[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 160 (Thursday, September 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6353-S6354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ACT

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Throughout its half century, this landmark 
conservation law has played a critical role in maintaining the natural, 
free-flowing qualities that make the country's wild and scenic rivers 
so special.
  The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, signed October 2, 1968, by President 
Lyndon B. Johnson, has protected rivers across the United States for 
recreation, salmon and fish habitat, important geology and cultural 
values, and countless other important benefits. This bedrock 
environmental law is especially important for Oregon where, in 1968, 
the remarkable wild Rogue River received protection as part of the 
first eight rivers protected by the Act.
  Since then, Congress extended Wild and Scenic designations to many of 
Oregon's most iconic rivers, including important segments of the 
Chetco, the Deschutes, the Elk, the John Day, the Lostine, the Owyhee, 
and over 50 other rivers and streams in every corner of my State. In 
total, Oregon has more river segments designated than any other State 
in the Union, with over 1,900 miles in the National Wild and Scenic 
Rivers System.

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  A free-flowing, unencumbered river is truly a sight to behold, which 
is why I am working now to add even more miles to Oregon's already 
impressive list of Wild and Scenic rivers through passage of the Oregon 
Wildlands Act. The Oregon Wildlands Act adds a total of nearly 200 
miles, including many of the important tributaries to the Rogue River 
and the Elk River--home to one of North America's healthiest salmon, 
steelhead, and cutthroat trout populations along the Pacific Coast--and 
the Molalla River, to name a few.
  Over the last 50 years, Congress designated 209 units of the National 
Wild and Scenic Rivers System, totaling nearly 12,600 miles of Wild and 
Scenic rivers and streams in 40 States and Puerto Rico to protect and 
provide remarkable habitat for endangered salmon and steelhead, 
drinking water for millions of Americans, and recreation opportunities 
for countless recreation enthusiasts who come from all over the world.
  This is precisely what makes the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act so 
important after all these years as a tool to protect, for this and 
future generations, the very qualities that make America's and Oregon's 
natural treasures so unique and wonderful.
  As Henry David Thoreau noted in his book, ``A Week on the Concord and 
Merrimack Rivers,'' ``He who hears the rippling of rivers in these 
degenerate days will not utterly despair.'' Fifty years ago, the Wild 
and Scenic Rivers Act started as a novel idea to protect and enhance 
the Nation's waterways from pollution, dams, and construction that 
could interrupt their free-flowing condition. By 2018, it has become a 
remarkable success story deserving of celebration and commemoration.
  As climate change and other environmental factors continue to 
threaten the health of America's rivers, it is important to build on 
the successes of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and continue to protect 
rivers across the county. It is in our best interest to do so, and I 
remain committed to continuing the legacy of the Wild and Scenic Rivers 
Act and to work to further its protections throughout the Nation.

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