Wyden bill would add nearly 4,700 miles of protection on Oregon rivers

A year ago U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked Oregonians to nominate their favorite rivers to be included in an expansion of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Thousands of nominations poured in, and Wednesday the legislation to have some of those rivers formally protected was introduced to Congress.

If passed, the River Democracy Act will add nearly 4,700 miles of rivers and streams in Oregon to the protected system, according to a release. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is helping Wyden get the legislation through Congress.

Wild and Scenic Rivers is a special designation that protects rivers and develops them for tourism, in the same way that a national park protects a designated area of land. The idea behind the designation was developed in the late 1960s and formally adopted in October 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The act includes sections of several rivers in Central Oregon, including the Deschutes and Fall rivers and Tumalo Creek. One of the nominations for Tumalo Creek came from a group of sixth graders at Pacific Crest Middle School.

Read more: https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/wyden-bill-would-add-nearly-4-700-miles-of-protection-on-oregon-rivers/article_9d8596f4-6653-11eb-b4f8-8b9bbb743e7c.html