statement or land-use planning document. It 

involves both internal and public viewpoints. 

Season of use - Part of the year when an activity may occur. 

Sediment - Soil, rock particles, and organic or other debris carried from one place to another by wind, 

water, or gravity. 

Sensitive wildlife habitat - Habitat, such as riparian areas, that are crucial to wildlife for nesting, 

rearing, feeding, or cover. 

Short-term - Period of time during which the revised Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan will 

be implemented; assumed to be 10 years. 

Shuttle driver - A person who shuttles people or equipment (e.g., personal vehicles and watercraft) 

for a fee. 

41 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Shuttle service - Hauling of people, boats, vehicles, or other equipment for a fee. 

Smoke management - Conducting a prescribed fire under suitable fuel moisture and meteorological 

conditions and with firing techniques to contain smoke impact on the environment within 

designated limits. 

Socioeconomic impacts - Employment and income effects of different management options. 

Sound frequency/hertz - Frequency is the rapidity or slowness of air vibrations (sound) that 

determines the sound’s basic quality; the alternate push and relaxation against air is expressed as 

cycles per second (cps) or hertz (Hz). 

Sound level/loudness - Weighted sound pressure level measured by use of a sound meter with an 

“A” frequency weighing scale, which most closely approximates what the human ear hears; 

reported as decibels. 

Sound sensitive area - Area where sound is managed. Management could be through special BLM 

stipulations for commercial users and/or education for private users. 

Sound sensitive property - Property that is sound sensitive, such as residential property or property 

used for schools, churches, hospitals, public libraries, or other property that meets these criteria 

in more than an incidental manner. 

Special recreation management area (SRMA) - Areas which require explicit recreation management 

to achieve recreation objectives and provide specific recreation opportunities. The BLMadministered portion of the National Wild and Scenic Rogue River is a SRMA. 

Special status species - Includes proposed species, listed species, and candidate species under the 

ESA; State-listed species; and BLM State Director-designated sensitive species. 

Species diversity - The number, different kinds of, and relative abundances of species present in a 

given area. 

Stakeholders - Individuals or groups with an interest in a river resource or in some aspect of river 

management (see Partnerships). 

Standard - A description of the physical and biological conditions or degree of function required for 

healthy, sustainable lands. 

State Historic Preservation Officer - The state official designated to coordinate state historic 

preservation programs, including identification and nomination of eligible properties to the 

National Register and cooperation with federal agencies to ensure implementation of the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. 

State lands - Land or interest in land managed by a government agency for the State of Oregon. 

State listed species - Species listed by a state in a category implying, but not limited to, potential 

endangerment or extinction. Listing is either by legislation or regulation. 

Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) - A plan prepared by the Oregon 

State Parks and Recreation Department that describes and analyzes the organization and function 

of the state’s outdoor recreation system, including an analysis of the roles and responsibilities of 

major outdoor recreation suppliers; an analysis of demand, supply, and needs; issue discussions; 

an action program to address the issues; and a project selection process. 

Stewardship - Responsible care of land, water, other natural resources, or recreational resources. 

42 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Stream class - A stream classification system established in the Oregon Forest Practices Act. Class I 

streams are significant for: domestic use; angling; water dependent recreation; and spawning, 

rearing, or migration of anadromous or game fish. All other streams are Class II. 

Streamflow levels and instream water rights - Minimum streamflows and instream water rights 

can be set to minimize the effects of pollution and for maintaining recreational uses. Minimum 

streamflows were set for the Rogue River, including the Hellgate Recreation Area, for recreation, 

fish, and wildlife. 

Stream order - A stream classification system based on the number of tributaries a stream has. The 

smallest unbranched tribuary in a watershed is designated an Order 1 stream. A stream formed 

by the confluence of two Order 1 streams is designated an Order 2 stream. A stream formed by 

the confluence of two Order 2 streams is designated an Order 3 stream, and so on. 

Threatened species - Any plant or animal species defined under the Endangered Species Act as likely 

to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its 

range; listings are published in the Federal Register. 

