"It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Congress declares that the established national policy of dam and other construction at appropriate sections of the rivers of the United States needs to be complemented by a policy that would preserve other selected rivers or sections thereof in their free-flowing condition to protect the water quality of such rivers and to fulfill other vital conservation purposes."

 

On October 2, 1968, President Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, sponsored by Senator Frank Church. The Act celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008, and currently protects more than 160 rivers in 33 states and Puerto Rico. The Act’s legacy is one of protecting the special character of certain rivers, while recognizing the potential for use and development. 

 

The Bureau of Land Management has the responsibility of managing 38 Wild and Scenic rivers including more than 2,050 river miles and 1,002,000 acres. The Bureau’s National Landscape Conservation System provides national level management and policy guidance for these rivers and represents the Bureau on the Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council.

 

The Act provides three levels of protection: wild, scenic, and recreational. “Wild” rivers are free of dams, generally inaccessible except by trail, and represent vestiges of primitive America. “Scenic” rivers are free of dams, with shorelines or watersheds still largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads. “Recreational” rivers are readily accessible by road or railroad, may have some development along their shorelines, and may have been dammed in the past.