The Clarion River Municipal Partnership headed by Eric Patton, a Millstone Township , Elk County supervisor, formed last year and includes eight township and two boroughs, the U.S. Forest Service, and the bureaus of State Parks and State Forests within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The group is developing a management plan for the river based on a “tripod” of three objectives: river health, economic opportunity and cultural heritage, Patton said.

The forest service, in charge of the Wild and Scenic program in this case, set up a recent meeting at the Holiday Inn and found there more interest than anticipated. Similar meetings were held in Ridgway Nov. 5 and Sigel Nov. 6.

The meeting room chosen is large enough for a couple dozen people, but when more than 60 showed up, the meeting was moved to the Inn ’s courtyard.

Some citizens expressed interest in protecting the river, some were concerned about private property rights, others about the economic opportunities related to tourism.

Patton emphasized that the river designations are not intended to lock up the river valley as a wilderness where people are restricted from using and interacting with the environment. The idea is to protect the river, but only in a way that benefits the public with recreational, educational end economic opportunities, he said.

The river corridor

To be designated in the wild and scenic program, a river must be free flowing (no dams) and show at least one “outstandingly remarkable value,” Patton said, and the Clarion has three: geologic, scenic and recreational.

The narrow, steep-sided and winding river valley is a remarkable geologic characteristic, and this leads to a remarkable scenic characteristic, and its suitability for easy canoeing through publicly owned state parks, state forests and game lands makes for remarkable recreational opportunities.

Much of the river in the WSR system is bordered by publicly-owned land, including the Allegheny National Forest , Cook Forest and Clear Creek state parks, Clear Creek State Forest and other state forest land, and various state game lands, including SGL 283 in Clarion County . But there are also many tracts of private land along the river and within the management corridor.

The management corridor currently extends a quarter-mile from the river’s average high-water mark on both sides, and can contain up to 320 acres per linear quarter-mile.

However, the corridor boundaries can be re-evaluated and changed: if a private landowner insists on not participating, that land can be excluded down to the high water mark.

The Clarion is a navigable waterway and the water course and the banks to the high water mark are essentially owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania .

The river is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers which has delegated management of the point between the usual low water mark and the high-water mark to the U.S. Forest Service. This means any project affecting the river’s edge must be approved by the Forest Service.

Solving  problems

Millstone Township is the western “ear” of Elk County ; it is rural and remote, and its southern boundary is a stretch of the Clarion River designated as recreational.

Patton said his township had problems along the river: a narrow roadway was often clogged with parked vehicles. Uncontrolled camping caused damage and disturbance.

He praised the efforts of the Forest Service to set up and control parking and camping areas. Now the permanent residents of his township are happier and the tourists are happier as well, as there are fewer conflicts and problems.

“A management plan, if we can influence it, can be a positive thing,” Patton said.

Another problem Patton sees in his township’s stretch of the river involves differing use rules.

Camping is allowed on the north side of the river, which is Allegheny National Forest , but canoeists who pull onto the south shore for the evening find themselves illegally camping on state game lands, and they find themselves with a Game Commission citation.

Still other riverside land is state forest, where camping is again allowed.

The Game Commission is not a member of the partnership, and while Patton would like to see it join, he doubts it could easily drop its camping prohibition in any case.

Patton said the partnership may set standards for control of the use of the river, but will base those decisions on conditions rather than numbers.

He explained that some management plans are based on the number of people using a resource, with regulations going into effect when a numerical limit is exceeded.

The CRMP will more likely use a standards-based system, with regulations adopted only when actual problems become evident.

For example, restrictions on camping would be put into place only when a particular campsite begins showing excessive environmental damage, and not because a certain number of users is exceeded.

Public vs. private

Clarion County Commissioner Dave Cyphert said he was concerned that a permit system would be established which would limit who would be allowed to use the river.

He said this could lead to a landowner along the river being prevented from accessing the waterway from his or her own land. He said the county “must take the position of the landowner” and argue for property rights.

He also noted that the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has purchased private land and “given it to the government,” thereby limiting use by citizens.

Patton said he shared Cyphert’s concern and that a permit system would be “absolutely a last resort.” Overly heavy use should not trigger restrictions on use, Patton said, but instead should lead to an expansion of facilities.

Former Clarion County Judge Charles Alexander said it was okay for the government to manage public land, but private land can only be regulated by local zoning.

Alexander owns tracts of land along the scenic section of the river in Highland Township , which has no zoning regulations. He said he hasn’t built on that land and probably won’t, and might decide to donate the land for public use before he dies, but wanted to make sure he retains control over the property until then.

Patton said he understands property ownership concerns and agrees that the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s policy of buying private land then selling it to the government has affected the community in a negative way.

The CRMP’s intent is to maintain the river as it was when designated, and has no intent to buy private land and restrict its use. If a landowner wishes to sell, that’s one thing, but the government should not actively seek to purchase and control private land.

The CRMP will develop property acquisition guidelines and wants the public to have input into those guidelines, Patton said.

Since inclusion in the Wild and Scenic River corridor is optional for private landowners, it is possible the corridor will only include public lands.

If private landowners include themselves in the corridor, they can influence river management plans, and the CRMP wants to work toward consensus, Patton said.

Protecting  scenery

Area resident Mike Butler, who worked toward the wild and scenic designation in the early 1990s, stressed the protection of the scenic portion of the river between Cook Forest and Piney Lake .

A century ago, heavy timbering blighted and denuded the river valley in this section, he noted, but it has recovered and became a scenic treasure to be protected.

A business in Clarion Borough will open soon, he said, and will depend on tourism for a good part of its business, and the scenic section of river will be a major draw.

The management plan for the scenic section should provide for access, but should be more protective than the recreational sections of the river, such as through Cook Forest State Park .

“I want people to recognize the qualities of the river and protect it for their children and grandchildren,” Butler said.

Patton said different people want different things for the river, and a comprehensive planning effort will determine “where to do what.” Management decisions should consider that the scenic sections will draw a different kind of visitor seeking a different kind of experience than the recreational sections.

Open for input

Patton said the idea is to reach a balance between private property rights and public use and between access and protection, and there will be more opportunities for public input and involvement in the planning process.

There will be more public meetings, he assured the crowd, but also noted that the management plan “is on a fast track compared to normal.”

The CRMP hopes to move to the next planning stage by early next year, when more extensive discussions with local governments will take place.

He urged the crowd to stay involved and to contact the CRMP and the Forest Service with ideas and concerns.

The Forest Service can be contacted through Deputy District Ranger Jodie Vanselow, Allegheny National Forest , HC2 Box 130, Marienville, PA 16329; phone (814) 927-5798; or email jvanselow@fs.fed.us.

The Clarion River Municipal Partnership can be contacted in care of Eric Patton, Millstone Township , 2329 Route 3001, Sigel , PA , 15860 ; phone (814)752-6279 or email epatton@wrcks.net.