#MakeYourSplash on a River Near You
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WASHINGTON -- Today, federal agencies and non-profit river partners release the next video in the #FindYourWay series to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and National Trails System Act on October 2, 2018. #FindYourWay invites visitors from all backgrounds to explore America’s rivers and trails.
We’re inviting you to pick up your paddle or fishing rod to #MakeYourSplash on a river near you. Our National Wild and Scenic Rivers System has grown steadily since its creation and today protects rivers in 40 states and Puerto Rico.
"The Bureau of Land Management manages over 2,400 miles of wild and scenic rivers in seven states. These segments vary from rushing whitewater to calm, flowing streams, and Blue Ribbon trout waters to small desert rivers," said acting BLM Director Mike Nedd. "In celebration of the 50th anniversary, we invite you to get out on these remarkable waterways and explore your public lands."
The #FindYourWay, #MakeYourSplash video follows a family as they paddle, fish, and play in the Lower American Wild and Scenic River, where family time and outdoor time are one in the same. As the mother in the video says, “Being together as a family outside really helps us be closer together.” Rivers embody many values, intrinsic and tangible. Wild and Scenic Rivers provide water for fish and wildlife, preserve history and culture, create public recreation and economic prosperity, and maintain floodplains for communities.
Visit the Wild and Scenic Rivers 50th Anniversary event map and 50th anniversary toolkit to discover events near you and host an event on a local river in your community.
Two pivotal laws, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the National Trails System Act, were signed in 1968, creating national systems of protected rivers and trails that brought public lands to the forefront of American consciousness. Our nation’s Wild and Scenic Rivers include rivers flowing through primitive, unspoiled landscapes with few people, to those meandering across rural landscapes, small towns, and near big cities.
Free-flowing rivers create natural riparian areas that foster healthy, abundant, and diverse wildlife and are the centerpieces of rich ecological processes. Recreationally, free-flowing rivers offer unparalleled inspirational experiences from challenging whitewater to placid fishing. Through the vital connections of rivers to communities, we all live downstream of a Wild and Scenic River.
About the 50th Anniversary Partners
The river and trail communities commemorating the 50th anniversary of their establishment include federal government and non-profit partners. Federal agency partners include the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Non-profit partners American Rivers, American Whitewater, River Management Society and River Network join the federal agencies to build community around rivers in 2018. Trails nonprofit partners include American Hiking Society, American Trails, the Partnership for the National Trails System, and the Rails to Trails Conservancy.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.