The Cape Fear River in North Carolina has been making headlines in 2017 due to the unregulated release of a potentially toxic chemical – GenX – from the Chemours manufacturing plant in Fayetteville, NC. There are tens of thousands of unregulated chemicals in the United States that are only minimally managed before being released into our rivers and streams. This creates issues for drinking water systems that are using that water to provide clean water supplies for communities as well as for ground water supplies as those systems are not designed to filter out these unregulated chemicals.
PBS’ News Hour program did an indepth story of the problem on the Cape Fear.
The laws regulating chemicals in the U.S. and in the states have not been updated to protect communities from the potential threats of the constantly changing mix of chemicals that are used and discharged. A new system needs to be developed to keep untested chemicals from entering our clean water supplies.
Amidst the largest dam building era in the United States, Congress realized urgency around preserving certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson signed The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law, giving rivers a special designation to protect the remarkable values that free-flowing rivers have across the country. The Act is notable for safeguarding the special character of these rivers, while recognizing the potential for their appropriate use and development. It encourages river management crossing political boundaries and promoting public participation to develop goals for river protection.
There are about 3 million river miles across the United States. Since being signed into law, The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has protected nearly 13,000 miles of river. Today, less than one percent of America’s rivers are wild and free. Special reaches like the Middle Fork of the Salmon, Rogue, Chattooga, Tuolumne, and New Rivers are all protected under this designation, but many rivers remain at risk.
In this week’s episode of We Are Rivers, we discuss the history and background of the Act while describing the ever-growing need to do more to protect wild rivers and streams across the country. Join us to learn more about the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and discover how you can get more involved with protecting rivers and streams across the country.
You can also find us in iTunes and Stitcher!
In my foreword to Tim Palmer’s wonderful new book, Wild and Scenic Rivers: An American Legacy (Oregon State University Press 2017), I wrote about one of the battles that inspired me to dedicate my career to environmental conservation. This was the fight in the early 1970s in my home state of Kentucky to protect the Red River and its spectacular gorge from an unnecessary and wasteful dam. In an era when any free-flowing river was viewed by politicians and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an opportunity for dam building and pork barrel largesse, the Red River was ripe fruit waiting to be picked.
Fog covers the Red River Gorge at sunrise. | Ulrich Burkhalter (Flickr)
Thanks to determined opposition from local farmers and residents who did not want their pastures and homes submerged beneath a reservoir; the support of paddlers (including some of the founders of American Rivers), hikers, and climbers who valued the Red River Gorge and its recreational opportunities; and the timely appearance of U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who hiked the Gorge to highlight its rugged beauty, the dam proposal was defeated. In 1993, the Red River was permanently protected as Kentucky’s only federal Wild and Scenic River.
This year, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Wild and Scenic Rivers are special places: rivers that communities have chosen to protect because of their outstanding cultural resources, fish and wildlife, clean water, recreation or scenic values. The designation by Congress prohibits construction of a dam, or other development that would harm the river’s unique character.
We have a lot to celebrate in this anniversary year: Today, thanks to the efforts of American Rivers and our partners and supporters across the country, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System safeguards more than 12,700 miles along parts of 208 rivers and three million acres of riverside land in 40 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
We also have a lot more work to do. Many of our most treasured rivers remain unprotected from new dams, mining and other harmful development – special places that could be lost to future generations. That is why, in this 50th anniversary year of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, American Rivers and our partners have launched the 5,000 Miles of Wild® campaign. Our goal is to protect 5,000 new miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers and one million acres of riverside lands over the next five years. At a time when the Trump Administration and many in Congress are dismantling safeguards for our clean water and public lands, we must speak up louder than ever and demand protections for the rivers we love.
Bob fishing on the Olympic Peninsula.
For me, one of those places is Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Last year, I had the privilege of going steelhead fishing on the Queets, Hoh and Quinault rivers, which the 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign is working to protect. It was a classic Northwest steelhead experience: February, raining and 45 degrees. I learned why steelhead are called the Fish of a Thousand Casts — I must have cast 999 times because I had but one grab of the colorful streamers I was casting with a two-handed Spey rod, with no fish hooked.
Despite this, I had a fantastic time — it was a true “bucket list” trip. Even in the rain, the rivers were a beautiful gray-green as they flowed off of glaciers and through the protected forests in Olympic National Park. By contrast, the nearby Humptulips River was a murky brown, full of sediment runoff from its heavily logged watershed. This provided a vivid illustration of the value of permanently protecting rivers and their watersheds.
