Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories

The Quartzville Creek Wild and Scenic River in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is one of thousands of miles of river designated in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Photo: Bureau of Land Management-Oregon and Washington/Bob Wick via Flickr Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)

TipSheet: Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories

By Joseph A. Davis

You haven’t lived until you’ve kayaked or rafted through the boiling eddies of a Class 3 rapids or camped in the evening river mist as the froggy drone of spring peepers envelops you. That, and environmental journalists can also find lots of stories on wild and scenic rivers.

Last we looked, 13,400 miles of 228 rivers in 41 states and Puerto Rico had been designated as parts of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

Even if your area lacks an officially designated river reach, there may be spellbinding experiences to write about. There are still plenty of wild rivers not designated.

 

Why it matters

Too often, environmental journalists have to write about ideological warfare, toxic spills, corporate lobbying and other nasty things that bring no joy.

 

One of the best reasons to

protect nature from human

depredation is that it can be a

spiritual experience or just fun.

 

Yet one of the best reasons to protect nature from human depredation is that it can be a spiritual experience or just fun. 

Designating a river as wild and scenic under federal law goes a long way toward keeping it that way. You can learn a lot of biology by spending time on a river.

 

The backstory

There was a time, in the 1950s and ’60s, when the emphasis was on conservation as much as pollution control. The big fights were over things like the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River (then-Sierra Club Executive Director David Brower never met a dam he didn’t oppose).

Congress passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. Basically, it applied only to free-flowing rivers, and limited commercial and residential development within about a quarter mile on either side. And yes, it also prohibited dams (which generally require federal approval). Congress must designate new river segments.

Four federal agencies may be involved in managing the segments: the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. State agencies, local governments and nongovernmental organizations are also often involved.

 

Story ideas

• Are there any wild, scenic or recreational rivers near you? Start by going to visit, hike, boat or fish.
• Find a canoe or kayak club in your local area. Go to a meeting or join one of their trips. Talk to them.
• See if there is a riverkeeper for your river of interest. These are local groups that advocate river conservation. Most are listed in this Waterkeeper Alliance directory.
• Are there any rivers in your area proposed but not designated for wild and scenic designation? Investigate the politics of this decision. How do your Congress members stand?
• See if there are any landowners along your stretch of wild river. Visit and talk to them about their views and concerns.
• Do any local groups do cleanups, sampling or testing on your river? Go to an event and talk to them.
• What are the main threats to your stretch of river? Development? Pollution? Climate and floods? Something else?
• What fish, invertebrates, insects and critters live in/on your river?
• There may be local guides and outfitters who focus on your river. Find them and talk to them. Go on one of their trips. 

 

Reporting resources

• National Wild and Scenic Rivers System: The multiagency federal site for the system.
• American Rivers: A national nongovernmental group that advocates for river cleanup and conservation.
• U.S. Forest Service: The vast land holdings of the Forest Service include some very wild federal lands, where development can be limited.
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: The National Wildlife Refuge System includes tracts that include wild and scenic rivers.
• Bureau of Land Management: The BLM controls huge amounts of federal land in the West. Most of it is run under the multiple-use doctrine.
• National Park Service: Most national parks prohibit dams and commercial development beyond concessions. 
• State agencies: Most states have an agency that handles wild rivers. It might be called the Department of Natural Resources or the Fish and Wildlife Department. Try this list.
• Local clubs: If you live near good rivers, there is probably a regional canoe or kayak club near you. Google it or check with the American Canoe Association. 

[Editor’s Note: Read more of our past coverage about endangered rivers here, here and here. See other stories about recreational fishing and on trout streams and climate change, and about the Duwamish River, the Anacostia River, the Potomac River, the Mobile River Basin and the Colorado River. Plus, check out EJToday river-related headlines.]

Joseph A. Davis is a freelance writer/editor in Washington, D.C. who has been writing about the environment since 1976. He writes SEJournal Online's TipSheet, Reporter's Toolbox and Issue Backgrounder, and curates SEJ's weekday news headlines service EJToday and @EJTodayNews. Davis also directs SEJ's Freedom of Information Project and writes the WatchDog opinion column.

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* From the weekly news magazine SEJournal Online, Vol. 11, No. 11. Content from each new issue of SEJournal Online is available to the public via the SEJournal Online main page. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here. And see past issues of the SEJournal archived here.