Otter Creek Wilderness

Index

Introduction

Otter Creek Wilderness is located about 10 miles northeast of Elkins, West Virginia. Originally 10,215 acres were set aside in the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Areas Act. Otter Creek runs 11 miles through a valley and is followed by a train along its 1,200-foot drop to the Dry Fork River. Parallel mountain ridges that reach heights of 3,900 feet encircle a 4-mile-wide oval watershed with numerous small streams flowing into Otter Creek. The area, logged extensively between 1897 and 1914, now sports a second-growth forest, dense thickets of rhododendron and mountain laurel along the streams, and a variety of mosses in damper regions. Cool temperatures prevail and frost may occur during any month of the year. The area receives about 55 inches of precipitation annually.

The Otter Creek Wilderness has been designated as Class I air quality under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 and recent additions to the Wilderness has increased the size to 20,706 acres.

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Air Quality Related Values

Scenery

The scenic beauty of the Otter Creek watershed is highly valued by its users. Panoramic views of nearly the entire watershed are obtained from a number of large rock cliffs. The visual resource includes the Otter Creek valley and mountains which rise more than 3,800 feet above sea level. Visual diversity is provided by a number of small freshwater wetlands and rock outcrops. Many users experience a sense of solitude and peace when they are in the mature, second-growth forest that also provides visual diversity through a variety of tree and shrub species. Otter Creek itself is a clear, clean mountain stream, tumbling over boulders in alternating small waterfalls and pools. Much of the recreation use in the wilderness occurs in and near Otter Creek.

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Natural Background Visibility
Site Specific Rayleigh scattering coefficient: Clearest 20% Natural Clearest 20% 2000-2004 Baseline Haziest 20% Natural Haziest 20% 2000-2004 Baseline Average Annual Natural Annual Average 2000-2004 Baseline
Standard Visual Range (km) 272 115 138 21 196 52
Haze Index (dv) 3.63 12.28 10.39 29.04 6.89 20.09

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Water Quality

Otter Creek is the dominant water resource of this wilderness. Several smaller acid and unproductive tributaries flow into the main stream. Water quality in Otter Creek is not representative of natural conditions due to an artificial liming facility that operates in its headwaters. There are populations of native brook trout in Otter Creek, due to improved water quality from the artificial liming facility at its headwaters. Waters are cold and clear, and tributaries generally are stained brown from tannic acids. Water quality is important to wilderness users for drinking purposes. Water quality of Shavers Lick Run, a perennial stream within the wilderness that is not a tributary to Otter Creek, is better than that of the tributaries.

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Floral Diversity

The wilderness was logged during the late 1800's and early 1900's and again between 1958 and 1972. Most of the wilderness is now forested with second-growth stands of northern hardwoods and Allegheny mixed hardwoods. An overstory of second-growth northern hardwoods and Allegheny mixed hardwoods dominates the Otter Creek Wilderness. Red spruce in the higher elevations provides visual and vegetative diversity year-round. A 59-acre patch of virgin red spruce and hemlock on Shavers Mountain provides a remnant of the prelogging era timber found in Otter Creek. Another interesting feature is a 50-year-old stand of planted Norway spruce, approximately 200 acres in size. Nearly impenetrable stands of extensive rhododendron thickets are common, making off-trail hiking difficult, and their seasonal flowering provides an attractive understory. Otherwise, the ground and herbaceous understory is lacking in the richness and diversity found at other low-elevation mesic sites. There are limited areas of other low-elevation mesic sites. There are limited areas of limestone bedrock where a more diverse understory vegetative mix provides visual variety. Small freshwater wetlands and their associated plant communities provide additional vegetative diversity.

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Resource Concern Thresholds

AQRV Type: VISIBILITY
Sensitive Receptor Sensitive Receptor Indicator Thresholds
Natural Visibility Light Extinction In specific Class I areas to maintain consistency with Regional Haze implementation plans or BART, the visibility threshold for concern is not exceeded if the 98th percentile change in light extinction is <5% for each year modeled, when compared to the 20% best natural background values.
Natural Visibility Light Extinction For sources generally further than 50 km from a Class I area, the visibility threshold for concern is not exceeded if the 98th percentile change in light extinction is <5% for each year modeled, when compared to the annual average natural condition value for that Class I area.
Plume Blight Absolute Contrast Screening Analysis: For near field sources (within 50 km of a Class I area), no additional analysis will be requested if screening analysis of a new or modified source can demonstrate that its emissions will not cause a plume with hourly estimates of DeltaE (color difference index) greater than or equal to 2.0 or the absolute value of the contrast greater than or equal to 0.05 when modeled against natural conditions.
Plume Blight Absolute Contrast Refined Analysis: No further analysis will likely be requested if a new or modified source can show that impacts from a new or modified source will stay with the threshold of DeltaE <1.0 and |C| <0.02 modeled against natural conditions.
Plume Blight Color Difference Index Screening Analysis: For near field sources (within 50 km of a Class I area), no additional analysis will be requested if screening analysis of a new or modified source can demonstrate that its emissions will not cause a plume with hourly estimates of DeltaE (color difference index) greater than or equal to 2.0 or the absolute value of the contrast greater than or equal to 0.05 when modeled against natural conditions.
Plume Blight Color Difference Index Refined Analysis: No further analysis will likely be requested if a new or modified source can show that impacts from a new or modified source will stay with the threshold of DeltaE <1.0 and |C| <0.02 when modeled against natural conditions.

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AQRV Type: WATER
Sensitive Receptor Sensitive Receptor Indicator Thresholds
Aquatic Organisms Chemistry Effective sulfur deposition may significantly impact aquatic organisms at levels above 11 kg/ha/yr. Total sulfur plus 20% of nitrogen deposition at levels exceeding 14 kg/ha/yr may cause ANC loss that would impact aquatic organisms.
Perennial Streams Chronic Acid Neutralizing Capacity To maintain healthy biological functioning in perennial streams, the chronic acid neutralizing capacity must be >= 25 ueq/l. Acid neutralizing capacity below 10 ueq/L (the red line) are expected to cause adverse impacts.
Perennial Streams Episodic Acid Neutralizing Capacity To maintain healthy biological functioning in perennial streams, the episodic acid neutralizing capacity must be >= 0 ueq/l.

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Pollutant Exposure Concern Thresholds
Pollutant Exposures Level Name Thresholds
S+20%N Red Line Total sulfur plus 20% of nitrogen deposition at levels exceeding 14 kg/ha/yr may cause ANC loss that would impact aquatic organisms.
Sulfur DEPOSITION The target load for sulfur deposition is 0 kg/ha/yr. Effective sulfur deposition may significantly impact aquatic organisms at levels above 11 kg/ha/yr.
Sulfur EXCEEDANCE The Deposition Analysis Threshold for sulfur deposition below which estimated impacts from a source are considered negligible is 0.010 kg/ha/yr.

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General Information
State(s):West Virginia
County(s):Randolph, Tucker
Forest Service Administrative Unit(s):Eastern Region (Region 9) -- Monongahela National Forest
Size:20,706 acres
Elevation Range:1,830 - 3,912 feet
Image(s):https://www.wilderness.net/images/
Detailed wilderness information:https://www.wilderness.net
GIS Map/Official Boundary:https://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/

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updated: 09/06/13