Threshold - Factors that limit use over time or space, including ecological or resource, physical or 

space, facility, or social constraints—all of which can fluctuate as social and environmental factors 

change. 

Thrill power maneuver - Powerboat movement that is not necessary for navigation, but is conducted 

to enhance the passenger’s experience. 

Thrill power maneuver areas - Areas where thrill power maneuvers are identified as appropriate. 

These areas would be outside of erosion sensitive areas, no-wake zones, sound sensitive areas, 

boat ramps, and designated swimming areas. 

Traditional uses - Types of recreational activities occurring in 1968 when the National Wild and 

Scenic Rivers Act passed. 

Travel corridor - A route that allows more or less uninhibited movement of animals from one region 

to another. 

Turbidity - An interference to the passage of light through water due to insoluble particles of soil, 

organics, microorganisms, and other materials. 

Unique ecosystems - Ecosystems that have special habitat features, such as talus slopes, meadows, 

and wetlands. 

Use limits - The amount and type of recreational use an area can accommodate without altering 

either the environment or the user’s experience beyond the degree of change deemed acceptable 

by management objectives for the area. 

User fee - A fee assessed all visitors by watercraft or vehicle, both commercial and private, for the cost 

of managing the recreational river resources and providing facilities. 

Vehicles Per Hour (VPH) - The number of vehicles that pass any given point in one hour. 

Viability - Ability of a wildlife or plant population to maintain a specific population for a specified 

length of time. 

Viable population - A wildlife or plant population that contains an adequate number of reproductive 

individuals appropriately distributed to ensure the long-term existence of the species. 

43 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Visitor services - Methods of providing information to the public on outdoor recreation 

opportunities, local natural and cultural history, regulations, use guidelines, and safety. 

Services emphasize protecting and maintaining resources, protecting visitors, promoting wise 

use, reducing conflicts between users or types of use, encouraging visitor cooperation and 

involvement in managing public lands, and increasing visitor understanding and support of 

multiple-use management. 

Visitor use - Number and type of visitors, both commercial and private, classified as activity and 

lodging types:

 Activity types - Motorized tour boats, private fl oats, guided floats, private bank anglers, private 

boat anglers, guided anglers, day-use, BLM and Josephine County campgrounds, lodging, and 

miscellaneous.

 Lodging types - Hotel/motel, campsite, family/friends, and day-use only. 

Visitor use day - Use of all or part of a day by a visitor. 

Visitor use, primary season - Time of year when most visitor days or watercraft days occur; May 1-

September 30 in the Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Visitor use, secondary season - Time of year outside of the primary visitor use season; October 1-

April 30 in the Hellgate Recreation Area. 

Visual management classes - Four categories (I, II, III and IV) assigned to BLM lands based on scenic 

quality, sensitivity level, and distance zones—each having an objective that prescribes the amount 

of modification allowed in the landscape. 

Visual resources - The visible physical features of a landscape (topography, water, vegetation, 

animals, structures, and other features) that constitute the scenery of an area. 

Visual resource management (VRM) - Inventory and planning actions to identify visual values and 

to establish objectives and design management for protecting those values. 

Watercraft day - One watercraft used for all or part of a day by one or more persons. 

Water quality - Chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water with respect to its 

suitability for a particular use. 

Wetlands - Areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water often and long enough 

to support and, under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically 

adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. 

Wildfire - Any unwanted wildland fi re. 

Wild river - See National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

Withdrawal - An action that restricts the use of public lands by removing them from the operation of 

some or all of the public land or mining laws. 

