Our Wild and Scenic Rivers

October 2, 1968 - 40 years ago - was a red-letter day for recreationists in general and paddlers in particular. That was the day President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (NWSRA). The new law was the result of strong and sustained advocacy by conservationists (such as Sens. Gaylord Nelson in Wisconsin and Frank Church in Idaho) who were alarmed by the rate at which the nation's free-flowing rivers were being degraded or threatened by dam building, pollution, mining and development.

As we emerge from a long and tedious political season in which many office seekers have decried the evils of "big government," NWSRA stands out as an example of the good that big governmental intervention can do. The original act of 1968 was a modest beginning, covering only parts of eight river systems, but since then, the list has grown to 168 rivers in 42 states.

To keep things in perspective, however, it should be noted that the designated streams still represent only one-quarter of 1 percent of the total river miles in this country. Thus, much work remains to be done. Fortunately, a long list of additional rivers is officially under study for possible inclusion in the system.

The explicit purpose of NWSRA was to prohibit dams on designated river sections, thus preserving free flow; to ensure high-water quality; to protect "scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values" and to require the development of river management plans involving all interested parties, including riverside property owners and other citizens.

Generally, landowners continue to use their land as they did before NWSRA designation under "grandfather" provisions, but certain restrictions typically are put into effect in order to keep the surroundings as natural as possible, such as setback requirements).

For the most part, the designations have caused relatively little controversy, thanks to the upfront involvement of different interest groups (state, county and municipal governments, landowners, recreation and conservation groups, etc.) and the general perception that everyone benefits from living along or near an NWSRA river section.

When concerns and complaints surface, they usually take three forms: 1) apprehension that private property rights will be trampled when increasing numbers of recreationists arrive; 2) the fear that the river and its environs will be "loved to death" by paddlers, hikers, fishermen, campers, skiers, tourists and others; and 3) resentment by some riverine landowners who feel unduly restricted when they wish to modify their property.

For example, some riparian owners recently wanted to "mansionize" their homes and build condos along the Lower St. Croix River south of Stillwater (www.twincities.com/ci_10575712).

Regional impact

The Midwest fared well in the original act of 1968. Of the eight rivers initially approved, three were from our neck of the woods: 1) a portion of the St. Croix in Wisconsin and Minnesota, together with most of its tributary, the Namegakon, in Wisconsin; 2) the Menominee Reservation section of the Wolf River in Wisconsin; and 3) part of the Eleven Point River in Missouri.

In the intervening 40 years, Michigan has reaped a bonanza. All or part of 15 of its rivers were added to the list, including some of the best whitewater, wilderness and trout fishing in the Midwest: the Au Sable, Bear Creek, Black, Carp, Indian, Manistee, Ontonagon, Paint, Pere Marquette, Pine, Presque Isle, Sturgeon, Tahquamenon, Whitefish and Yellow Dog.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, more of the St. Croix has been included all the way to the Mississippi. And, much to the surprise and delight of Illinoisans, the beautiful Middle Fork of the Vermilion was granted NWSRA status.

Since 1968, the long "study list" of additional candidates has included the Kettle and upper Mississippi rivers in Minnesota; the Brule on the Wisconsin-Michigan border; the upper Iowa in Iowa; the White and Little Manistee in Michigan; and the Gasconade in Missouri. Most of these studies resulted in the recommendation that the rivers be preserved by the states through which they flow.

I've had the good fortune to paddle 14 of NWSRA rivers: my home river, the Wolf in Wisconsin; the St. Croix and Namekagon in Minnesota and Wisconsin; the Pine in Michigan; the Middle Fork in Illinois; the Eleven Point in Missouri; the Buffalo, Mulberry, Cossatot, and Big Pine Creek in Arkansas; the Verde in Arizona; the Chattooga in Georgia; the Niobrara in Nebraska; and the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border.

They're all very different from one another, providing never-to-be-forgotten experiences filled with tranquility, excitement and pure joy. An hour on any of them is testimony to the wisdom of protecting as many unspoiled rivers as we can.

Further information

For the complete text of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (49 pages), go to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System website: www.rivers.gov/wsract.html." target="_blank">www.rivers.gov/wsract.html. Also available at the www.rivers.gov site is a list of the wild and scenic rivers by state, a report on the status of other rivers considered for Wild and Scenic designation, and a fascinating compendium of River and Water Facts.

As might be expected, the organization American Rivers also has some good information about the Wild and Scenic Rivers at its www.americanrivers.org website. n

Mike Svob is a native Illinoisan and long-time Northwoods devotee. He has canoed and kayaked for more than 30 years in 18 states and several foreign countries but regards Wisconsin as paddling paradise and home. He now spends a majority of the year in Tucson, Arizona. He is the author of Paddling Illinois, Paddling Northern Wisconsin and Paddling Southern Wisconsin, all published by Trails Books.