View source for National Wild and Scenic Rivers System

{{short description|Conservation effort of certain rivers in the United States and its territories}}
[[File:US-NationalWildAndScenicRiversSystem-Logo.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Logo of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System]]
[[File:National Wild and Scenic River signing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] signs the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law, October 2, 1968]]

The '''National Wild and Scenic Rivers System''' was created by the '''Wild and Scenic Rivers Act''' '''of 1968''' (Public Law 90-542<ref>Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. P. L. 90-542; U.S.C. 1271 et seq. 2 October 1968. https://www.rivers.gov/documents/act/complete-act.pdf. Web. 8 August 2018.</ref>), enacted by the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] to preserve certain [[river]]s with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

The Act is notable for safeguarding the special character of these rivers, while also recognizing the potential for their appropriate use and development. It encourages river management that crosses political boundaries and promotes public participation in developing goals for river protection. The Act, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the height of the United States environmental era, states:<blockquote>"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 dams 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 national conservation purposes." (Wild & Scenic Rivers Act)<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>The Act established the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to protect and enhance rivers found to be regionally and nationally significant. Rivers may be designated by Congress or, if certain requirements are met, the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|secretary of the interior]]. Each designated river is administered by either a federal, state, or tribal agency, or as a partnership between any number of these government entities and local [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]]s. Designated segments need not include the entire river and may include headwaters and tributaries. For federally administered rivers, the designated boundaries generally average one-quarter mile on either bank in the lower 48 states and one-half mile on rivers outside [[National Park Service|national parks]] in [[Alaska]] in order to protect river-related values.

As of August 2018, the National System protects over {{convert|12,700|miles}} of 209 rivers in 40 states and the [[Puerto Rico|Commonwealth of Puerto Rico]]; this is less than one-quarter of one percent of the nation's rivers, which flow over 3.5 million miles (5,600,000 kilometers) across the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/river-habitat|title=River Habitat|last=NOAA|website=fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/river-habitat}}</ref> By comparison, more than 75,000 large [[dam]]s across the country have modified at least {{convert|600,000|mile|km}}, or about 17 percent of American rivers.