Abstract. Introduction. In the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, Congress stated with unusual eloquence:

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1 Larch Occasional Paper #3. January 5 Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon by Andy Kerr Abstract Oregon has more units and miles of the Wild and Scenic s System (NWSRS) than any other state. There are 5 units of the NWSRS in Oregon, totaling over, stream miles, representing percent of the individual units and 5 percent of the miles in the national system. The area of water and land protected in these Oregon units of the NWSRS is 55,456 acres. The Oregon Scenic Waterways System (OSWS) is complementary to the NWSRS and includes, miles in units; 7 percent of OSWS miles are also in the NWSRS. Still, fewer than percent of Oregon streams are included in the NWSRS. An estimated additional, miles (less than 3 percent of the total mileage) of Oregon streams are eligible for inclusion in the NWSRS and OSWS. Introduction In the Wild and Scenic s Act of 6, Congress stated unusual eloquence: It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, 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. Andy Kerr (andykerr@andykerr.net) is czar of The Larch Company ( which has offices in Ashland, Oregon, and Washington, DC. The Wild and Scenic s Act of 6, 6 U.S.C. 7. Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

The original Wild and Scenic s Act (WSRA), establishing the Wild and Scenic s System (NWSRS), included eight stream segments totaling 774 miles, among them the Lower Rogue in Oregon.

2 The original Wild and Scenic s Act (WSRA), establishing the Wild and Scenic s System (NWSRS), included eight stream segments totaling 774 miles, among them the Lower Rogue in Oregon. Since then, the WSRA has been amended repeatedly by Congress so that as of October the NWSRS included 3 units totaling,57 miles. 3 Congress added more Oregon segments to the system in 75, 4,, 4, 6,, and 3. Oregon s Wild and Scenic s The 5 units of the Wild and Scenic s System in Oregon, totaling,7.6 stream miles, are shown in Table. These represent percent of the individual units and 5 percent of the stream miles in the national system. The area of land and water protected in these Oregon units of the NWSRS is 54,64 acres. Figure. Koosah Falls on the McKenzie. The segment between Clear Lake and Carmen Reservoir is included in both the Wild and Scenic s System and the Oregon Scenic Waterways System. George Wuerthner. 3 Mileage Classifications for Components of the Wild and Scenic s System, October, Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

3 Stream Segment Big Marsh Chetco Clackamas Collawash Crescent Crooked Crooked, North Table. Units of the Wild and Scenic s System in Oregon Federal Administrat ive Unit Rogue - Prineville Ochoco, Prineville, Prineville Y e a r Miles Wild Scenic Rec. Total Upper Terminus NE/4, S5, T6S, R6E 4 Lower Terminus Crescent Headwaters Rogue Big Springs Big Cliff Reservoir Headwaters of Collawash.... SW/4, S, T4S, R6E Crooked Grasslands Source at Williams Prairie (a) Wickiup Dam; (b) Odgen Falls; (c) Pelton Reregulatin g Dam Clackamas W line of S3, TS, R7E Dry One mile upstream from confluence (a) Bend Urban Growth Boundary (SW corner, S3, TS, RE); (b) Reservoir Billy Chinook; (c) EPA Level III Ecoregion Klamath Columbia Plateau, Columbia Plateau 4 Some terminus locations are indicated using the section-township-range system, where NE/4, NW/4, S5 denotes the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 5, T6S means township 6 south, and R6E means range 6 east. All of Oregon is defined by the Willamette Meridian (WM). Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 3

4 Columbia Donner und Blitzen Eagle Eagle Hood Elk Burns (Steens Mountain Coop. Mgmt. and Protection Area) Headwaters South Blitzen and Little Blitzen; including tributaries: Little Blitzen, South Blitzen, Big Indian, Little Indian, Ankle, South Ankle, Fish Total Rogue Headwaters Headwaters below Eagle Lake Oregon Highway Sources of North and South Total at Skull of main stem Anvil Northern Basin and Range Coast Range Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 4

5 Elkhorn 5 Fifteen-mile 6 Fish Grande Ronde Illinois Imnaha John Day John Day, North John Day, South Joseph Willamette, Prineville and Umatilla s and Vale Rogue Prineville and Umatilla s Malheur Willamette southern Senacal Spring Where the segment leaves land Western edge S, TS, RE, WM Headwaters Clackamas Wallowa Rogue Headwaters of South Imnaha Service Headwaters in North John Day Wilderness Malheur Joseph Ranch. mile downstrea Washington border Rogue Snake Tumwater Falls Camas Smoky Boundary, Slopes and Klamath and Columbia Plateau 5 Congress provided for double-wide lateral boundaries. 6 Ditto. Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 5

