Leading Active Campaigns

Washington

Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (S. 1737, H.R. 3369)

Why Protect: Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula includes free-flowing rivers that babble through ancient forests. Such stunning scenery not only provides world-class recreational opportunities for whitewater boaters and hikers, it protects critical salmon and steelhead habitat and safeguards clean drinking water sources. With a history of more than ten years of grassroots support, this bill would designate 19 new Wild and Scenic Rivers, plus their tributaries, 464 river miles in total, and more than 125,000 acres of wilderness.

On May 13, 2025, Senator Murray and Representative Randall introduced companion bills S. 1737 and H.R. 3369.

Contact: Tom O’Keefe, [email protected], with American Whitewater

Learn More: Wild Olympics website

Oregon 

River Democracy Act

Why Protect: This bill designates 3,215 miles of rivers in all corners of Oregon to expand recreation access, protect drinking water, reduce wildfire threats, and sustain endangered fish and wildlife species. The bill also requires federal land managers to assess wildfire risks in Wild and Scenic River corridors and encourages them to develop river management plans in collaboration with tribes, ensuring tribes have a voice in how rivers are managed.

Contact: 

David Moryc, [email protected], at American Rivers
Tom O’Keefe, [email protected], at American Whitewater
Brett Swift, [email protected], and the Pew Charitable Trusts

Kayakers on a river

Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act (S. 945)

Why Protect: This bill protects 75 miles of the Smith River. It expands the Smith River National Recreation Area by 58,000 acres, which would protect the diverse ecosystems of the rivers, streams, and adjacent lands of the North Fork Smith River watershed, and help boost the local fishing and recreation industries that many Oregon families rely on. Senators Merkley, Wyden, Padilla, and Schiff introduced S. 945 on March 11, 2025.

Contact: Grant Werschkull, [email protected], at the Smith River Alliance

Southwestern Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act / Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act

Why Protect: This bill designates 60,000 acres of wilderness, 128,000 acres of new riverside recreation areas, and a permanent mineral withdrawal for 101,000 acres at the headwaters of several Southwestern Oregon wild and scenic rivers.

Contact: Barbara Ullian, [email protected], at Friends of the Kalmiopsis

California

Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act

Why Protect: From fog-shrouded redwood forests to crystalline turquoise pools, Northern California is home to some of the most stunning landscapes. This bill protects local wild lands, expands recreational opportunities, and restores impacted watersheds by designating 480 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers, establishing eight new wilderness areas and expanding nine existing ones.

Contact: 

André Sanchez, [email protected], with CalWild

Ron Stork, [email protected], with Friends of the River

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act

Why Protect: The product of years of discussion and negotiation between business leaders, conservationists, elected officials, ranchers, mountain bikers and other stakeholders, this bill will ensure clean water for thriving communities, protect critical wildlife habitat and stimulate a vibrant local economy. It safeguards 159 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, designates nearly 250,000 acres of wilderness and creates two new scenic areas in California’s Los Padres National Forest and the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Contact: 

André Sanchez, [email protected], with CalWild

Ron Stork, [email protected], with Friends of the River

San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act

Why Protect: Despite nearby gorgeous rivers, forests and mountains just to the north, Los Angeles residents are some of the most park-poor in the country. This bill spurs outdoor recreation by connecting park-poor areas, especially BIPOC and historically marginalized communities, to open space. It establishes a National Recreation Area along the San Gabriel River, protects 45.5 miles of rivers in Southern California, designates more than 30,000 acres of wilderness and expands the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

Contact: 

André Sanchez, [email protected], with CalWild

Ron Stork, [email protected], with Friends of the River

New Mexico

greater gila river

M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act (S. 1476, H.R. 2903)

Why Protect: The Gila River is the largest remaining, free-flowing river system in Southwestern U.S. It emanates from our nation’s first Wilderness Area, championed by Aldo Leopold in 1924. It provides critical habitat for threatened Gila trout, is a source of clean water for agriculture and wildlife, and supports New Mexico’s $2.3B outdoor recreation economy. This bill designates roughly 450 miles on 31 river segments and protects 144,000 acres of riverside lands.

On April 10, 2025, Senators Heinrich and Lujan and Representatives Vasquez, Leger Fernandez, and Stansbury introduced companion bills S. 1476 and H.R. 2903.

