Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River's Comprehensive River Management Plan

The Eleven Point Scenic River was designated by Congress on October 2, 1968 under the Wild and Scenic River Act (PL 90-542).  All 44.4 miles are classified as a Scenic River under the Act.

Scenic River Areas – Those rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments, with shorelines or watersheds still largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads.

The river’s designation came after 30 years of local champions fighting to keep the river from being dammed and then the passage of the WSR Act, which gave a mechanism to protect and enhance the river’s free-flowing nature, its quality waters, and the outstandingly remarkable values like its scenic beauty.

There are currently 11 designated access points to the river by vehicle. 7 sites are managed to a standard that includes a boat ramp and toilet. The other 4 sites are managed to a lesser standard to avoid higher use sites. There are 8 float camps designated for overnight camping for river users.

There are also historic mills and structures, including:  Turner’s Mill, Surprise School, Boze Mill, Thomasson Mill, and Greer Mill.

The river has been designated for both motorized and non-motorized use. The motorized users must adhere to a 25-horsepower limit. There are accesses designated for both motorized and non-motorized uses. There are four outfitter guide services under permit which provide watercraft rentals and shuttle services in the Alton and Riverton areas. The highest use areas for boat launching include Greer (for launching), Whitten, and Riverton (for takeout).

YES! The river has a rich history, both pre-European settlement and post. When the Osage lived in the area for many generations, the Eleven Point was solidly within the boundaries of the lands they roamed and water was key to their way of life.

“Water is a life-giving force, a cleansing force, and a guiding force. Both modern Osage and earlier ancestral Osage/Mississippian traditional culture recognized water as a powerful element of a larger cosmology.” -- Osage history in Appendix E of updated CRMP.

Starting on p. 64 of the CRMP, Appendix E details much more about the historic connection that the Osage and other Tribes have with the Eleven Point River.

An overview of the river’s history in the early and mid 1900s can be found online (Search for “Eleven Point River - Stop the Dam Rally” on YouTube). The “Riparian Rebellion” as it was come to be called, lasted 28 years. Local conservationists were engaged in political activities in opposition to the Water Valley Dam proposed for the Eleven Point River, which lasted from the passage of the Flood Control Act of 1938 until 1966 when the project was finally scrapped.

The old mills and schoolhouses testify to the pioneer spirit of the inhabitants that lived along the river in the 1800s. Greer Mill was a community gathering place for about a century, and was a very uniquely built mill. More recently, B.B. Morgan, even utilized the spring-branches around the Narrows for growing fish-tank moss in the mid-1900s.

River Values are Free Flow, Water Quality, and ORVs; so ORVs are one of the three core factors that need to be protected and enhanced for Wild and Scenic Rivers. The WSR Act defines an ORV as a river-related value that is rare, unique, or exemplary feature at a regional or national scale, and it requires that the Forest Service protect and enhance ORVs in designated river segments. Part of the CRMP update is to ensure that we have accurately identified ORVs for the Eleven Point Scenic River and that we are taking the proper steps to protect and enhance them.

"For Osages today, our history is deeply connected to the riverways of Missouri. Our ancestors, lived, traveled, and were buried along these rivers. They understood that water was essential for all life. Along these riverways our ancestors prayed for the wellbeing of their children. It's necessary we honor and protect these places for our future generations." -Osage elder Norman Akers, TCA Committee Chairman (EP CRMP, Appendix E, p. 64).

No, not at this time. This plan identifies the types and levels of visitor use that can occur within the Eleven Point Wild and Scenic River corridor while still protecting and enhancing the outstanding remarkable values for which the river was designated. The capacity is not a visitor use limit; instead, it determines the kinds and maximum amounts of use that are most likely sustainable without creating undesirable impacts to river values.

Karst topography with water running underground feeds the Eleven Point River through magnificent springs. The river also boasts unique geologic features and processes including dolomitization. Along the six miles of scenic river, paddlers can bear witness to multiple caves and steep bluffs as well.

The Eleven Point River and its watershed is home to more than 70 fish species, 20 mussel species, and 6 crayfish species, and even some unique insects and amphibian .  Aquatic species of conservation concern (SOCC) in the watershed include:

Aside from these amazing SOCC species that need the protective, free-flowing waters of the Eleven Point Scenic River, there are also bountiful sport fish in this beautiful river, including:  Black crappie, Chain pickerel, Largemouth bass, Rainbow trout, Shadow bass, sauger, Smallmouth bass, Walleye, Warmouth, and others. Portions of river are stocked with Rainbow trout for sport fishing.