44 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Acronyms

ACOEArmy Corps of Engineers 

ACS Aquatic Conservation Strategy 

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

ARPA Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 

BLM Bureau of Land Management 

CEQ Council on Environmental Quality 

CFR Code of Federal Regulations 

COI Certificate of Inspection 

DEIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

EA Environmental Assessment 

EFH Essential Fish Habitat 

ESA Endangered Species Act of 1973 

FEIS Final Environmental Impact Statement 

FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act 

FR Federal Register 

FSEIS Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 

HR House Report 

HRA Hellgate Recreation Area 

IB Information Bulletin 

MTB Motorized Tour Boat 

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service 

OAR Oregon Administrative Rules 

ODEQ Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 

OPRD Oregon Parks and Recreation Development 

ORS Oregon Revised Statutes 

ORV Outstandingly Remarkable Value 

RAMP Recreation Area Management Plan 

RMP Resource Management Plan 

ROD Record of Decision 

SRP Special Recreation Permit 

TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load 

USDAUnited States Department of Agriculture 

USDI United States Department of the Interior 

USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

VRM Visual Resource Management 

WQMP Water Quality Management Plan 

WSRA Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 

45 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

46 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Bibliography

Economic Strategies Northwest. 1994. Economic Effects Study Summary Report. Lake Oswego, OR. 

Horton, G.E. 1994. Effects of Jet Boats on Salmonid Reproduction in Alaskan Streams. Master thesis. 

Alaska. 

Klingeman, P.C., L.M. Cordes and I. Nam. 1993. Rogue River Erosion/Deposition Study. Civil 

Engineering Department, Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR. 

Satterthwaite, T.D. 1995. Effects of Boat Traffic on Juvenile Salmonids in the Rogue River. Oregon 

Department of Fish and Wildlife. Portland, OR. 

Shindler, B. and B. Shelby. 1993. Rogue River Study: Assessments of Recreation Impacts and User 

Perceptions on the Bureau of Land Management Recreation Section. Department of Forest Resources, 

Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR. 

United States Congress. House. 1968a. Report No. 1623. Providing for a National Scenic Rivers System 

and for Other Purposes. 90th Congress. 2d Session. 

United States Congress. House. 1968b. Report No. 1917. National Wild and Scenic Rivers System: 

Conference Report. 90th Congress. 2d Session. 

United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service, and United States Department of the 

Interior, National Park Service. 1982. Wild and Scenic Rivers Guidelines. Federal Register Vol. 47, 

No. 173. September 7, 1982. 

United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Forest Service, and United States 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 1994a. Final Supplemental Impact 

Statement (FSEIS) on Management of Habitat for Late-Successional and Old-Growth Forest Related 

Species within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. Portland, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 1969. Master Plan for the Rogue 

River Component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 1972. Rogue National Wild and 

Scenic River, Oregon: Notice of Revised Development and Management Plan. Federal Register Vo. 37, 

No. 131, 13408-13416. Washington, D.C. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office. 

1978. Rogue National Wild and Scenic River Activity Plan Hellgate Recreation Section. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 1986. BLM Manual Handbook: 

H-8431-1 – Visual Resource Contrast Rating. Washington, D.C. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Resource Area. 1991. Visitor Use Background Paper for Revising the Hellgate Recreation 

Area Management Plan. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 1992. Prohibited Acts in Rogue 

National Wild and Scenic River Area. Federal Register Vo. 57, No. 110, 24271-24274. Washington, 

D.C. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Resource Area. 1994. Sound Inventory Background Paper for Revising the Hellgate 

Recreation Area Management Plan. Medford, OR. 

47 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office. 1994. 

Final Medford District Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Resource Area. 1995. Revised Visitor Use Background Paper for Revising the Hellgate 

Recreation Area Management Plan. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office. 

1995. Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. 

Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Reource Area. 2000. Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Management Plan/Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Reource Area. 2003. Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

Proposed Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement. Medford, OR. 

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District Office, 

Grants Pass Reource Area. 2004. Memo from Dale Johnson, District Fishery Biologist. Medford, OR. 

United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. FWS ref. #1-15-03-F-112. Roseburg, OR. 

Water Resources Consulting (WRC). 1995. Rogue River Boating Safety and Confl icts Study. Sacramento, 

CA. 

