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Implementing Oregon's State Omnibus River Bill Jim Payne Introduction To The Oregon Scenic Waterways Act The people of Oregon established the Oregon Scenic Waterways Program in 1970, recognizing that wise individual and public uses of these "special" rivers and adjacent lands was necessary if they were to remain unspoiled for present and future use. The Scenic Waterways Act, an Oregon Law, immediately set into motion a state protection program for certain rivers throughout Oregon. The program promotes cooperative protection and wise use of these rivers by all federal, state and local agencies, between protecting the rivers' natural resources and the equally valuable lives and plan of the people who live along them. There are approximately 1,100 miles of rivers or segments of rivers in the Scenic Waterways Program (one lake). What The Act Does The Oregon Scenic Waterways Act, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, is a statewide law for conservation. Other state agencies--Division of State Lands, Oregon State Marine Broad and Oregon Water Resources Departrnent--have responsibilities associated with the Act They are: 1. To protect the free-flowing character of designated rivers for ftsh, wildlife and recreation. No darns, reservoirs, impoundments or placer mining are allowed on scenic waterways. 2. To protect and enhance scenic, aesthetic, natural recreation, scientific, and ftsh and wildlife values along scenic waterways. New developments or changes of existing . uses proposed within a scenic waterway are reviewed before they may take place. 3. It also prohibits public use of private property without explicit consent of the landowner. 4. The Act sets a process for adding new rivers to the system and establishes criteria for candidate rivers. 5. To encourage other state agencies to act consistently with the goals of scenic waterways management. The OPRD consistently reviews plans and decisions made by other state and federal agencies. Administration and Assistance The goal of the Scenic Waterway planning process is to produce a comprehensive, worlcable management plan which will protect or enhance the aesthetic, scenic, fish, wildlife, scientifIc and recreational features of the river corridor. Primary emphasis is given to protecting or enhancing river features that are found to be special attributes of the river corridor. OPRD has limited resources to meet this ambitious goal, and relies heavily on whatever information and standard are available from external sources. The program mechanisms for protecting and enhancing Scenic Waterways are: 1. River ClassifIcations--six possible classifIcations according to the character of the landscape and the amount and type of development. 2. Land Management Rules--based on the rivers classifIcation, with specifIc guidelines are established as administrative rules. These mechanisms constitute the "management program II for given segments of scenic waterways. I