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000574 America's Wild and Scenic Rivers The diversity of the Nation's riv- ers is amazing, It is as though the Almighty sel out to display HIs dex- lerily. as though He might have said America shall be laced by numer. ous rivers The Suwannee shall rise in the swamps and marshes of Georgia and Florida: its amber waters flowing gemly through cy- press and southern pines draped with Spanish moss. The mounlalns of North Carolina shall issue forth the Chattooga River, rushing recklessly and hap- pily through boulders and rock ledges along the South CarOlina. Georgia border. The New River in North Carolina shall be the earth's second oldes!, Its waters for centuries wearmg down the land so that the river flows through foothills as gently rounded as a maiden's breasl. From Ihe dolomite rocks 01 Mls- soun's OzarkS, huge, sparkling springs shall well up and feed Ihe lazy Eleven Point and Jacks Fork rivers in Ihe Ozark National River- ways In the SIskiYOU Mountains, the Rogue River shall spew lorth as though an inexhaustible source of champagne flowed forever, steeply rushing 10 Ihe sea In Idaho, the Salmon shall be so wild men will call II the "River 01 No Return" Across America representatives of lhese types of rivers and all Ihe gradations among them. are fortu- nately slill there 10 be preserved LIl(e Ihe veins and arleries of a human hand, they carry Ihe liquid sustaining life Of a nation and a contLnenl. Al the same time, they carry society's unneeded by-prod. uCts to me sea In l!1e period of hiS " . " " .J " , ~ ~- ~~ .~ ..,..............-~:.r.. .....'-1 l'~ . .~ -~ """'" great nalvele and ignorance which still mal not be ended, man has overloaded, depleted by water With- drawals. overheated, dammed. chan- neled and liltered some of Ameri- ca's most beautiful flvers and streams Al last. however, in 1968 the first Sleps were taken 10 preserve some 01 these rrragniflcel11 waterways Be- cause of the unbelievable resiliency of nature, many 01 lne wildesl and Bull Sluice on the Chattooga River. Oregon's Rogue River offers superb whitewarer. mosl scenic rivers have survived so l!1at Americans have another cMnce ThiS issue of "Ouldoor Recreation Action" is all about ef. forts 10 protect and preserve some 01 these pnceless gems and 10 en- courage Inslream waler conserva- tion for recrealion uses Under the NatIonal Wild ana SceniC Rivers Act of 1968_ State rivers programs and tr1Slream liow programs, much is bel'1g done