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Take Action to Defend and Expand America's Wild and Scenic Rivers Legacy!

While we celebrate the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the protection of some of America’s wildest rivers, there is much more work to do. Many of America’s most treasured rivers remain unprotected from new dams and harmful development such as mining, road building, and logging.

Currently, the National Wild and Scenic River System protects about 13,000 miles of over 200 rivers in 40 states and Puerto Rico. While that sounds impressive, this is only about one-quarter of one percent of the nation’s rivers! By comparison, more than 75,000 large dams across the country are impacting at least 600,000 miles, or about 17 percent, of America’s rivers.

Check out the Wild and Scenic Rivers located near you.

Then please take action to protect America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and expand the system to include other deserving wild rivers.

Write your members of Congress today!

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Take Action

Take action to protect America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and expand the system to include other deserving wild rivers.

U.S. Senators and Representative

Subject: Protect and defend America's Wild and Scenic Rivers

Message:

On October 2, 1968 President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law, representing a historic turning point in our nation's preservation ethic. This new policy of preserving rivers in their free-flowing, natural condition contrasted sharply with the dam-building and water-diversion ethos up until that time.

Wild and Scenic River corridors connect larger natural areas and diverse habitat zones, and provide clean water and essential habitat for fish and wildlife, many of which are threatened or endangered.

While we celebrate the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the protection of some of America's wildest rivers, there is much more work to do. Many of America's most treasured rivers remain unprotected from new dams and harmful development such as mining, road building, and logging.

Currently, the National Wild and Scenic River System protects about 13,000 miles of over 200 rivers in 40 states and Puerto Rico. While that sounds impressive, this is only about one-quarter of one percent of the nation's rivers. By comparison, more than 75,000 large dams across the country are impacting at least 600,000 miles, or about 17 percent, of America's rivers.

That's why I'm asking you to please:

- Defend existing Wild and Scenic Rivers from harmful activities, including commercial logging, road building, mining, and development.

- Pursue any and all opportunities to protect more rivers by adding them to the Wild and Scenic River system.

- Pursue any and all opportunities to phase out motorboat use on designated Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Thank you.

Remaining:

Take action to protect America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and expand the system to include other deserving wild rivers.

Thank you for taking action to defend Wilderness!