York, R., P. Rowland, and K. Salley. 1994. A Survey of the Attitude of Residents Along the Hellgate 

Recreation Area of the Rogue River Toward User Groups and Their Impact. Department of Psychology, 

Southern Oregon State College. Ashland, OR. 

48 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Appendix A. Figure and Maps

49 
G rants P ass S avage R ap di s Dam C i yt of R ogue R vi er G o dl Hill G o dl R ay Dam p eg l a et R vi er Hel gl a et Canyon ave Creek B lossom Bar F os et r B ar Agness Lobs et r C reek G o dl Beach

U.S . Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

Medford District

F igure 1-1 Management Jurisdiction and Motorized Tour Boat (MTB) Operations

from the Mouth of the R ogue R iver to Gold R ay Dam

R ogue National Wild and S cenic R iver

Oregon S cenic Waterway

Federal R iver Management Classification

R ec. S cenic R ec. Wild R ecreational

Ap G r

MTB

Operations MTB Operations MTB Operations

Middle R ogue C anyon S ection Lower R ogue

Hellgate R ecreation Area

Dunn R each Applegate R each

Federal Management Agency

US Forest S ervice Bureau of Land Management

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

R iver Miles from the Mouth of the R ogue R iver

B.Brown 5/26/00

Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

50 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

51
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

52
Recreation Area Management Plan 

53
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

54
Recreation Area Management Plan 

55
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

56
Recreation Area Management Plan 

57
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

58
Recreation Area Management Plan 

59
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

60
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Appendix B. Legislation, BLM Policies, 

Plans, and Agency Programs 

Legislated Requirements and Management Direction 

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and associated BLM planning 

regulations (43 CFR 1600, 8351.2) and manuals set forth the process for amending, and 

tiering to, a resource management plan. 

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the Council of Environmental 

Quality’s National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR 1500) provide the basic 

national charter for protection of the environment and analysis of major Federal actions. 

The NEPA process is the tool used to analyze the proposed actions of the Federal 

government. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) also provides direction for management 

of the river. This ensures a national mandate to eliminate discrimination against 

individuals with disabilities. The ADA essentially extends to the private sector the rights 

and protections already prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in federal 

government and federally-assisted programs, as mandated by the Architectural Barriers 

Act and Section 504. 

The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA) provides for the protection of 

archaeological resources and sites on public lands. 

Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) to provide a means whereby 

the ecosystems, upon which endangered and threatened species depend, may be 

conserved, and to provide a program for the conservation of such species. Federal land 

managers and other federal agencies must ensure their activities do not jeopardize the 

continued existence of listed species or adversely modify habitat critical to those species. 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 established the wild and scenic rivers system 

(Public Laws 90-542 and 99-590). The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) established a 

method for providing federal protection for certain remaining free-flowing rivers and 

preserving them and their immediate environments. Rivers are included in the system 

so they may benefit from the protective management and control of development for 

which the WSRA provides (USDI 1992b, Appendix 2-WS-2). Listed below are portions of 

several sections of the WSRA that provide the overall framework for managing the river 

or provide the guidance for developing and implementing any proposed management 

action within the river corridor. 

Section 1(b) of the WSRA states: 

“It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers 

of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly 

remarkable scenic, recreational, geological, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or 

other similar values, shall be preserved in a free-flowing condition, and that they 

and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment 

of present and future generations.” 

61 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

The outstandingly remarkable values for the Rogue River, as identified by Congress 

(HR 1917 September 24, 1968 and HR 1623 July 3, 1968); as described in the Master 

Plan for the Rogue River Component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (USDI 

1969); and as described in the 1972 Plan, the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, 

Oregon: Notice of Revised Development and Management Plan (Federal Register Vol. 

37, No. 131, 13408-13416) include natural scenic qualities along the river, fi sh, and 

recreation. Other river-related values that are important, but were not considered 

outstandingly remarkable at the time include cultural and wildlife resources. 

