Wild Carson River faces the perils of popularity

A new federal strategy to manage one of the last free-flowing rivers in the eastern Sierra is designed to keep folks from loving the place to death.

The plan targets a 52-mile stretch of the East Fork of the Carson River from where it tumbles from the high country of California's Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and flows into the bucolic pastures of Nevada's Carson Valley.

It's a river of striking beauty, and one which is suffering the impacts of steadily increasing use by people.

"It's a very special stretch of river to a lot of people," said Gary Schiff, a district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service.

The East Carson River Strategy, released this month, makes no new management decisions but "paints a long-term vision" of what the government sees for the river, Schiff said.
"What we're trying to do is do our best to protect the recreational experience on the river and protect the beauty of the canyon," Schiff said.

The East Fork of the Carson River originates at the rugged base of the 11,500-foot Sonora Peak, near the borders of Alpine and Mono counties in California. It churns in a whitewater journey through forested alpine terrain, past pine and aspen stands and meadows. It flows through steep canyons and, dropping in elevation, through the shrublands and sagebrush-covered hill country of western Nevada.

It's habitat for bear and deer, mountain lions and bald eagles. It passes through a scenic landscape with a rich cultural history and spiritual significance for people who occupied the area for thousands of years.

"It's beautiful. It's just gorgeous around here," Bay Area resident Ellie Fullman said during a rafting trip down the Carson.

But Fullman and other people impact the river. So do a steadily increasing number of folks that access the primitive area using off-highway vehicles and those camping alongside the water.

"That's what we're starting to see, more and more people camping and more traffic coming down the river," said Steve Hale, a recreation specialist with the Forest Service. "It's proportional to the growth in the valleys."

The problem might be demonstrated best at scenic spots where hot water bubbles from the ground. The riverside hot springs long have been a popular stopping point for rafters but are under increasing use, even being featured on Internet sites, officials said.

In recent years, people have been putting in well-constructed but illegal improvements, including rock-lined hot tubs complete with pipes and valves, giant fire rings and primitive restrooms.
Rafter Rick Ballou of Livermore, Calif., enjoyed the springs.
"We travel quite a bit to hot springs, and we heard they had some on this river," Ballou said.

But he was dismayed to learn people had been stripping firewood from live trees nearby.
"There aren't that many trees. I would prefer they don't do that," he said.
But they do. Others damage the landscape with illegal hill climbs for all-terrain vehicles. Those leave the hillsides with unsightly scars, causing erosion. People leave trash behind.

Dan Buckley, owner of Tributary Whitewater Tours, has rafted the East Fork of the Carson River for more than 25 years. With its rapids less challenging than many Sierra rivers, the Carson offers more of a wilderness experience as opposed to a major whitewater destination, Buckley said.

"It's a nice family trip for getting people outdoors to enjoy the wilderness, maybe see some wildlife," Buckley said.

But Buckley has seen problems along the river and said some changes by the Forest Service are probably warranted.
"Some areas have been pretty well beaten up," Buckley said. "It sort of seems overrun by Jeeps and people that don't practice very good camping etiquette."

The long-term vision outlined in the Forest Service's strategy is needed as the river comes under ever-increasing use, said Ed James, director of the Carson River Subconservancy District.
The district became involved in preparing the plan to ensure local communities had a strong voice in its development, James said.
"It is becoming an issue," James said. "People want to camp and have a fire, so they cut down the trees. They're tearing up the hillsides. Human waste is a big issue."
As is often the case, James said, a few problem-causers are making trouble for others who cherish the river.
And the sheer number of people on the river is another significant and emerging issue, he said.

"We have a lot of people using that corridor now, and they're just loving it to death," James said.

RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 7/30/2007