{"id":17578,"date":"2018-12-01T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T18:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=17578"},"modified":"2021-02-17T13:13:32","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T21:13:32","slug":"wild-scenic-rivers-111","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2018\/12\/01\/wild-scenic-rivers-111\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild & Scenic Rivers 111"},"content":{"rendered":"

The guides and staff of Northwest Rafting Company<\/a> are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by visiting all 58 of Oregon\u2019s Wild and Scenic Rivers. You can follow their project and learn about the rivers they\u2019ve been to on the project website<\/a>. On top of that, they’ve recently started the Kalmiopsis Guides Association<\/a> to help protect the rivers in that area\u2014the Chetco, Illinois and North Smith. Having NW Rafting take-over Wild & Scenic Wednesdays for the month of November was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

Wild & Scenic Wednesdays are just one way we\u2019re celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Learn more about how you can celebrate the 50th Anniversary and help NRS, American Rivers, American Whitewater, OARS, Yeti, Chacos and REI fight for 5,000 more miles of designated Wild & Scenic rivers at\u00a05000miles.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whychus Creek, OR (Wild & Scenic circa 1988)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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1. Whychus Creek is still listed in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as Squaw Creek. In 2005, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the name change of Squaw Creek to Whychus Creek. The Oregon Wildlands Act has been introduced to Congress by Senator Ron Wyden to officially change the name by amending the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.<\/p>\n

2. Whychus means \u201cthe place we cross the water.\u201d The new name was chosen for the creek based on its strong historical and legal usage.<\/p>\n

3. Usually, a Wild and Scenic designation protects only the main stem of a river, but the Whychus designation protects every small tributary stream within the Three Sisters Wilderness. On top of that, the Wild & Scenic Rivers Acts rarely protects lakes but Carver Lake, a glacial lake within the Whychus watershed, is also protected.<\/p>\n

4. Whychus Creek is 41 miles long from its headwaters to its confluence with the Deschutes River near Crooked River Ranch. And due to its close proximity to Bend, Oregon, it\u2019s a popular paddling destination with reliable water all summer.<\/p>\n

5. Four miles of Whychus Creek flows through the Whychus Canyon Preserve, a 930 acre preserve featuring more than seven miles of hiking and a diverse range of flora and fauna.<\/p>\n

Chetco River, OR (Wild & Scenic circa 1988)<\/strong><\/p>\n