As we pursue our goal of protecting 5,000 new miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers nationwide, the memories from this trip and from the fight to save Red River Gorge remind me what’s at stake and inspire me for the work to come.
Today, Kentucky’s Red River, and the other 207 Wild and Scenic Rivers nationwide, flow freely thanks to the hard work of many individuals who have come before us. Now it’s our turn. I hope you will join me in working to protect the wild rivers of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Montana’s headwater streams in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Crown of the Continent, Colorado’s Deep Creek, pristine mountain streams in the forests of North Carolina and many others across the country as Wild and Scenic.
Sign our petition at www.5000miles.org and share your river story. Now is our moment to launch the next 50 years of river protection in our country. Together, we will make a lasting difference for the rivers that connect us all.
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Click here to launch the visual tour of California’s floodplains |
2017 has been a landmark year for floodplains in California’s Central Valley.
The 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Update now embraces a dramatically different approach called “multi-benefit” flood management. This approach recognizes that by reconnecting floodplains and expanding floodways and flood bypasses, we can reduce flood risk to people and property while providing multiple benefits including habitat for fish and wildlife, improved recreational opportunities, groundwater recharge, and improved water quality, to name a few. American Rivers has been championing this approach for the last decade.
In addition, great strides were made in advancing specific multi-benefit projects that will help achieve ecological outcomes outlined in the new flood plan. American Rivers is leading and assisting in planning efforts on several projects that are identified in the new Plan as priority projects. Projects that actually broke ground this year include West Sacramento’s Southport levee setback project, the Hamilton City levee setback project, and the Yolo Bypass Adult Fish Passage Improvement project. You can see where these are happening and learn more about them on our revamped multi-benefit flood management website.
Since the Upper St Anthony Falls Lock was ordered closed in 2015, the Minneapolis-St Paul community has been considering the future of the Mississippi River in the Gorge – the stretch of river between the falls and its confluence with the Minnesota River about 10 miles downstream. The Mississippi River Gorge was once a long stretch of whitewater, but over the last century it has been dammed and pooled for hydropower and navigation. Today, the Army Corps of Engineers owns the two dams in the Gorge. With relatively little barge traffic and high maintenance costs, the Army Corps is evaluating the fate of the infrastructure. Without navigation and the associated investments from the Army Corps, the river through the Gorge will change.
Dam 1 by US Army Corps of Engineers (top) and Lower St Anthony Falls Dam by Olivia Dorothy (bottom).
In response the Army Corps’ evaluation, American Rivers hosted a public meeting in summer 2017 with the neighborhood Longfellow Community Council about the future of the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities. We were interested in hearing what the community thought about removing the dams to restore the Gorge.
The meeting was very well attended, with more than 100 people filling the pews at St. Peder’s Church in Minneapolis. To start the meeting, experts from the National Park Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Army Corps of Engineers talked about the natural history of the Mississippi Gorge and the Corps’ process for determining the fate of the infrastructure. American Rivers’ Brian Graber and Olivia Dorothy talked about the multiple benefits of dam removal and how removing the dams could restore the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities.
Mississippi Gorge restoration renderings from Lake Street (top) and Franklin Street (bottom). Click to enlarge.
Following the presentations, critics of the proposal were vocal. Rowing club members lamented the loss of calm pools should the dams be removed. Others were concerned about the loss of hydropower, a renewable energy source for the community, and the lack of coordination thus far with the Native American community. However, after all the written comments were reviewed, they showed that about twice as many people expressed support for river restoration as opposed it. While the critics have been vocal in expressing their significant concerns about restoring the river, it seems the majority of participants actually support the restoration concept.
And the comments and conversations generated several questions that American Rivers and partners plan to explore, including:
- Identifying other locations for competitive rowing activities.
- Replacing lost hydropower with another renewable energy source.
- Clarifying the environmental benefits of dam removal in the gorge.
- Developing plans to expand/improve recreational access.
- Exploring the needs of minority and low-income people in planning.
- Identifying any infrastructure that might be vulnerable to changing river discharge.
Moving forward, American Rivers will work with partners to explore these six areas of interest to better understand and articulate the restoration option for the Mississippi River in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In the meanwhile, the Army Corps has stalled their study of whether to retire the locks and dams as they await funding from the federal budget. We are hoping that study resumes in the next year.
