Into the wild

The commission recommended the nation protect wild rivers from development that would change their wild or scenic nature. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission.

The commission recommended the nation protect wild rivers from development that would change their wild or scenic nature. The act was sponsored by Sen. Frank Church and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 2, 1968. A river or river section may be designated by the U.S. Congress or the Secretary of the Interior.

As of July 2011, 203 rivers, totaling 12,598 miles of river in 38 states and Puerto Rico, have wild and scenic status.

Rivers and Lakes

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By comparison, more than 75,000 large dams across the country have modified at least 600,000 miles, or about 17%, of American rivers. Selected rivers in the United States are preserved for possessing outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.

Henry David Thoreau

Rivers, or sections of rivers, so designated are preserved in their free-flowing condition and are not dammed or otherwise impeded.

National wild and scenic designation essentially vetoes the licensing of new hydropower projects on or directly affecting the river. It also provides very strong protection against bank and channel alterations that adversely affect river values and creates a federal reserved water right to protect flow-dependent values.

Classifications

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Susan Parkes had not known love or loss until she risked loosing her splendid aunt Charity Pigeon. It was a story. Her idyllic life is shattered when her learns that clumsy witches plan to destroy Charity and she knows she has to stop them or her heart will die.

Wild and scenic rivers are assigned one or more classifications: wild, scenic, recreational.

1. These classifications are based on the developmental character of the river on the date of designation.
2. Wild rivers are the most remote and undeveloped while recreational rivers often have many access points, roads, railroads, and bridges.
3. A river’s classification that must be protected and enhanced by the river manager.

For instance, recreation may not be an outstanding value on a river with a recreational classification nor scenery on a river classified as scenic. Notably, wild and rivers receive the same standard of protection regardless of classification.