Future of the Red: Management in the Red River Gorge

The Daniel Boone National Forest recently completed a public planning process that will help shape the future of the Red River Gorge. The 42,000 acres of the Gorge have seen significant increases in visitation since the collaborative 2008 Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) process established thresholds for change and determined management actions for the area. In order to balance these increases in visitor use with the protection of all that makes the Red so great, the Daniel Boone National Forest embarked on a two-pronged planning process.

Comprehensive River Management Plan

Image of Red River One aspect of this process was to comply with congressional direction to establish a “Comprehensive River Management Plan” (CRMP) for the Red Wild and Scenic River.

The 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WRSA) recognized that certain rivers across the country possess outstandingly remarkable values such as scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural and other values. These values, as well as water quality and free-flowing condition, must be preserved. The WSRA also decrees that designated rivers and their immediate environments must be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Map of the Recreational Section of the Wild and Scenic Red River Map of the Wild Section of the Wild and Scenic Red River.

A 19.4-mile segment of the Red River was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1993. This section, which flows from HWY 746 bridge in Wolfe County to Schoolhouse Branch in Powell County, is further divided into a wild section and recreational section. The 9.1-mile wild section, which is also recognized as a Kentucky Wild River, starts outside of the Forest at the HWY 746 bridge in Wolfe County and cuts through the narrow, hemlock-covered ravines of the Clifty Wilderness before transitioning into the Recreational section at Swift Creek Camp. The 10.3-mile recreational section flows below the County Line Bridge at Osborne Bend, down through the scenic Hwy 715 corridor, past the Gladie Visitor Center and up to Schoolhouse Branch in Powell County.

The Red River and surrounding lands offer recreational opportunities and access to outstanding resources for a variety of public lands users. The CRMP addresses the current status of these resources, outline goals and desired conditions, determine user capacities, and create a monitoring strategy and plan forward. The main objective of this prong of the planning process was to create a CRMP that will preserve and protect the outstandingly remarkable values of the Red River for future generations.

Resources: Red River Boundary Map, Red River River Values Report, Red River: A National Wild and Scenic River

Building Upon the Limits of Acceptable Change

The CRMP planning process ran concurrently with planning for additional management actions triggered by reaching the thresholds for change established by the LAC. The LAC document guides management in the entire Red River Gorge by describing an acceptable future condition for the Gorge and then creating a series of management actions to guide the area towards that future. Thresholds for change were established in order to gauge managers’ success at guiding the Gorge to this future condition. When these thresholds were surpassed, it triggered further analysis and a return to collaborative problem-solving.

The main objective when preparing these additional management actions was on improving safety for Red River Gorge visitors. Other objectives of this process included enhancing the visitor experience, increasing public access, building resilient and low-maintenance facilities and infrastructure, and strengthening and growing partnerships.

Resources: Map of the Red River Gorge Geological Area, Draft Proposed Actions for the Red River Gorge

Engage with Us

The CRMP process and the analysis for additional management actions triggered by reaching LAC thresholds have significant overlap so the Forest worked through them together. This allowed the Forest to comprehensively discuss various actions that will be implemented across the 42,000 acres of the Gorge currently under Forest Service management.