Snake River Management Plan and Monitoring

The Wild and Scenic Snake River is managed by the 1994 (revised 1999) Snake River Wild and Scenic River Recreation Management Plan. This plan guides the management direction for the river.

In addition to better understand the unique use and features of the river, the Forest Service has compiled several years of Visitor Use studies, and partnered with other agencies and universities to conduct valuable research of the area.

1994 Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan (revised in 1999)

BACKGROUND: The original Snake River Wild and Scenic Recreation Management Plan (River Management Plan) was first signed in 1994. As a result of administrative appeals and litigation, the Regional Forester made a decision in July 1995 directing the Forest Supervisor to further analyze the specific economic effects of allocation and operational limitations on individual commercial river permits. The product of this analysis was the 1996 Wild and Scenic Snake River Outfitter Environmental Assessment and Decision Notice (Outfitter EA/DN). Additional plans and decision such as the 1996 Outfitter EA/DN,  and appeal decisions of  July,1997 were made which revised and resulted in the 1999 Snake River Wild and Scenic Recreation Management Plan.

Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan

• 1999 Wild and Scenic Snake River Recreation Management Plan (603 KB)
• Appendix A - Hells Canyon NRA Act (187 KB)
• Appendix B -Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (356 KB)
• Appendix C - Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (128 KB)
• Appendix D - Monitoring Plan (181 KB)
• 1994 Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact, for the Snake River Wild and Scenic River Recreation Management Plan (2,357 KB)

1996 Wild and Scenic Snake River Outfitter Environmental Assessment

• 1996 Wild and Scenic Snake River Outfitter Environmental Assessment  Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (2384 KB)
• Appendix A - Commercial Outfitting History on the Snake River (1,698 KB)
• Appendix B - Outfitter and Guide Operating Guidelines (765 KB)
• Appendix C -  Outfitter and Guide Operating Guidelines; Sept 1996 modified (1,185 KB)
• Appendix D - Public Comments and Forest Service Responses (9,925 KB)

Visitor Use Reports

Annual Visitor Use Reports are summarized each year for uses such as commercial powerboat use, commercial floatboat use, private powerboat use, private floatboat use, and visitor use at Cache Creek and Kirkwood Ranches.

River Monitoring and Studies

Several studies and monitoring efforts have been conducted on the Wild and Scenic Snake River over the past 25+ years. These studies have reviewed natural resource and social uses on the river.