6 m from Cougar Kiger Klamath 7 Little Lostine Malheur Malheur, North McKenzie Metolius Middle Hood Burns (Steens Mountain Coop. Mgmt. and Protection Area) Lakeview Malheur Malheur Willamette Headwaters Where creek leaves Steens Mountain Wilderness.... J.C. Boyle Powerhous e.... Source in NW/4 of S5, T6S, R6E Headwaters in Eagle Cap Wilderness Bosonberg California border N Line, S, T6S, R7E Malheur Headwaters Malheur Clear Lake Scott, not including Carmen and Trail Bridge reservoirs and dams below Springs of the Metolius of Clear and Coe Reservoir Billy Chinook North section line of S, TS, Northern Basin and Range 7 State scenic waterway designated in and included in the Wild and Scenic s System by the secretary of the interior at the request of the governor of Oregon pursuant to Section (a) of the Wild and Scenic s Act (6 U.S.C. 73(a)). Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 6

7 Branches RE, WM Minam North of the Middle Willamette North Powder North Umpqua Owyhee Owyhee, North Powder Quartzville Roaring Rogue, Lower Willamette Umpqua, Roseburg Vale Vale Vale Willamette Rogue, Medford Headwaters at south end of Minam Lake Source at Waldo Lake Headwaters in Elkhorn Soda Springs Powerhouse.... (a) Idaho border; (b) confluence Crooked Idaho border Thief Valley Dam.... Willamette Eagle Cap Wilderness,.5 miles downstream from Cougar Willamette at Westfir Rock (a) China Gulch; (b) Owyhee Reservoir Owyhee Highway 3 Bridge Green Peter Reservoir Headwaters Clackamas Applegate Lobster Bridge Snake Plain Snake Plain Klamath Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 7

8 Rogue, Upper Salmon Sandy Smith, North Snake South Clackamas South Roaring Sprague, North Squaw Styx, Rogue, Salem, Salem Rogue Fremont- Winema Oregon Caves Northern Crater Lake Park Rogue at Prospect Headwaters Sandy Headwaters Headwaters California border Hells Canyon Dam of the South Clackamas An eastward extension of the north of S, T5N, R47E Clackamas Headwaters Roaring Head of river in NW/4, S, T35S, R5E SW/4, S5, T35S, R6E Source feet upstream from McAllister Ditch intake Where Cave Submerges Where Cave Emerges Klamath Klamath Approximately one-half of protective corridor is in Idaho. The creek has been officially renamed Wychus, but the Wild and Scenic s System name has yet to be changed. Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

9 Sycan Wallowa Wenaha West Little Owyhee White Wildhorse Zig Zag Monument and Preserve Fremont- Winema Vale Umatilla Vale, Prineville Burns (Steens Mountain Coop. Mgmt. and Protection Area) NE/4 of S5, T34S, R7E.... Minam of North and South Coyote Bucket at the Fremont- Winema Grande Ronde Grande Ronde s Headwaters Owyhee White Glacier Little Wildhorse and headwaters, save river miles.6 to...36 stream miles into S34, T34S, R33E Headwaters TOTAL ,. Snake Plain, Columbia Plateau Northern Basin and Range State scenic waterway designated in and included in the Wild and Scenic s System by the secretary of the interior at the request of the governor of Oregon pursuant to Section (a) of the Wild and Scenic s Act (6 U.S.C. 73(a)). Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

Oregon Scenic Waterways and Overlap the NWSRS In 7, the people of Oregon voted to establish the Oregon Scenic Waterways System (OSWS): The people of Oregon find that many of the free-flowing rivers

