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Wild and Scenic Threats
April 11, 2011 | Most Endangered Rivers, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Protecting Rivers
Eileen Fretz
Associate Director of Government Relations
Merced River
Photo by snty-tact via Wikimedia Commons
Wild and Scenic Rivers are at the heart of the mission and purpose of American Rivers.
They're the last outstanding, free-flowing, highest quality rivers in America and they exist as a promise to future generations that we'll save a few of these special places for them to enjoy and benefit from.
For the past couple years we've been working to designate new rivers like the Molalla River in Oregon and the Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers in Washington, which were recently reintroduced in Congress.
Unfortunately, in the environmental regulation rollback frenzy of the 112th Congress, we find ourselves facing attempts to trim back the edges of Wild and Scenic River boundaries and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act itself.
The most egregious of these efforts is an effort to build a four-lane freeway bridge over the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even though the National Park Service decided this bridge would violate the wild and scenic values of the river, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, champion of the Tea Party is ironically leading the charge to bring home the bridge bacon by pushing legislation that would override the NPS decision and allow the $690 million project to move forward.
There are other threats emerging. In California, an irrigation district has convinced their Representatives to introduce a bill that would allow them to flood the lower end of the Wild and Scenic Merced River so they can sell more water. In Oregon, there's a proposal to move the Wild and Scenic boundary on the Crooked River to generate hydropower.
American Rivers is devoted to protecting rivers and the laws that protect them. We'll be closely monitoring these efforts as they move through Congress to ensure that any changes to a Wild and Scenic River and the laws that protect it will benefit the River and the community that depends on it.
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Comments List
Submitted by Helen Lynch at: June 14, 2011
Save the Rivers and Streams throughout the United States.
Submitted by JCPlace at: April 14, 2011
When you write your Congressmen (Congresswomen) remember to include the bill number. I believe that this isue in the Senate is called S. 787. It's important because it helps define "waters" to include tributaries and intermittent streams. Thanks!
Submitted by Neal at: April 13, 2011
I live near a wild and scenic river which I think is a total asset to the community. It is a quality of life issue but it is also a financial engine for our economy. We have the recreational uses of canoeing, boating, fishing,and all of the spin off economies that go with it. We have the downstream communities who depend on it for their drinking water, and their economies that ultimately include shipping. The value of wild and scenic river preservation should not be underestimated. Just becasue you can doesn't mean you should, and everyone can't live upstream, so consider those downstream of you.
Submitted by Questionall at: April 13, 2011
Cry wolf!the Merced project is downstream of a 30 ft waterfall. Raising the spillway 8 ft will not reach the wild & scenic section. Look it up yourself.