WSP06980

• File Number: 7630.285
• Description: Wild and Scenic - General
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 5/1/1977
• Author: US DOI
• Title: Outdoor Recreation Action - Wild and Scenic Rivers - Number 43 - Spring 1977
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

000575

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River
Preservation
and Recreation
Programs:

A Status Report

(This article is adapted from a paper
presented by Robert L. Eastman,
Chief, Division of Resource Area
Studies, Bureau of Outdoor Recrea-
tion, at a national symposium,
"River Recreation Management arid
Research," January 24-27, 1977, at
Minneapolis, Minn.)

Background
Of the more than three million
miles of rivers and tributaries in the
United States pouring their waters
down to the sea, many have been
harnessed lor flood control, naviga-
tion, hydroelectric power, municipal
and industrial water supply, and irri-
gation. Cities, factories ar1d homes
have been buiit on their fiood piains.
Their banks have been dumping
grounds for waste materials and
their waters the recipient of indus-
trial and municipal wastes. In many
ways, the beauty and purity of these
streams have been mindlessly de-
stroyed. An affluent society has
become an effluent society. It has
degraded drinking water and de-
stroyed the values of fish, wildlife
and scenic and recreation re-
sources.
The need to preserve portions of
a national heritage;s not new. How-
ever, there is no need to recite
history except as it relates directly
to the efforts to establish a system
to protect wild and scenic rtvers.
In 1961, the Senate Select Com-
mitlee on National Water Resources
recommended:

That certain streams be preserved
in lheir free-flowing condition be-
cause their natural scenic, scien-
tific, and esthetic and recreational
values outweigh their value for

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water development and control pur-
poses now and in the future.
This recommendation was rein-
forced by the Outdoor Recreation
Resources Review Commission
when it concluded in its final report
in January 1962 that: "Certain riv-
ers should be preserved in their
free-flowing condition and natural
setting." Because of the unique
scenic and recreational values that
certain rivers provide, the Commis-
sion endorsed efforts to preserve
them in their natural condition. To
accomplish this objective, it recom-
mended that studies be made to
identify rivers or river segments
having these values.
In 1962, the Secretaries of the
Interior and Agriculture directed a
joint effort by the two departmenls
to set up a national system of free-
flowing rivers. A wild rivers stUdy
committee was selected to formu-
late a procedure for setting up the
system. All of the States were con-
tacted and with their assistance,
some 650 rivers that seemed to be
worthy of consideration were listed.
Field study teams were organized
with representatives of Federal
agencies and the States. The teams
culled Ihe list down to 67 rivers.
A reconnaissance was then made
of these 67 to determine their suita-
bility for possible Federal designa-
tion. On the basis of this recon-
naissance, a more detailed stUdy
was conducted on 22 rivers which
appeared to deserve some type of
protection or preservation in a fres-
flowing condition. Legislation to ac-
complish this objective was drafted
and submitted to the Congress,

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
In October 1968, after some 6
years of discussion and debate, the
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, PL
90-542, became law. The act estab-
lished the basic principle that cer-
tain selected rivers of 1he Nation
which, with their immediate environ-
ments, possess outstandingly re-
markable scenic, recreational, geo-
logic, lish and wildiile, historic,
cultural, or other similar values, are

While cliffs are typical landscape along
the Upper Missouri River in Montana.

to be preserved in a free-flowing
condition and protected for the
benefit and enjoyment of present
and future generations.
The clear intent of Congress in
the act was 10 establish a system
of areas distinct from the traditional
concept of a National Park. Rather
than acquiring a massive land area,
the Federal agency managing a
component of the National System
is to acquire only a narrow strip
of land sufficient to insure protec-
tion of the river environment. Fee
acquisition of lands is limited to
an average of no more than 100
acres per river mile, and the power
of eminent domain is suspended
when fee title to 50 percent of the
authorized area is in publiC owner-
ship. Additionally, scenic ease-
ments may be acquired in sufficient
amount to make the total acquisi-
tion not more than an average of
320 acres per mile. (This is equiva-
lent to a river corridor averaging
one-hail miie wide.) The effect is
to permit continued agricultural and
residential use near rivers in the
system, but to preclude heavy de-
velopment which would impair the
character of the river involved.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
established the National Wild and
Scenic Rivers System composed of
eight initial rivers and identified 27
other rivers to be studied for pos-
sible inclusion in the National
System.
The act further encourages the
inclusion of State rivers in the sys-
tem by providing that upon request
of the Governor of a State, rivers
which have been designated by Ihe
State legislature as wild, scenic. or
recrealional river areas and which
meet the criteria set forth by the
Congress and supplemental cri-
teria developed by the Secretary of
the Interior, may be protected as
part of the National System. In ad-
dition, fhe act authorized the Secre-
tary to provide technical assistance,

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