10 Oregon Scenic Waterways and Overlap the NWSRS In 7, the people of Oregon voted to establish the Oregon Scenic Waterways System (OSWS): The people of Oregon find that many of the free-flowing rivers of Oregon and Waldo Lake and lands adjacent to such lake and rivers possess outstanding scenic, fish, wildlife, geological, botanical, historic, archaeologic, and outdoor recreation values of present and future benefit to the public. The people of Oregon also find that the policy of permitting construction of dams and other impoundment facilities at appropriate sections of the rivers of Oregon and Waldo Lake needs to be complemented by a policy that would preserve Waldo Lake and selected rivers or sections thereof in a freeflowing condition and would protect and preserve the natural setting and water quality of the lake and such rivers and fulfill other conservation purposes. It is therefore the policy of Oregon to preserve for the benefit of the public Waldo Lake and selected parts of the state s free-flowing rivers. For these purposes there is established an Oregon Scenic Waterways System. Since then the Oregon Legislative Assembly has occasionally included additional waterways in the system, but the largest increase occurred by another vote of the people in. The OSWS is complementary to the NWSRS and in some ways provides potentially stronger conservation protection. Only units of the NWSRS are fully protected against any kind of dam, but the OSWS offers regulatory means for conservation not available in the national system. 7 percent of Oregon scenic mileage) are also national wild and Table lists Oregon scenic waterways and also notes areas of overlap units of the NWSRS. Such overlap is significant but not total. Figure. Most, but not all, of the Illinois Wild and Scenic is also an Oregon scenic waterway. Ken Crocker waterways (by scenic rivers. 46 percent of Oregon s national wild and scenic rivers are also Oregon scenic waterways. Oregon Revised Statutes 3.5. Reference to Waldo Lake added by Oregon Legislative Assembly in 3. Oregon Revised Statutes 3.5 to 3.5 Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

11 / Waterway/ Segment Upper Mainstem Table. Oregon Scenic Waterways and Overlap Wild and Scenic s Upper Terminus Lower Terminus Miles Oregon Scenic Waterwy Wild & Scenic Clackamas 75 5 Big Springs Olallie Lakes Scenic Area Olallie Lakes Scenic Area Big Cliff (North ) Reservoir Lower Mill Dam Carver Mainstem North Source North Reservoir South an unnamed tributary near the western of S7, T5S, R5E, Willamette Meridian (WM) / confluence of the South Clackamas Clackamas 4 4 Uppermost Little Lava Lake Crane Prairie Reservoir Gauging station below Wickiup Dam General Patch Bridge Sunriver General Patch Bridge Harper Bridge Above Bend Harper Bridge Lava Island Camp Above Bend Lava Island Camp COID diversion structure/northern of Sunriver at the SW/4 S, TS, RE, WM 5 5 Below Bend Robert Sawyer State Park Tumalo State Park 6 Market Road Cline Falls hydroelectric facility Middle Cline Falls hydroelectric facility Oden Falls 5 Middle Oden Falls Reservoir Billy Chinook 5 5 Lower Pelton Reregulating Dam Columbia Elk Mainstem of North and South Anvil /Elk 7 7 s Fish Hatchery North Source South 6 6 South Source North 6 6 Illinois 46 5 Eightdollar Mountain Stretch Canyon Stretch Deer 4 Deer Rogue John Day 37 5 Mainstem Parrish Service Service Tumwater Falls 4 4 North Headwaters in North John Day Wilderness Area at S3, TS, R36E, WM North John Day Wilderness RM Camas North John Day Wilderness Camas RM Northern of the south one-half of S, TS, R, WM Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

12 Middle Crawford North John Day 7 South Malheur Post-Paulina Road Crossing RM 35 Post-Paulina Road Crossing Smokey Smokey Northern of Murderers Wildlife Area Klamath Mainstem J. C. Boyle Powerhouse California border McKenzie 7 4 Mainstem Clear Lake Carmon Reservoir Carmon Dam Tamolitch Falls Tamolitch Falls Trail Bridge Reservoir Trail Bridge Dam Scott 7 7 Scott Paradise Campground 3 3 South Headwaters Three Sisters Wilderness Three Sisters Wilderness Cougar Reservoir 3 3 Mainstem Metolius Springs/ below Metolius Springs Metolius 3 Candle Candle Reservoir Billy Chinook 6 Minam Mainstem Minam Lake Eagle Cap Wilderness.5 miles downstream of Cougar Eagle Cap Wilderness.5 miles downstream of Cougar Wallowa RM Nestucca 6 Mainstem McGuire Dam Blaine 6 North Middle Willamette 4 4 Mainstem Waldo Lake mile above RR bridge near Westfir/Willamette 4 4 Owyhee 6 Upper Idaho border Three s Three s China Gulch 34 Lower Crooked Birch Birch Owyhee Reservoir 5 Rogue 4 4 Upper Crater Lake Park Rogue 4 4 Lower Applegate Lobster 3 3 /Lobster Bridge Sandy 4 Upper Headwaters Wilderness Lower Bull Run / Dodge Park Stark Street Bridge / Dabney State Park Santiam, Little North 7 Mainstem of Battle Ax and Opal s Willamette 7 North Umpqua 4 34 Upper Mt. Thielsen Wilderness Lemolo Reservoir 7 Lower Soda Springs Powerhouse Rock Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3.

