Exploring Amendments to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: An Opportunity to Support Tribal River Management

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (“Act” or “WSRA”) is one of America’s bedrock public lands laws and has been considered the preeminent tool to protect free-flowing rivers in the United States for more than 50 years. However, the Act does not yet meaningfully provide the legal authority for tribes to participate in the designation, administration, and management of rivers in the National Wild and Scenic River System (NWSRS)—a system with a cooperative federalism model that has
been extended to states since its inception. This omission deprives tribes of a key river stewardship tool and also prevents the NWSRS from benefiting from tribal river management expertise. From a broader perspective, the exclusion of tribes from federal environmental and public lands laws, including the WSRA, is one of the many legacies of colonialism that tribes continue to face today. Remedying this long-standing problem is critical to advancing equitable management of lands and waters in the years to come.