Contact: Mike Fiebig, [email protected], with American Rivers

Colorado

Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act

Why Protect: This bill would create a 68,000 acre National Conservation Area and Special Management Area on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands and protect the free-flowing character of 76 miles of the Dolores River.

Contact: Mike Fiebig, [email protected], with American Rivers

Massachusetts

Deerfield River

Deerfield River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (S. 1187, H.R. 2451)

Why Protect: With rapids from Class II-V, the 76-mile Deerfield River offers perhaps the best whitewater boating and rafting in Massachusetts. It is also an excellent trout fishery, with some of the best dry-fly fishing for wild trout in the East. The historically significant Mohawk Trail ran along the river and was a principal Indigenous travel route. This bill initiates a wild and scenic river study of the river.

On March 27, 2025, Senators Markey, Sanders, Warren, and Welch and Representative McGovern introduced companion bills S. 1187 and H.R. 2451.

Contact: Deerfield River Watershed Association, [email protected]

Learn More: Deerfield River Watershed Association website

Vermont

Nulhegan River

Nulhegan River and Paul Stream Wild and Scenic River Study Act (S. 1578 and H.R. 3181)

Why Protect: One of Vermont’s most wild rivers, the Nulhegan River drops through a basin of thick forests and boreal wetlands. The Nulhegan River was named after the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk. “Nulhegan” translates in the Abenaki language to “Place of Fish Traps” for the bounty found there. This bill initiates a wild and scenic river study on a 22-mile segment of the Nulhegan River and an 18-mile segment of the Paul Stream.

On May 1, 2025, Senators Welch and Sanders introduced S. 1578 and on May 5, Representative Balint introduced H.R. 3181.

Contact: Vermont River Conservancy

Tennessee

Thomas Machnitzki

Hatchie River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (H.R. 949)

Why Protect: The Hatchie (Choctaw for “river”) is Tennessee’s last major free-flowing river. It is home to migratory Warblers, four species of Gar, and Southern Rainbow Mussels as it flows for 238 miles in northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. Representative Kustoff introduced H.R. 949 on February 4, 2025.

Florida

Myakka Wild and Scenic River Act of 2025 (H.R. 642)

Why Protect: Arching palm trees and live oaks line this winding tea-colored stream that is Florida’s first state-designated wild and scenic river. It flows for 34 miles through Sarasota County through a vast expanse of unspoiled wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands that make up Myakka River State Park. Boating, fishing, canoeing and kayaking are popular activities on the water while hikers and bicyclists explore miles of trails and backroads. Representative Steube introduced H.R. 642 on January 23, 2025.

Contact: Miri Hardy, [email protected], with Friends of the Myakka River

Kissimmee Wild and Scenic River Act (H.R. 2580)

Why Protect: The Kissimmee River Restoration Project was a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District to help wildlife species return to the river after efforts to prevent flooding destroyed habitats. The project was completed in 2021 and restored more than 40 square miles of the river floodplain ecosystem, 20,000 acres of wetlands, and 44 miles of the historic river channel. It was the largest river restoration in the world and cost nearly $1 billion to complete. This bill designates the restored section of the Kissimmee River, beginning downstream of Lake Kissimmee and ending upstream of Lake Okeechobee, as a partnership wild and scenic river. Representative Soto introduced H.R. 2580 on April 1, 2025.

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.

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

  • Although central Montana has 385 wild-and-scenic-worthy river miles including the Yellowstone, Madison, and Smith Rivers, advocates are right-sizing what was formerly the Montana Headwaters Legacy Act to better suit Montana. Discussions are underway with the Montana delegation.

New Jersey

  • Mullica River – Located entirely in the Pinelands National Reserve, 191 river miles in 25 river segments were added to the Nationwide Rivers Inventory in 1985.  Legislation for a Wild and Scenic Rivers Study is underway.
  • Upper Raritan River – the Upper Raritan River, including its key tributaries: the South Branch (51 miles), the North Branch (23 miles), the main stem of the Black/Lamington River (25 miles), and the Neshanic River (11 miles). A reconnaissance survey for a Wild and Scenic Rivers Study is underway.

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.

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.

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.