13 Walker 3 Mainstem Source Nestucca 3 Wallowa Mainstem Minam Grande Ronde Waldo Lake (mileage estimated; a better metric is that the lake is 6,67 acres in area) miles north of Oregon 5 in the Willamette 6 6 Oregon scenic waterways (miles), wild and scenic rivers (miles),33 wild and scenic rivers that are not Oregon scenic waterways (miles) 63 Oregon scenic waterways that are not national wild and scenic rivers (includes 6 only those national wild and scenic rivers on streams that also have Oregon scenic waterways) (miles) Complementary overlap of Oregon scenic waterways and national wild and scenic rivers 7 In a country where nature has been so lavish and where we have been so spendthrift of indigenous beauty, to set aside a few rivers in their natural state should be considered an obligation. Senator Frank Church (D-ID), 6 Potential Oregon Additions to the Wild and Scenic s System In, the Larch Company commissioned the compilation of a list of Oregon stream segments not yet in the NWSRS that qualified for inclusion in the NWSRS based on a review of the Land and Resource Management Plan for each federal administrative unit (national forest, district, and so on). We found that,34 miles of free-flowing stream segments had according to the land management agency at least one outstandingly remarkable value, which is the minimum requirement specified in the Wild and Scenic s Act for a stream segment to be included in the NWSRS. (Similar criteria exist for Oregon scenic waterways.) We also found the agency inventories to be quite incomplete and sometimes sloppily done for what they did inventory. 3 The Nationwide s Inventory (NRI) maintained by the Park Service lists stream segments eligible in their view for inclusion in the NWSRS. Their Oregon inventory, at least, is quite out of date, poorly constructed, and poorly maintained. However, the fact that the inventory is deficient shouldn t count against free-flowing streams outstandingly remarkable values. The inventory has some overlap Service and Bureau of Land Management inventories and some stream segments have become units of the NWSRS since being listed in the NRI inventory. 4 Still, approximately,5 miles of streams in Oregon listed in the NRI qualify for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic s System. 3 For more on what qualifies for inclusion as a unit of the Wild and Scenic s System, see Andy Kerr, Persuading Congress to Establish a Wilderness and/or Wild & Scenic : A Checklist, Larch Occasional Paper # (Ashland, OR: The Larch Company, ), available at 4 Park Service, Nationwide s Inventory, Oregon Segments, Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 3

14 The NRI list of Oregon stream segments doesn t overlap much the list of candidate stream segments culled from the agency inventories. This is because: () the former was not constrained by having to be primarily on federal public land, while the latter generally was; and () the agency inventories include many more streams higher in the watersheds. As a result, the estimated total of Oregon stream segments that qualify for inclusion in the NWSRS based on the NRI list and the agency inventories is almost 5, miles. But there are other qualifying stream segments as well. As one examines maps of Oregon, a significant number of free-flowing streams at least one outstandingly remarkable value come readily to mind. These are stream segments that () are not yet included in the NWSRS, () are not on the NRI list of Oregon stream segments, and (3) are not in the Service and inventories. I conservatively estimate that when these are added to the candidate list, a total of about, miles (about 3 percent of the total mileage) of Oregon streams qualify for inclusion in the NWSRS. It is up to the conservation community to insist that the federal land management agencies do what is required of them by the WSRA. Here is what the act says: Continuing consideration by Federal agencies to potential national, wild, scenic and recreational river areas Figure 3. Brice on the Umpqua qualifies for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic s System even though the stream has not been recognized by the Service for its outstandingly remarkable whitewater boating. David Stone, Wildland Photography () In all planning for the use and development of water and related land resources, consideration shall be given by all Federal agencies involved to potential national wild, scenic and recreational river areas, and all river basin and project plan reports submitted to the Congress shall consider and discuss any such potentials. The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall make specific studies and investigations to determine which additional wild, scenic and recreational river areas in the United States shall be evaluated in planning reports by all Federal agencies as potential alternative uses of the water and related land resources involved U.S.C. 76(d). Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon 4 Larch Occasional Paper #3.