Section 3(b) of the WSRA states: 

“Every wild, scenic, or recreational river in its free flowing condition...shall be 

classified, designated, and administered as one of the following: (1) Wild River 

Areas – Those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments and 

generally inaccessible except by trail; (2) Scenic River Areas – Those rivers or 

sections of rivers that are free of impoundments, with shorelines or watersheds still 

largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by 

roads; and (3) Recreational River Areas – Those rivers or sections of rivers that are 

readily accessible by road or railroad, that may have some development along their 

shorelines, and that may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the 

past. 

The Hellgate Recreation Area was classified as a recreational river. 

Section 7(a) of the WSRA states: 

“No department or agency of the United States shall recommend authorization 

of any water resources project that would have a direct and adverse effect on the 

values for which such river was established...” 

Section 7 of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 USC 1278) requires a rigorous process 

to ensure that proposed water resources projects, implemented or assisted by federal 

agencies within the bed and banks of designated rivers, “do not have a direct and 

adverse effect” on the values for which the river was designated. Water resources projects 

include any dam, water conduit, reservoir, powerhouse, transmission line, or other 

project works under the Federal Power Act, or other construction of developments which 

would affect the free-flowing characteristics of a wild and scenic river. In addition to 

projects licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, water resource projects 

may also include: dams, water diversions, fisheries habitat and watershed restoration/ 

enhancement projects, bridges and other roadway construction/reconstruction projects, 

bank stabilization, channelization, levees, boat ramps, and fishing piers that occur within 

the bed and banks of a designated Wild and Scenic River (IWSRCC 1999) and that affect 

the river’s free-flowing characteristics. These projects include the types of actions along 

the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River that could come up for decision, including 

those projects for which the purposes are to improve the free-flowing condition of the 

river. 

The agency designated as river manager must complete a Section 7 determination to 

assess whether the project proposed, assisted, or permitted by a federal agency would 

directly and adversely affect the values for which the river was designated. Water 

resources projects that have a direct and adverse effect on the values of a designated river 

must either be redesigned and resubmitted for a subsequent Section 7 determination, 

abandoned, or reported to the Secretary of Interior and the United States Congress, in 

accordance with the act. 

Emergency projects (such as repairing a broker sewer line in or near the river) 

may temporarily proceed without Section 7 determination. However, a Section 7 

62 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

determination must be completed in a timely manner upon completion of the project. 

Emergency water resources projects that are later determined to have a direct and 

adverse effect on the river values shall be mitigated based on the findings of the Section 7 

determination. 

Section 10(a) of the WSRA states that: 

“Each component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System shall be 

administered in such a manner as to protect and enhance the values which caused 

it to be included in said system without, insofar as is consistent therewith, limiting 

other uses that do not substantially interfere with public use and enjoyment of these 

values. In such administration, primary emphasis shall be given to protecting its 

aesthetic, scenic, historic, archeaeologic, and scientific features. Management plans 

for any such component may establish varying degrees of intensity for its protection 

and development, based on the special attributes of the area.” 

This section is interpreted by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture as meaning 

that all designated river areas, regardless of classification, will be protected and/or 

enhanced and not degraded. 

The WSRA requires that a comprehensive river management plan be prepared to provide 

for the protection of the river’s outstandingly remarkable values. The plan is required to 

address resource protection, development of land and facilities, user capacities, and other 

management practices as needed. 

1972 Comprehensive River Management Plan 

In 1972, the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM revised and combined their 1969 Master 

Plans for the Rogue River Component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The 

combined plan is the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River, Oregon: Notice of Revised 

Development and Management Plan (1972 Plan) (Federal Register Vol. 37, No. 131, 13408-

13416). The 1972 Plan provides the basic framework of policies, objectives, and direction 

for managing the river. The 1972 Plan is not changed or amended by the RAMP. 

1995 Medford District Resource Management Plan 

The Hellgate RAMP will not amend the BLM Medford District Record of Decision and 

Resource Management Plan (RMP). The Hellgate RAMP is an activity plan in conformance 

with the BLM Medford District RMP. The following program activity components 

represent land use allocations or management direction contained in the RMP: (1) 

activity components not present in the Hellgate Recreation Area, and (2) present activity 

components with a prescription provided in the RMP. 