To read the full report from the meeting and summer survey, visit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yvh37LdfRtleKcdxD7zA0itR3V7ayyYV?usp=sharing
Guest post by Nikhil Mendiratta, a junior at Georgetown University within the McDonough School of Business.
This semester, I had the opportunity to work with American Rivers as a Project Manager with Hilltop Consultants at Georgetown University. Hilltop Consultants is an entirely student-run organization that works with nonprofits in the United States and abroad to provide strategic and meaningful solutions for various issues. We typically select five-six client groups for a strategy consulting engagement each semester. I have been involved in the organization since my freshman year, and this was my first opportunity leading a team of consultants to complete a client project.
Through a semester-long consulting process, Hilltop teams take a deep dive addressing issues, overcoming a barrier, or tackling a challenge presented by our clients. In this case, the project presented by American Rivers was quantitative and financial in nature, which fit well with my background. I study finance and accounting, and worked at Citigroup this past summer, so I was excited to be working on this project. Of course, I would not have been able to complete this project without an incredible team comprised of a senior consultant and three other members, who hit the ground running from week one in early-September.
The project consisted of three key areas. Most importantly, we researched how American Rivers could build a new model to forecast corporate and foundation revenue. Additionally, we examined how American Rivers compared to its peers in terms of the breakdown of its revenue sources. Finally, we recommended key performance indicators (KPIs) that the corporate and foundation fundraising team could use for internal evaluation and decision-making. Our research process involved both academic research and real-world case studies, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of each situation.
Ultimately, we compiled recommendations about how American Rivers can implement our findings going forward. We included step-by-step guides about the implementation of five different forecasting models, in addition to a discussion of forecasting methodology and modeling best practices. Furthermore, we updated a previously completed analysis of the revenue breakdowns of other conservation organizations to include data from similarly sized organizations without a conservation focus. Finally, we recommended a new methodology for key performance indicators and specific KPIs that American Rivers can implement. Our project culminated in a presentation of our findings and recommendations to the staff on December 11th, 2017.
Overall, our team had a very positive experience working with American Rivers throughout the fall semester. The biggest takeaway for me was understanding how nonprofit organizations operate. This project is revenue-based, so I have learned about factors that drive both revenues and expenses, as well as how financials generally work in nonprofits. It’s very different from my previous experiences working with large corporations and analyzing large market cap companies.
A highlight was when we were able to participate in a National River Cleanup event in October. The team went to Teddy Roosevelt Island and spent a few hours cleaning up the Potomac River, just a short walk from our campus. It was an eye-opening experience about river cleanliness, and helped us become even more committed to advancing the mission of American Rivers.
This guest blog contains a poem by Roxy Rose, and is a part of our America’s Most Endangered Rivers® series on the Buffalo National River.
Moonlight on Buffalo
Remembering who I am,
River Dragon,
Woman who would let this swift flow of water
take her blindly into darkness,
around bends guarded by majestic bluffs,
through tunnels of trees where moonlight dare not penetrate.
Exhilaration fills my soul
and boundless is the joy of knowing
I am part of this magic.
Surrounded by others who are also remembering
we belong to this river
and to each other.
We are the family chosen for ourselves,
as much a part of this place
as the silent fish swimming below,
the shy reptiles slithering between rock and water,
the birds that tend their nestlings,
the animals that take sustenance and shelter along point bars and cut banks.
The river gives all,
flowing freely towards the sea,
taking us along while
Luna bathes us in spectacular luminosity,
hanging high in a clear sky,
wearing her wild mane of starry tresses.
We beach, for a time,
by a flickering fire.
Drunk in jubilation songs ring out
as penny whistle and uke strings
vibrate the night air.
Clouds drift lined in silver.
The sky show intensifies while,
laughter rings bright and sparkly beneath grand planetary alignments,
until we reach the final run.
Scattering once more into separate lives,
we reflect silently of our strengthened bond,
our knowing reconfirmed as mist fades this mystical memory
while we give thanks for having been alive
during this perfect moment in time.
By Roxy Rose
19 June 2016 /Summer Solstice Full Moon Float on Buffalo National River
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Author: Roxy Rose
Roxy Rose came to Arkansas 35 years ago to float the Buffalo River and has made it her home ever since. She worked as a park ranger on Buffalo National River for seven years and taught art and the gifted in the Ozarks for 21 years. Now residing in Hot Springs National Park, she works as an artist and regularly attends Wednesday night poetry sessions.