• three fish species—
  • the Ozark shiner,
  • Salem Plateau cavefish, and
  • checkered modtom;
• one aquatic salamander,
  • the Ozark hellbender (state and federally endangered);
• five mussel species—
  • the Northern brokenray,
  • black sandshell,
  • purple liliput,
  • little spectaclecase, and
  • Ouachita kidneyshell;
• three crayfish species—
  • the coldwater crayfish (listed as state endangered),
  • the Eleven point crayfish, and
  • the Salem cave crayfish;
• two crustaceans—
  • a yet-to-be-named cave obligate isopod and
  • the Onondaga cave amphipod; and
• three aquatic insect species—
  • the Artesian agepetus caddisfly,
  • the contorted ochrotrichion micro caddisfly, and
  • the Heptageniid mayfly.

Birds, mammals, snakes, lizards, and much more thrive in the habitat provided by the Scenic River corridor. The bald eagle, Swainson’s warbler, Cerulean warbler are examples of birds that use the area. Indiana bat, the Gray bat, and the Northern long-eared bat are all types of bats that can use the caves and other habitat in and around the Eleven Point Scenic River.

Mammals of all sizes, from the small cotton mouse all the way to large mammals, like black bear, roam the river and nearby wilderness. Otters play in the river’s clear waters. The Tingupa millipede and the Grotto salamander are both species that benefit from the unique ecosystems of the area as well.

Pre-European-contact history along the Eleven Point Scenic River is very important.

“The Wild and Scenic River (WSR) designation provides an unparalleled opportunity to identify and preserve cultural resources untouched by development and industrialization." - from updated CRMP’s Appendix E, submitted by the Osage (EP CRMP, p. 68).

Archeologists have found a variety of use patterns during the Archaic Period (9,000 to 3,000 years ago); and continuing into the Woodland Period through European contact. 1,385 acres of the 8,978 acres within the WSR corridor have had archaeological surveys conducted (about 15% of the area), which has led to 88 sites being identified and 53 of those provide evidence of precontact use. From this work, 243 acres of precontact sites have been protected within the WSR corridor at this time. The Flood Control Act impounded most navigable waters when it was introduced; therefore, the Eleven Point River escaping the widespread damning of the time provided an exceptional place to preserve precontact historic preservation.

The spring-fed valleys with rich hunting and fishing drew European settlement, and many traces of this history is preserved along the Eleven Point River. The nationally registered historic Greer Mill is one such example of the buildings the important buildings that remain in the area, a cornerstone of the area’s heritage. Boze Mill, Thomason Mill, Turners Mill, and Surprise schoolhouse are other important sites.

The boundary is a product of protecting the three values of this Scenic riverway— free-flowing condition, water quality, and its ORVs. To begin with, it was classified as Scenic and a corridor, averaging ¼ mile from the high water mark on both sides of the river, was protected along the section designated as a National Scenic River (Thomasville to the Narrows) along 44.3 miles of riverway.

For the most part, the boundary follows surveyor section lines which are easily found and verified. As time progressed, other property was added to the WSR area to continue to protect and enhance the associated ORVs. Specifically, the Greer Springs Special Management Area protects the very important spring branch that provides so much to the free flow, water quality, and ORVs of the Eleven Point Scenic River. Over time additional acreage was acquired through purchase and scenic easements.

No, that is not the purpose of this update.

The WSR Act allows for retained uses by private landowners operating under easement within the boundary of WSR designated lands, only if these uses do not conflict with the river’s values. To support the greatest good in the 1970s, many landowners under easement voluntarily relinquished uses that might have conflicted with the Scenic River designation.

Uses that were commonly relinquished include:

• timber harvesting,
• gravel removal,
• boat launching, and
• livestock watering.

These were approved on a case-by-case basis and often dependent on their level of use before time of designation of the WSR corridor. Some of these retained uses by private landowners include cattle grazing, restricted timber harvesting, fencing, maintenance of river crossings that existed prior to designation, launching boats from private land, overhead utilities, existing campsites, existing structures, limited gravel removal, and non-commercial hunting and fishing. Section 7 of the WSR outlines the process of how to add retained uses

No changes to river uses are being proposed for this CRMP update.  This CRMP is not proposing changes to river uses; however, public feedback is important to identify if there are uses that are impacting river values.