CULLASAJA RIVER NATURAL AND SCENIC RIVER FEASIBILITY STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS MARCH 10, 1999 imm mK, m §TAif DIVISION OF PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES FORWARD Session Law 1998-212, Section 14.8, passed by the 1998 Session of the General Assembly, directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to study the feasibility of including that portion of the Cullasaja River that borders Nantahala National Forest in the North Carolina Natural and Scenic River System. The results of the study and its recommendations are to be reported to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Environmental Review Commission. This study has been completed to fulfill the requirements of that legislation. The Cullasaja River segment studied starts in Macon County at U.S. Forest Service property below the spillway of the Lake Sequoyah Dam. From there it flows 7.5 miles through the Cullasaja Gorge within the Nantahala National Forest. I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers Act was passed in 1971 to preserve and protect outstanding free-flowing rivers, their water quality, and their adjacent lands for the benefit of present and future generations. The Act seeks to protect rivers with outstanding natural, scenic, educational, geological, recreational, historic, scientific, and cultural values, as well as fish and wildlife. Four rivers or river segments have been included in the system: the Linville River, New River, Horsepasture River, and Lumber River. The Natural and Scenic Rivers Act sets minimum criteria for designation. The Cullasaja River within the Nantahala National Forest meets and exceeds these requirements for designation. This report recommends that a 7.5-mile segment of the Cullasaja River starting at U.S. Forest Service (USFS) property below the spillway of the Lake Sequoyah Dam and running downstream through the Nantahala National Forest be designated as a Scenic River component of the North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers System. Because of the USFS’s ownership of almost all of the 7.5-mile river corridor, no state land acquisition is proposed to protect the river segment recommended for designation; likewise, no state management activities requiring additional staffing are necessary. State designation, therefore, primarily offers recognition and prestige rather than resource protection. State designation of this Cullasaja River segment within the Nantahala National Forest would recognize its outstanding natural resources. Of particular outstanding significance are the geology of the Cullasaja Gorge, its biologic resources, and its scenic beauty. The diversity of geologic units and geomorphic processes has authored within the gorge a series of geologic features that together produce not only aesthetic character but an area of geologic importance not duplicated in the Southern Blue Ridge. Three well-known scenic waterfalls, each with a different character, add to the gorge’s beauty. The beauty of the river and the gorge has already resulted in its inclusion as a part of the Mountain Waters National Scenic Byway. The Cullasaja River Gorge is also included in the North Carolina Registry of Natural Heritage Areas. Vegetation and wildlife along the upper Cullasaja are especially notable. Several high-quality and representative natural community types are present. The Montane White Oak Forest near Cliffside is rare. Four significant state-listed plant species are present including the tropical fern Grammitis nimbata, which has its only continental habitat here; the next nearest population inhabits the West Indies about 900 miles south. Notable wildlife found in the gorge and river includes eight species that are state-listed as either Significantly Rare or Special Concern. The USFS has identified the Cullasaja River Gorge for special management in the forest management plan to protect and maintain the scenic, biological, and geological features. USFS ownership and management has and will continue to protect the Cullasaja River Gorge and its outstanding resources for present and future generations. The USFS manages the gorge to allow low-impact recreation so that these resources can be seen, learned about, appreciated, and enjoyed. State designation of the Cullasaja is consistent with USFS management of the gorge. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FORWARD . EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION MAP: CULLASAJA RIVER NATURAL AND SCENIC RIVER STUDY AREA HISTORY OF THE CULLASAJA RIVER AREA THE NATURAL AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT Classes of Rivers Criteria for Designation Protection Provided by Designation Components of the Natural and Scenic Rivers System Linville River New River Horsepasture River Lumber River EVALUATION OF MINIMUM CRITERIA EVALUATION OF OUTSTANDING RESOURCES Geologic Resources Scenic Resources Biological Resources . 15 EVALUATION OF OTHER RESOURCES . 15 Archaeological Resources . 16 Recreational Resources . 17 Historic Resources . 17 Highlands Hydroelectric Plant . 18 U. S. 64 Through the Cullasaja Gorge . . . . . 18 Civilian Conservation Corps Development . . 20 THREATS TO THE RIVER FEDERAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVER DESIGNATION . RECOMMENDATIONS REFERENCES PLANT AND ANIMAL STATUS . Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/naturalscenicriv1999nort INTRODUCTION The Cullasaja River, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River, rises in southeastern Macon County around Lake Ravenel, upstream of the town of Highlands. After flowing through two man-made lakes (Mirror Lake and Lake Sequoyah), the river enters the Nantahala National Forest just below the spillway of the Lake Sequoyah Dam. From there it flows through the Cullasaja Gorge. U.S. 64, a U.S. Forest Service Scenic Byway, parallels the river through the gorge, but only a few short sections of the highway are visible from the river. After leaving Nantahala National Forest, the Cullasaja meanders through residential and agricultural lands before merging with the Little Tennessee River at Franklin. The Nantahala National Forest segment of the river flows through the remarkable Cullasaja Gorge, where the river falls 1,300 feet in the 7.5 miles that is the focus of this study. This segment of river has three well-known scenic waterfalls, and its geology and vegetation are also outstanding. The N.C. General Assembly has directed that this 7.5-mile segment be studied for possible designation by the General Assembly as a North Carolina Natural and Scenic River. The USFS welcomes and concurs with state study for designation of the Cullasaja. 1 . ■ . . . _