A couple of weeks ago in downtown Salt Lake City, the Trump administration announced a dramatic reduction in size of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The blowback from supporters of National Monument protection was swift, and fierce.
Patagonia’s response was the most prominent, as they ran a simple, yet forceful digital ad proclaiming “The President Stole Your Land” in bold white letters on a black background.
While much of the outcry was around Bears Ears due to both its recent designation under the Obama administration (which clearly Trump is trying to undue at every turn) and the fact that five Native American tribes came together to forge the agreement for management of the new monument, it was actually the shrinking of Grand Staircase that initially angered me the most. Now, don’t get me wrong, while I am really agitated about Bears Ears, especially due to the overt disrespect shown to the tribes who have called this land home for centuries, the fact that the administration would reverse a National Monument designation that had been in place for more than two decades was a bitter pill to swallow.
The day after President Trump’s announcement in Salt Lake, a news story came out about a new proposal for Grand Staircase, proposed by Utah Representative Chris Stewart, which would create a new National Park and three new monuments from the former Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument, and while that may sound good on the surface, the details are much different than the initial talking points.
The proposed legislation (H.R. 4558) creates a “Management Council” that would determine the management plan for all lands, including the new Park. The bill states: “Federal land managers shall adhere to the management plans created by the Management Council.” The Management Council shall consist of 7 members: 2 members from Kane County, 2 members from Garfield County, 1 Utah state representative, 1 Dept. of Interior representative, and 1 at large representative. In effect, this bill hands complete control of these lands to the State of Utah while all Americans fund the operating costs. That’s right, roughly 12,000 people in Garfield and Kane Counties will decide how these lands are managed, what is allowed and not allowed, while 330 million Americans pay for their decisions. To add insult to injury, the bill requires the Federal Government to transfer ownership of Hole in the Rock road to the State of Utah for FREE.
This opens the door to a lot of potential harm on these lands – more oil and gas development? More mining, grazing and logging? More fences, shutting off hiking, climbing, fishing and hunting access? It’s all up for grabs.
Now, in some ways, this too may not sound so bad, except that it is exactly the kind of theft that people have been warning that could happen if this federal land transfer business were allowed to commence. To add even more insult to injury, a friend of mine forwarded me a short video clip of some testimony between Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock, and a U.S. House of Representatives Federal Lands Subcommittee.
The upshot? This is exactly what conservationists and the outdoor industry have feared about a federal lands transfer since the days of James Watt (President Reagan’s Secretary of the Interior.) This bill, and the people behind this theft, have shown their true intent.
There are a number of ways that 2017 has been tough on the environment, rivers included. But in California, we did achieve a number of victories for rivers across the state. Below are a quick top five victories – but we aren’t done yet, we are excited to see how many meadows, rivers, and floodplains are restored thanks to your help in 2018!
· Major steps to improve flood management and restore Central Valley rivers and salmon
The 2017 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan Update embraces a dramatically different approach, which we have been advocating for over 10 years, called “multi-benefit” flood management. This approach recognizes that by expanding floodplains, floodways, and flood bypasses, we can reduce flood risk to people and property while providing benefits to fish, habitat, and recreation. American Rivers is leading and assisting on several large “multi-benefit” projects that the new plan identifies as priority projects.
· Completed restoration of Hope Valley Meadow and two other meadows
In the Sierra Nevada, we restored two miles of habitat for fish, beavers, and birds along the Carson River through Hope Valley. In two other Sierra meadows, we removed diversions to improve flow and we fixed eroded stream channels. We have already seen improvements to water quality and habitat for native fish and threatened species. Total: 3 miles and 450 acres restored.
· Formed the Central Valley Salmon Partnership
American Rivers and partners formally launched the Central Valley Salmon Partnership, which is designed to increase the pace and scale of salmon restoration in the Central Valley. American Rivers initiated this effort more than three years ago when we realized all sectors of the salmon restoration community face common challenges that can best be solved together, particularly with regard to permitting and funding.
· Important progress towards the most significant river restoration project in U.S. history
We are on track for the removal of four dams on the Klamath River in 2020. Over the past year, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, a new organization that American Rivers helped create, finalized applications to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for approval to take ownership of the dams from the current owner PacifiCorp and start demolition within two years!
· Established the Sierra Meadows Partnership
We formed the Sierra Meadows Partnership and set restoration goals with 20 state, federal, and nonprofit partners. We also showed highly successful restoration projects to the leaders of the top four state and federal agencies that fund meadow restoration along Sierra Nevada rivers.
