National Wild and
Scenic Rivers Story Map
See a series of interactive maps showing management,
classification and river values.
Less than 1/2 of 1% of our rivers are protected under the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System.
We love answering questions, but we can't help you with local conditions, regulations, etc. You must speak with the local land manager. Enjoy your summer!
Do you know a U.S. Forest Service employee who is a leader in protecting our wild & scenic rivers? Now is the time to nominate them for an award through July 25. To learn more about the awards, visit the National Awards Page, or go straight to the Nomination Form (PDF) or Nomination Form (Word).
See a series of interactive maps showing management,
classification and river values.
In the past 50 years, we have learned—all too slowly, I think—to prize and protect God's precious gifts. Because we have, our own children and grandchildren will come to know and come to love the great forests and the wild rivers that we have protected and left to them . . . An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been harnessed by dams and too often they have been turned into open sewers by communities and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts now to try to balance our river development.
– President Lyndon Johnson on signing the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968.
[Note: This is an historical citation, not an endorsement of religion. These are the historic remarks made by a U.S. President.]
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The country changed in the 1960s, including our treatment of the environment, leading to the Wilderness, Clean Air, Clean Water and National Environmental Policy Acts – and the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. + FIND OUT MORE