Last updated: February 22, 2023
Article
Celebrating Additional Rivers to the Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers System
Content submitted by: Jacqueline Dias
Congratulations to the Housatonic River and the York River for being designated as Wild & Scenic Rivers! With the most recent passing of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617), the Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers System has two new Northeast designations – the Housatonic River in Connecticut and the York River in Maine.
NPS / Liz Lacy
The Housatonic River was first studied by the National Park Service (NPS) in the late 1970s for Wild & Scenic status but has since completed a more recent evaluation in 2021 and has again found the river to be suitable for Wild & Scenic designation. The Housatonic River designation stretches from the Massachusetts-Connecticut boundary to the Boardman Bridge in New Milford, Connecticut, for a total of approximately 40.3 miles. The Housatonic River is highlighted for its recreation and scenic values including canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The NPS Wild & Scenic River Study of the York River was completed in 2019 and found the river to be eligible based on its free-flowing condition and more than one outstandingly remarkable values. The York River designation includes segments of the main stem and tributaries including portions of Bass Cove Creek, Cider Hill Creek, Cutts Ridge Brook, Dolly Gordon Brook, Libby Brook, Rogers Brook and Smelt Brook, all in the state of Maine for a total of approximately 30.8 miles. The Maine designation holds many strong ecological, historic, cultural, and recreational values including, but not limited to, one of the largest intact coastal wetlands in southern Maine and the greatest diversity of threatened and endangered species of any other Maine region.
The Partnership Wild & Scenic Rivers System now has a total of 18 designated rivers throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Florida.
Wild and Scenic River Currents
This article was featured in the 2023 edition of Wild and Scenic River Currents, the annual newsletter for the National Park Service Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.