The Madison River Foundation will host a meeting with Charles Drimal of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to learn more about the possible inclusion of portions of the Madison in a Wild and Scenic River designation (most likely fitting in the ‘recreational’ category).
The meeting will be held at the El Western on the 11th of May kicking off at 6 pm.
Amazingly it wasn’t until 1968 that the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by Congress; read more about it here. From the Rivers.Gov page on the WSR Act –
It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with 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. (Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968)
Should be an interesting process to follow.