This guest blog by Patti Kent is a part of our America’s Most Endangered Rivers® series on the Buffalo National River.
The Buffalo National River is undammed and running free! It is one of the few remaining undammed and free-flowing rivers in the lower 48 states.
It runs through rapids and quiet pools; on a sunny day, it offers shimmering sparkles akin to jewels.
Bass, perch, and catfish are there for the catching. Laying within the Ozark Plateaus, it is one of the richest areas of the U.S. in terms of fish species. Seventy-four species of fish have been documented in the Buffalo National River.
The river is surrounded by massive bluffs. We are accustomed to calling out their names. There is Big Bluff, Jim’s Bluff, Red Bluff, and Goats Bluff to name a few.
I grew up among this magnificent feast to the senses. I swam, fished, and canoed this river long before it was saved from being dammed and then designated a National River.
Horseback riding beneath the bluffs along the Buffalo National River. | Teresa Turk
I watched the sun dance and make patterns on the massive bluffs as I floated on my back in the river as a child. The water was clear then and if I flipped over I had a clear view of the rocky bottom. Peering down into the water and looking for little water creatures and colorful stones was a child’s delight.
Egrets, otters, turtles, and even some snakes made our heart skip a beat. The river teemed with life.
The Buffalo River has continued to be a sacred place and an integral part of my life for well over 60 years. I still swim and kayak in the spring and summer. I go there now for quiet moments and solace and just to sit on the river.
Unfortunately, I have seen the river grow increasingly murky and have seen more algae blooms. The stones on the river’s bottom are often not in clear view. Swallowing the water is not advised.
The river I once frolicked in so freely appears to be struggling for its life. My heart breaks, but my spirit soars as I hope to be able to somehow be a part of saving her for my grandchild and all the other children of the earth. I want them to see the stones on the bottom.
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Author: Patti Kent
Patti Kent spent a good part of her childhood near the Buffalo River. Her family roots run deep and she is an advocate for protecting the Buffalo River.
A new paper published this month by American Rivers’ Director of Science & Economics and 13 other freshwater scientists argues that if we are serious about protecting and restoring the rivers that are the lifeblood of our communities and economy, we should look broadly at how numerous and varied threats are interacting to affect river health.
Laura Craig, PhD, Director, Science & Economics at American Rivers is the lead author of the paper titled “Meeting the challenge of interacting threats in freshwater ecosystems: A call to scientists and managers,” which was published in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.
“Scientists and managers tend to focus on individual threats—for example urbanization, water withdrawals, or habitat fragmentation—but the vast majority of watersheds are experiencing multiple threats at the same time. We have a responsibility to face the challenges of studying and managing multiple threats so that we can make the best decisions,” said Craig.
“At American Rivers, we are committed to helping fill current knowledge gaps and to working collaboratively with scientists and river managers to choose the best solutions for rivers and the people and wildlife that depend on them.”
The paper highlights the value of thinking about multiple threats and offers suggestions for improving our understanding of how interacting threats affect freshwater ecosystems. It also offers advice on steps managers can take now to address the urgent management challenges presented by interacting threats, including applying what we have learned from managing individual threats, selecting approaches that are likely to succeed despite uncertainty about how threats may be interacting, avoiding unintended consequences while maximizing conservation benefits, and working in multidisciplinary teams to address challenges.
The authors of the paper chose to publish this paper in an open access journal, so it is available in full to the public.
In this episode of our We Are Rivers podcast, hear from Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers and other staff about challenges and successes for rivers in 2017, and our priorities for the coming year.
2017 brought many challenges for rivers and clean water, but thanks to you, our supporters, American Rivers was able to make significant progress for the rivers that connect us all.
We mounted a strong defense, sounding the alarm about attacks on our clean drinking water, public lands, and the rivers that flow through our communities. American Rivers supporters sent more than 286,000 letters sent to decision makers, making their voices heard loud and clear.
We removed 11 dams, restored more than 400 miles of rivers, and our volunteers cleaned up 2.58 million pounds of trash from local streams.
In this new episode of our We Are Rivers podcast, hear more about the threats we’re continuing to fight, victories we achieved, and what we’re focused on in 2018.
At American Rivers, we have a long history of protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers, and conserving clean water for people and nature – and that legacy isn’t about to end now. If you’re inspired by what you hear in the podcast, please consider making a gift today. With your help, we will continue to make positive strides for the rivers that give us all so much.