An amendment determination for the BLM Medford District RMP is not necessary 

because: 

1. These resources are not present in the Hellgate Recreation Area: coal, livestock grazing, 

wild horse and burro management, and wilderness study areas. 

2. These resources have management direction for all land use or specific land use 

allocations and are managed according to the RMP: survey and manage species, 

protection buffer species, riparian reserves, late-successional reserves, managed latesuccessional areas, and matrix allocations. 

63 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

3. These resources have program direction and are managed according to the RMP: 

air quality, water and soil, wildlife habitat, fisheries habitat, special status and special 

attention species habitat, special areas, forest health, recreation, visual resources, cultural 

resources (including Native American values), timber resources, special forest products, 

energy and minerals, socioeconomic conditions, lands, land tenure adjustments, rightsof-way, access, withdrawals, roads, rural interface areas, fire management, noxious 

weeds, and hazardous materials. 

Northwest Forest Plan 

The Hellgate RAMP is designed to be compliant with the Final Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) on Management of Habitat for Late-Successional and 

Old-Growth Forest Related Species Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl (USDA, 

USFS; USDI, BLM 1994). 

It also meets the requirements of the Aquatic Conservation Strategy, a component of the 

Northwest Forest Plan designed to maintain and restore the productivity and resiliency 

of riparian and aquatic ecosystems. 

Noxious Weed Control and Management 

The control and management of noxious weeds for all alternatives will be directed by 

and conform to the Medford District’s Integrated Weed Management Plan and Environmental 

Assessment (EA) #OR-110-98-14, tiered to the Northwest Area Noxious Weed Control Program 

Environmental Impact Statement prepared December 1985 and amended March 1987. 

Agency Programs 

The land and water resources within the wild and scenic corridor are managed by a host 

of local, regional, state, and other federal agencies. 

Josephine County 

The comprehensive plan for Josephine County has been acknowledged by the Oregon 

Department of Land Conservation and Development as conforming with the statewide 

planning goals and objectives. Virtually all the private lands and all of the BLMadministered and state-managed lands within the planning area are in the following 

county-designated zones: Exclusive Farm and Farm Resource, Forest Commercial and 

Woodlot Resource, Rural Residential, Tourist Commercial, Wild and Scenic River, Goal 

5 Resources (i.e., Open Spaces, Scenic and Historic Areas, and Natural Resources), and 

Utilities. 

Josephine County Parks Department is a significant contributor of outdoor recreation 

opportunities within the Hellgate Recreation Area (HRA). The County manages major 

developed campgrounds and provides many other recreation opportunities, facilities, 

and services in the planning area. 

Oregon State Parks 

In 1969, the State of Oregon passed the Oregon Scenic Waterways Act (the Oregon 

Act). This legislation established a program to protect state-designated rivers 

throughout Oregon. Its goals are to protect the free-flowing character of designated 

rivers for fish, wildlife, and recreation. Dams, reservoirs, impoundments, and placer 

mines are prohibited on state scenic waterways. The Oregon Act requires review of 

64 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

new developments along designated rivers, but does not affect existing water rights, 

developments, or uses. In 1970, this same 84-mile segment was designated as a 

component of the Oregon State Scenic Waterways System. 

Scenic waterways are administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission 

in accordance with Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 390.805 to 390.925. Oregon 

Administrative Rules (OAR) have been adopted to govern the program. General rules 

set forth generic standards that apply to all scenic waterways. Specific rules are also 

developed for each river during the management planning process. These rules are 

designed to manage development within the scenic waterway corridor to maintain the 

natural beauty of the river. 

The Oregon Act and rules require evaluation of proposed land development, 

improvement, or alteration relative to the scenic and aesthetic beauty of the waterway 

as viewed from the river. This review and evaluation applies to all related adjacent 

lands, defined as lands within one-quarter mile of the banks of the scenic waterway. 

