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Show reservoirs will eventually provide acceptable fishing. There is no question but that all reservoirs will have recreation use, if only by the sightseeing public who may want to view the dam or by fisher- men who look for isolated areas to avoid the grow- ing comp etition for fish. But the value of storage reservoirs for intensive recreation development must be appraised in relation to over-all recrea- tion programs of cities, counties, or States. Near densely populated areas or in regions where natural lakes are lacking, recreation may become the compelling factor in water resources planning. This could mean the construction of artificial lakes primarily for recreation use, or op- eration of multiple-purpose reservoirs to provide maximum recreation opportunity during vacation seasons. Clean Rivers Are Important No other phase of a water resources program promises so much toward expanding outdoor rec- reation opportunities as the cleaning up of our rivers. Pollution abatement strikes at an im- portant source of destroyed recreational values. Although a sewage-treatment plant is not recog- nized as a recreation facility, its absence definitely limits recreation possibilities downstream. Good land and "watershed management are not consid- ered recreation programs as such, yet they de- crease the sediment content of rivers, enhance production of wildlife, retain water-flow patterns at optimum levels, promote fish production, and a wide variety of other downstream recreation uses. These programs will have the greatest impact on urban areas where the need for nearby parks and playgrounds is most pronounced. River flood plains in some densely settled areas are shunned for real estate development because of the natural flood hazard along the river banks as well as the hideous blight often found there. When the sediment loads which most rivers carry have been decreased and municipal and industrial waste discharges are satisfactorily controlled, alert communities will avail themselves of oppor- tunities to establish, at reasonable cost, public parks and river parkways all along the riverside. Industrial properties at water fronts, if tidied up, would add interest and variety to park users. As pollution is abated, this major change in land use along streams should be anticipated and the land acquired for public use before prices become prohibitive. River frontage devoted to parks, picnic areas, river trails, and parkways would contribute to great improvement of the appearance of cities and their acceptability as places in which to live. Wise use of our land and waters is also impor- tant for recreation in more remote regions. Mine wastes, paper mill contaminants, and large quan- tities of silt destroy aquatic life in many miles of streams. Both quantity and quality of fishing increase in clear water. Boating on clean rivers becomes pleasure boating. Park and picnic areas scattered along clear streams would make their natural beauty accessible to everyone. Shore Lines The shore lines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes are recreation resources of importance to the Na- tion as a whole. Congestion on highways lead- ing to shore resorts from metropolitan areas in summer months is surpassed only by the conges- tion which one finds at public beaches after one arrives. An estimated 120 million people an- nually use the beaches of the United States. These facts attest the attraction which shore lines hold for American people. Because of its special quality much shore line area has been preempted by private individuals and private resort operators, while the public generally is being crowded into more and more restricted sections. Although three national park areas, Acadia National Park in Maine, Everglades National Park in Florida, and a coastal strip adjacent to Olympic National Park in Washington, are lo- cated along ocean shores, most public beaches now available have been provided by State or local governments, and no Federal agency has di- 252 |
