Update on the Wekiva Wild and Scenic River System Comprehensive River Management Plan.
September 2023 - The Wekiva River system, following an extensive study by the National Park Service, was designated a Wild and Scenic River (WSR) by Congress in 2000. All Federally designated Wild and Scenic rivers must be free-flowing and have Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs), The Wekiva system was sighted as having 5 ORVS values: Scenic; Recreation; Wildlife and Habitat; Historical and Cultural and Water Quality and Quantity. The WWSRS is a Partnership River, of a committee responsible for activities necessary to protect the ORVs.
Friends of Wekiva River (FOWR) along with representatives of partner agencies, three counties, three cities and several organizations who work and advocate for the protection of the resources of the Wekiva System are members of the WWSRS Management Committee. FOWR serves as the 501(c) 3 sponsor and administrator of the federal funding received each year to support the activities of the Committee.
Each WSR Committee is required to prepare a Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) to assure the protection of the ORVS, the plan completed in 2012 has been updated by Jay Exum of Exum Associates and his team, and it was completed in September 2023. The updated plan is the result of extensive research and committee member and public input. The plan can be found on the FOWR and the WWSRS websites.
The 2023 CRMP consists of 10 Chapters, including an Executive Summary, six chapters describing the Purpose, Background, River Environment, Public Engagement and Recommendations for Digital Media and the State of the River System. Following those chapters the WWSRS Management Committee Goals and Actions for each Partner member are enumerated in Chapter 8, including those for FOWR. Each Partner Agency serving on the committee has regulatory mandates and managements plans directly relate to the management activities of the Committee, those can be found in Chapter 10. In Chapter 10 Monitoring, Research and Reporting needed to assure that actions of the plan are met are described. Literature Cited and Appendices complete the Plan.
This Plan is not only important to the WWSRS Committee; it gives guidance to all of the individual partners who share in the goals necessary to protect the river basin resources, including the FOWR. Our mission aligns with most, if not all of the WWSRS goals. This is an important, well documented document that all of us can and should reference and use as a guide for our activities. The Plan contains interesting background information you may not know about the river basin. The supporting photographs are exceptional and well worth viewing, be sure to check out the one on page 54.
Now it is time for all of us to get to work.
Check out the links below for some incredible information about our beloved river:
This story map provides a user-friendly tour through the river system:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a672c13379864a4a834237c01b96f97a
