Small Town News

Oak Creek cleanup plan eyed

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The first round of public comment in the U.S. Forest Service's attempt to restore native fish to West Fork of Oak Creek ends Friday, Oct. 2.

USFS has been gathering comments from the public as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process for a proposed project to restore native species, including the Gila trout, to West Fork.

This public comment period is the beginning of the NEPA process, according to Janie Agyagos, district wildlife biologist for the Red Rock Ranger District. USFS has not started its environmental research, which is the next step.

The plan currently in front of the public calls for construction of a concrete barrier approximately 0.4 miles upstream from where West Fork enters Oak Creek, salvaging of native species still in the area, and pesticide treatment, according to the scoping letter released Sept. 4.

The proposed barrier would be a concrete wall approximately 5 feet high, 45 feet wide and 2 to 10 feet thick, according to the letter. It would be designed to blend with the area's geology.

Salvage operations would include trapping native aquatic organisms before the pesticide is used to be reintroduced with the native fish after the creek is cleared of normative fish.

Rotenone is the pesticide the USFS would use. Agyagos said it targets animals with gills, primarily fish.

The purpose of plan is to remove normative fish to establish and maintain a native ecosystem in the creek, the letter states. Reintroduction, under the current plan, would include Gila trout, loach minnow and spike-dace, which are all listed on the Federal Endangered Species Act.

The process at West Fork is also complicated by two factors -- the creek is in a wilderness area and eligible for National Wild and Scenic River status.

Due to these factors, Agyagos said USFS has completed extensive background work prior to beginning the NEPA process, which isn't normally the case.

USFS wanted to be sure the project was possible before spending time and money on the NEPA process.

The river's eligibility for wild and scenic designation shouldn't be affected, Agyagos said, because the project will actually be restoring native fish, which aren't present now. It could, however, change the classification the West Fork receives.

According to Agyagos, the program has three classifications for waterways -- wild, scenic or recreation. A river can be designated under the National Wild and Scenic River program for any of the three classifications or a combination of the three.

"It shouldn't affect it in a negative [way]," Agyagos said. "It could just change it [the classification]."

West Fork's location is another issue. The majority of thecreek's watershed is within the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness, which means some primitive measures will be used during the project, according to the letter. For example, the scoping letter calls for equipment to be used to construct the concrete wall to be transported from a staging area

-- located outside the wilderness

-- to the site by foot and pack animals. Certain motorized or mechanized equipment will be necessary, including a helicopter to drop concrete and equipment.

Sedona resident and fly fisherman Tom Tedrick said he understands why USFS wants to get rid of the normative fish but he is concerned about the location of the barrier and what a flash flood could do to Oak Creek.

The project is slated to take place in late September or early October after the NEPA process is complete, which is the tail end of monsoon season.

Tedrick is concerned if the headwaters of West Fork swell while the pesticide is in the water it will flow over the barrier and poison fish in Oak Creek.

"It will be a big business hit," Tedrick said, for tourists and recreationists alike.

Agyagos said precautions will be taken to ensure Tedrick's fears don't become reality.

Detoxification centers will be set up along West Fork that can be triggered if a problem arises, and nonnative fish will be monitored between the barrier and Oak Creek to be sure the pesticide isn't seeping into Oak Creek, Agyogos said. USFS also wouldn't move forward with administering the pesticide if the forecast wasn't favorable.

Following die end of the public comment period Oct. 2, USFS will evaluate the feedback and determine if additional alternatives are needed before starting an environmental analysis that will include the effects each alternative will have on the environment. The environmental analysis will be followed by another scoping process, during which the public can again comment, before USFS makes a decision.

Agyagos said USFS plans to have the environmental analysis ready for the second scoping process at the beginning of 2010.

Submit comments by Oct. 2, including full name, address and project title -- WFOC Aquatic Restoration Project -- by fax to 203-7539, by e-mail to jagyogos@fs.fed.us, or hand deliver to the ranger station just south of the Village of Oak Creek, 8375 State Route 179.



Copyright 2009 Sedona Red Rock News, Sedona, Arizona. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2009 Sedona Red Rock News Sedona, Arizona. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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