Leading Active Campaigns

Emerging River Protection Efforts

It takes years for a river protection campaign to build the political and grassroots support necessary for legislation. These campaigns represent emerging efforts that will one day be ready for Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation.

Alabama

• Little Wild and Scenic River – The Little River flows for 65 miles on top of Lookout Mountain in northeastern Alabama, sculpting a system of canyons that exceed 600 feet in depth and creating one of the deepest river gorges in the eastern US. The shallow, rocky riverbed is home to rare and endemic plant species such as Kral’s water-plantain and green pitcher plants. World-class whitewater paddling and canyon rim and waterfall sightseeing are important recreational opportunities. Future legislation would initiate a wild and scenic river study and ultimately designation of the Little River as a Partnership Wild and Scenic River.

  • Contact: Keep Little River Wild film and website

    Jack West, [email protected], with Alabama Rivers Alliance
    Angie Shugart, [email protected], with Little River Waterkeeper

Arizona

• Upper Verde Wild and Scenic River – The 38-mile Upper Verde River, located east of Paulden to the town of Clarkdale, is one of the most clean, healthy, economically important, and culturally significant free-flowing rivers remaining in the state. The Wild and Scenic eligible Upper Verde River has been found to possess Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs) for Culture (54 sites), Scenery, Native Fish (10 species), Wildlife (17 species), Recreation (12 listed types), Geology, and Botany. Maintaining and enhancing these values is vitally important to help to address biodiversity loss, climate change, aridification, ecological fragmentation, and ever-increasing development in the region.

Colorado

• Crystal Wild and Scenic River – The 39-mile Wild and Scenic eligible Crystal River, south of Carbondale, begins in the snow-capped peaks of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The scenery, historic, and recreational ORVs inventoried in the river corridor add to the deep cultural, native fish, and wildlife values that draw residents and visitors to the valley. A facilitated, multi-stakeholder process exploring Wild and Scenic designation for the Crystal River began in Spring 2023.
• Deep Creek Wild and Scenic River – The 15-mile Wild and Scenic eligible section of Deep Creek, flowing from Deep Lake through a 2000-foot deep gorge in the Flat Tops Plateau, is a largely undisturbed environment featuring a high variety of karst caves and rock formations. The ORVs Deep Creek possesses are its ecological condition—it contains several state and globally rare species along with occurrences of very high-quality natural communities; its scenic canyon with very little disturbance from human activity; and finally, the geologic values associated with cave formations within the canyon. A stakeholder process is working on draft bill language.

Montana

• Crown of the Continent Wild and Scenic Rivers – The rivers and streams of the Crown of the Continent region of Montana flow from or near the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park and support thriving fish and wildlife communities and a bustling recreation economy. Overall, 325 miles on 23 streams in the Flathead and Clark Fork river headwaters are deserving of Wild and Scenic River protections. Originally proposed for designation as a package along with the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act, these two campaigns were separated, and advocates are focused on protecting rivers in the Bozeman and Big Sky, Montana, area.
  • Contact: Scott Bosse, [email protected], with American Rivers or Charles Drimal, [email protected], with Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Georgia

• South River – The South River is one of only two urban-origin rivers in the state of Georgia. Its watershed comprises approximately 544 square miles of creeks and streams that drain large sections of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale, Newton, and Butts Counties. The river is a headwater of Georgia’s largest freshwater system, the Ocmulgee and Altamaha River basins, which feed the Atlantic Ocean. Future legislation would initiate a wild and scenic river study and ultimately designation of as a Partnership Wild and Scenic River.
  • Learn more: Janae Davis, [email protected], with American Rivers

South Carolina

• Congaree Wild and Scenic River – The 45-mile Wild and Scenic eligible section of the Congaree River includes the Congaree National Recreational Trail and the Congaree River Blue Trail. It also borders Congaree National Park for 28 miles. As an urban river it provides quality of life benefits to many residents and visitors as a site for paddling, fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, concerts, picnics and bike riding. The National Park Service found the river to have outstanding cultural, fishery, geologic, historical, recreational, scenic, and wildlife values. Future legislation would initiate a wild and scenic river study and ultimately designation of as a Partnership Wild and Scenic River.
  • Learn more: Contact – Congaree River Keeper, [email protected] or Janae Davis, [email protected], with American Rivers

Recent Successes

Although a broad-scale public lands and waters package did not materialize during the 118th Congress to add to the list below, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Coalition celebrates the past successes of our member organizations, partners, and Congressional Champions in enacting these laws:

• Designations

  • York Wild & Scenic River: 38.5 miles of York River and its tributaries in Maine were designated as a recreational Wild and Scenic River as part of the 2023 Omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2022.

  • Housatonic Wild & Scenic River: Four sections of the Housatonic River in Connecticut totaling 40.3 miles were designated as recreational and scenic Wild and Scenic Rivers as part of the 2023 Omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2022.

  • Katimiîn and Ameekyáaraam Sacred Lands Act: Enacted in December 2022, this law will return 1,031 acres of land along California’s Klamath and Salmon Rivers to the Karuk Tribe. This land transfer will allow the Karuk Tribe to conduct World Renewal Ceremonies and other acts of religious and cultural significance without interruption or interference while maintaining Wild and Scenic River protections.
• Studies

  • Little Manatee River Study: 51 miles of the Little Manatee River, one of the most pristine blackwater rivers in the state of Florida, will be studied to assess inclusion within the Wild and Scenic River System as part of the 2023 Omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2022.

  • Kissimmee River Study: 50 miles of the Kissimmee River, a restored wetland at the heart of water supplies for central Florida, will be studied to assess inclusion within the Wild and Scenic River System as part of the 2023 Omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2022.