Landowners wishing to build houses or roads, cut timber, mine, or pursue other similar 

projects, must make written notification to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department 

(OPRD). The OPRD reviews the proposal in coordination with other jurisdictions and 

determines if the proposal will substantially impair the natural beauty of the scenic 

waterway. When a project is inconsistent with scenic waterway goals, OPRD works with 

the landowner to resolve conflicts. The commission has one year from the date of initial 

notification in which to reach accommodation with the landowner. This may include 

revising the project or compensating the landowner by purchasing the land or resource 

or negotiating a scenic easement. If satisfactory resolution is not reached within one year, 

the landowner may proceed with the initial development proposal. 

Local and state agencies must comply with the scenic waterway law and rules. Federal 

land managing agencies are encouraged to coordinate with the OPRD to insure their 

own land management actions are compatible with scenic waterway management 

prescriptions. 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 

State of Oregon hunting and fishing regulations, such as bag limits, season-of-use, catch 

and release, and barbless hooks are the responsibility of the Oregon Department of Fish 

and Wildlife. 

Oregon Department of Forestry 

State of Oregon regulations for regulated-use closures on public land and any commercial 

forest activity on private lands, such as harvesting or salvaging trees, reforestation, 

chemical application and pre-commercial thinning are the responsibility of Oregon 

Department of Forestry. 

Oregon State Marine Board 

State of Oregon regulations, such as requirements for personal flotation devices and 

their accessibility, no anchor zones, pass-through zones, slow no-wake areas, private 

watercraft noise standards, boat speed, and personal watercraft are the responsibility of 

the Oregon State Marine Board. 

Oregon State Historic Preservation Office 

The Medford District Office will continue to consult with the Oregon State Historic 

Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, tribal governments, 

65 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

and other local and federal agencies as appropriate, regarding the location, evaluation, 

mitigation, and interpretation of cultural and historic sites within the planning area. 

Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development 

The Hellgate Recreation Area is outside the defined coastal zone management area, 

and a formal coastal zone management plan consistency determination is not required. 

The Hellgate RAMP is consistent with the Oregon Coastal Zone Program. Although the 

planning area is outside the zone, the river clearly involves fisheries which are a coastal 

resource due to the anadromous nature of the fi sheries resource. 

Oregon Division of State Lands 

The Division of State Lands, through its removal/fill permit process for state scenic 

waterways, regulates fill and removal within the river corridor. These regulations are 

most notably employed when requests for channel deepening are made (ORS 390.805 to 

ORS 390.925). 

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 

The BLM and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) have a 

Memorandum of Agreement that identifies the Medford BLM as a Designated 

Management Agency charged with implementing and enforcing natural resource 

management programs for the protection of water quality, as described in the Clean 

Water Act (P.L. 92-500), on federal lands under its jurisdiction. Under the Agreement, the 

ODEQ and the Medford BLM work together to bring water quality limited water bodies, 

as defined under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, on BLM-administered lands 

into compliance with State water quality standards. This is accomplished by producing 

and implementing Water Quality Management Plans (WQMP) and Total Maximum 

Daily Loads (TMDL) for 303(d) listed streams. The scheduled date for completion of the 

WQMP/TMDL for the Lower Rogue sub-basin is 2004. Regulations and implementation 

of the Clean Water Act are a responsibility of the DEQ and will not be addressed in this 

planning effort. 

United States Army Corps of Engineers 

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to 

regulate, through permit, the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the 

United States, including placement of riprap. The ACOE also regulates, through permits, 

any structures and work in navigable waters that may affect the river’s free-flowing 

condition. 

The United States Army Corps of Engineers manages two dams that affect the fl ow of 

water in the Hellgate Recreation Area: the William L. Jess Dam (on the Rogue River) and 

the Applegate Dam (on the Applegate River). Water releases from these reservoirs are the 

responsibility of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. 

