Monday
October 2, 2006
American Rivers Launches
"40x40" Challenge to Designate New Wild & Scenic Rivers
Source: American Rivers
“A healthy river is a tremendous asset to any community, but these special rivers are treasures for the entire nation,” said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers. “The Black Butte River is a treasure for California and the whole country, and a wonderful way to kick off American Rivers’ 40x40 Challenge.”
The National Wild and Scenic system covers 11,358 river miles, which is just over one-quarter of one percent of the nation’s rivers. By comparison, an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 dams across the country have impounded more than 600,000 miles, or at least 17 percent of our rivers.
The Act protects many of our most spectacular and historic rivers, from the Klamath in Oregon, the Allegheny in Pennsylvania, the Chattooga in Georgia and South Carolina, to Michigan’s Au Sable River. Oregon leads the nation with 47 rivers designated, while Alaska boasts a stunning 3,210 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers. The Missouri River explored by Lewis and Clark, the Delaware River that cradled the American Revolution, and the Tuolumne River loved by John Muir are all protected by this visionary law.
The newest additions to this system are 19.5 miles of the Black Butte River and 1.5 miles of its tributary Cold Creek. These are vital salmon and steelhead spawning tributaries to the existing Middle Eel Wild and Scenic River, and Cold Creek offers some of the best salmon, steelhead and trout habitat in the entire watershed. The Black Butte River also has exceptional cultural and archeological values, representative of the now extinct Huititno’m Yuki tribe.
While economic analyses have clearly shown considerable benefits to communities that have a Wild and Scenic river flowing nearby, several misconceptions about the act have begun to take root. Designation under the act means that development along the river must protect its “outstandingly remarkable resources” and free-flowing character; by no means does it prohibit development outright or give the federal government control over private property.
American Rivers’ 40x40 Challenge is intended to regain momentum in the designation of special rivers around the country. Initially, there were a large number of rivers designated when the Act was first put in place, and surges in additions to the system at intervals since then. Currently there are 165 rivers in the National Wild and Scenic River System -- but at least 3,400 other rivers meet the criteria for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In the past five years, only 9 rivers have been designated. The 40x40 Challenge will harness the enthusiasm and knowledge of local groups and citizens, and combine it with the technical expertise, policy knowledge, and political savvy of American Rivers to reinvigorate the effort to protect our nation’s most treasured rivers.
“Some of this nation’s best loved rivers lack even basic protections from dams and development. When even the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon isn’t protected under the Wild and Scenic Act, you know we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Quinn McKew, associate director for wild rivers at American Rivers.
RESOURCES: American Rivers Background on the Wild and Scenic River System and Economic Benefits of Wild and Scenic designation: www.americanrivers.org/gowild
Contact:
Brad DeVries (202) 243-7023