15 Conclusion An estimated, miles of streams flow in Oregon. 6 Most do not qualify for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic s System and/or the Oregon Scenic Waterways System as they have been dammed, dewatered, ditched, denuded, and/or otherwise degraded, if not destroyed. Today,.7 percent of Oregon streams are in the Wild and Scenic s System. A lot more worthy streams could be. Figure 4. The Nestucca Oregon Scenic Waterway is not also a national Wild and Scenic. Yet. Erik Fernandez, Oregon Wild. Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. David Bolling, How to Save a : Handbook for Citizen Action 6 USDI Geological Survey. Hydrography Dataset. Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 5

16 Acknowledgments A handy source of river-related quotations, some of which I used herein, can be found at For the development of this paper I am indebted to Erik Fernandez of Oregon Wild. Who hears the rippling of rivers will not utterly despair of anything. Additional Resources Interagency (mainly Park Service) website on the NWSRS ( Henry David Thoreau American s ( the nation s premier conservation advocate for the NWSRS Oregon Wild ( working to include numerous Oregon streams in the NWSRS Oregon Scenic Waterways Program ( Park Service s Nationwide s Inventory, Oregon Segments ( Kerr, Andy. LOP #: Persuading Congress to Establish a Wilderness and/or Wild & Scenic : A Checklist. Ashland, OR: The Larch Company, 7. Available at Kerr, Andy, and Mark Salvo. LOP #7: Overlapping Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Designations Provide Maximal Conservation Protection for Federal Public Lands. Ashland, OR: The Larch Company,. Available at Suggested Citation: Kerr, Andy.. Wild and Scenic System in Oregon. Larch Occasional Paper #3. The Larch Company. Ashland, OR. (available at The Larch Company. Use is permitted in accordance a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.). See creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3./. Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 6

Larch Occasional Papers A deciduous conifer, the western larch has a contrary nature. The Larch Company issues papers on a variety of topics that may be downloaded at http://www.andykerr.

17 Larch Occasional Papers A deciduous conifer, the western larch has a contrary nature. The Larch Company issues papers on a variety of topics that may be downloaded at # Year Title Oregon Softwood Lumber Industry 5-: Fewer Mills and Jobs, But Larger Timber-Processing Capacity Oregon Private Timberland Owners Not Paying Fair Share of Federal Income Taxes 7 Oregon Private Timberland Owners Not Paying Enough State Timber Taxes 6 Oregon Private Timberland Owners Not Paying Fair Share of County Property Taxes 5 Native American Tribal Lands and Federal Public lands in Oregon 4 An Overview of Land Management for Oregon Federal Public Lands Under the Northwest Plan 3. 5 Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Special Congressional Conservation Designations in Oregon: Some Better Than Others The Wilderness Preservation System in Oregon: Making it Bigger and Better Oregon and Washington Raw Log Exports: Exporting Jobs and a Subsidy to Domestic Mills Pacific Northwest Offshore Oil and Gas Potential: At Best About A Month s Supply; At Worse An Unnatural Disaster Small Wilderness: No Big Deal 7 Overlapping Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Designations: Optimal Conservation Protection for Federal Public Lands 6 Establishing a System of and a Service for U.S. Deserts and Grasslands (co authored w/ Mark Salvo) 5 7 Eliminating Service Regional Offices: Replacing Middle Management More On-the- Ground Restoration 4 7 Service Administrative Appeals: A Misallocation of Resources 3 7 Thinning Certain Oregon s to Restore Ecological Function 7 Transferring Western Oregon Bureau of Land Management s to the System 7 Persuading Congress to Establish a Wilderness and/or Wild & Scenic : A Checklist While these papers are provided out charge, producing and distributing them is not out cost. If you found this paper useful, please consider sending a check in the amount of what you think it was worth to you payable to The Larch Company, 76 Highway 66, Ashland, OR 75. Thank you.! Dedicated to the conservation and restoration of nature, The Larch Company is a nonmembership for-profit organization that represents species that cannot talk and humans not yet born, A deciduous conifer, the western larch has a contrary nature.! Wild and Scenic s and State Scenic Waterways in Oregon Larch Occasional Paper #3. 7

Larch Occasional Paper #11 February 2012 The National Wilderness Preservation System in Oregon: Making It Bigger and Better.

Larch Occasional Paper #11 February 2012 The Wilderness Preservation System in Oregon: Making It Bigger Better by Andy Kerr 1 Abstract Compared to its four adjacent neighbors, Oregon has the smallest percentage