United States Coast Guard 

The U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations for motorized tour boats and their operations, 

such as inspection of boats, investigation of casualties and accidents, and licensing and 

certification of boat operators are the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS), has the authority to add to and delete from endangered and threatened marine 

66 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

and anadromous species lists, based on whether a species faces extinction due to a 

variety of natural or human-caused factors. The Secretary must also establish recovery 

plans that set forth conservation goals and specify actions necessary to achieve them for 

each listed species. Listings will not be addressed as part of this planning effort, except 

to ensure that BLM-managed activities do not jeopardize the continued existence of 

listed species or adversely modify habitat critical to those species. Additionally, NMFS 

administers the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (1996). 

The Act requires identification of essential fish habitat (EFH) for salmon and to conserve 

and enhance habitat. 

United States Fish and Wildlife Service 

The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 

has the authority to add to and delete from endangered and threatened terrestrial 

species lists based on whether a species faces extinction due to a variety of natural or 

human-caused factors. The Secretary must also establish recovery plans that set forth 

conservation goals and specify actions necessary to achieve them for each listed species. 

Listings will not be addressed as part of this planning effort, except to ensure that 

BLM-managed activities do not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or 

adversely modify habitat critical to those species. 

Endangered Species Act 

Management of the Hellgate Recreation Area will comply with species that are ESA listed 

as threatened or endangered and subsequent recovery plans regardless of when they are 

adopted. 

Management Constraints on Private Lands 

On the BLM-administered portion of the Rogue River, the BLM has acquired specific 

development rights, known as scenic easements, for the purpose of protecting the scenic 

qualities of the designated river area. 

67 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

68 
Recreation Area Management Plan 

Index 

A 

Access 6, 7 

Acquisition 9 

Angling enhancement zones 2, 57 

B 

Bald Eagle 24, 28 

Botany 17, 27 

C 

Camping 6, 14, 53, 54 

Clean Water Act 66 

Commercial Motorized Angling 3 

D 

Day-Use 5, 53, 54 

E 

Endangered Species Act 67 

Erosion 4, 7, 52 

F 

Fall Chinook 2, 3, 5, 27, 58 

Firearm Discharge 15 

Fisheries 7, 8, 18, 27 

Flood Plains 19, 27 

G 

Great Blue Heron 24, 28 

J 

Josephine County 1, 53, 54, 64 

L 

Landowners 19, 27 

M 

Minerals 8, 60 

Monitoring 17 

Motorized Tour Boats 3, 4 

N 

Non-motorized Boat Angling 

Non-motorized Floating 3 

3 

O 

Osprey 25, 28 

Outstandingly Remarkable Values 1, 17, 61, 62, 63 

P 

Private Motorized Boating 

Permits 3, 5 

Public Access 6 

3 

69 
Rogue National Wild and Scenic River: Hellgate Recreation Area 

R 

Recreation 

Riparian 

9 

19, 27 

S 

Safety 4 

Scenic Easements 9 

Soils 20, 27 

Sound Sensitive Area 3, 59 

Special Boating Events 5 

Special Recreation Permits 5 

T 

Thrill Power Maneuver Areas 

Trails 6, 55, 56 

Transportation 12, 21, 27 

3, 4 

U 

Use Levels 3, 4 

Use Limit 3 

User Perceptions 

User Fees 5 

21, 27 

V 

Vehicle 5, 6, 7 

Visitor Center 7 

Visitor Use 22, 28 

Visual Resources16, 23, 28 

W 

Watchable Wildlife Sites 6 

Water Quality 23, 28 

Western Pond Turtle 25, 28 

Wetlands 19, 27 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 

Wildlife 8, 24, 25 

61 

70 

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE IN TE RI OR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Medford District Office

3040 Biddle Road

Medford, Oregon 97504

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

PRIORITY MAIL 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID 

Bureau of Land Management

BUREAU OF

Permit No. G-76

LAND

MANAGEMENT

MEDFORD

DISTRICT

OFFICE

BLM/OR/WA/PL-04/031+1792