Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968

CELEBRATING 50 OUTSTANDINGLY REMARKABLE YEARS!

Over 50 years ago, America’s free-flowing streams were being dammed and altered at an alarming rate. At the urging of fishermen and conservationists, wise leaders in congress created a system to protect some of the remaining natural rivers. The passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 created the National Wild and Scenic River System.

Before a river can be designated as Wild and Scenic, it must possess outstandingly remarkable values. Today, more than 12,000 miles of outstandingly remarkable rivers in 40 states and Puerto Rico are protected for future generations. To see where all 208 Wild and Scenic Rivers are located, please visit this site: https://nps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=ba6debd907c7431ea765071e9502d5ac

 

OREGON - A Wild & Scenic State

There are 58 National Wild & Scenic River Designations in Oregon, more than any other state. Oregon has approximately 110,994 miles of river, of which 1,916.7 miles are designated as wild & scenic—almost 2% of the state's river miles.

 

National Park scientists continuously monitor the River Styx. Ongoing research has shown that the River Styx is one of the few locations where chemical reactions continue to enlarge the cave.

NPS

THE RIVER STYX - Wild and Scenic Goes Underground

Oregon Caves is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by highlighting our own River Styx, which in 2014 became the first totally underground stream to be added to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Congressionally-designated National Wild and Scenic River Styx begins high above the main cave entrance, where the headwaters of Cave Creek are pirated underground. Once inside the marble bedrock, the stream takes on the name River Styx. One hundred and nine years ago, when President Taft created Oregon Caves National Monument, caves were considered separate from the surface environment. Much of the marble block that supports the cave as well as the headwaters of Cave Creek that feed the River Styx were not part of the original monument.

We now know that most caves are intimately connected to the surface environment above. This direct connection and the general lack of a natural filtration system can make underground river water extremely vulnerable to pollution. So in 2014, with the help of private donations, the park service was able to buy out all the grazing leases in the watershed above the cave. Over 4,000 acres were added to National Park property as the Oregon Caves National Preserve.

Even though the cows are gone, more protection for the environment may be on the way. Two surface streams on National Park property are currently being considered for designation as wild and scenic – Lake Creek and the upper portion of Cave Creek. Cave Creek is the source of much of the water flowing in the River Styx. Lake Creek is adjacent to Cave Creek and is the source of our water supply here at Oregon Caves. The streams provide high quality water and habitat for wildlife, including at least six species that are found nowhere else in the universe.

If Congress approves the Wild and Scenic designation, actions that could harm these streams would be prohibited. Their free-flowing condition and 'outstandingly remarkable' resource values would be preserved not only for the plants and animals that live here but also for the enjoyment of future generations of visitors.

 

In a beautiful valley above the cave, Upper Cave Creek goes underground. Dye tracing shows that approximately 50 hours later the water shows up inside the cave.  The exact path (marked by yellow dotted lines on the map above) is unknown.

NPS/ Neil Elfrink

The Outstandingly Remarkable Journey of the River Styx, Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.

High above the main cave entrance, where ice-age glaciers have carved a spectacular landscape, rain and snow fall on the northern slopes of Mount Elijah. Some of this precipitation flows down into the valley of Upper Cave Creek and begins an outstandingly remarkable journey to its home, the Pacific Ocean. The headwaters of Cave Creek gush down the beautiful valley. Then suddenly, the water disappears into the ground! The underground portion of the drainage is called the River Styx, named after the legendary underground river that according to ancient Greek mythology marked the end of an individual’s journey here on earth. At Oregon Caves, the River Styx’s nearly ½-mile long adventure inside the ancient marble bedrock of the mountain is so remarkable that it has been designated a Wild and Scenic River. Wild and Scenic status protects its outstanding scenic, ecologic and geologic values for the benefit of future generations. The River Styx is the first - and so far the ONLY - completely subterranean stream to be protected by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. Less than ½ of 1 per cent of America’s streams have so far been shown to possess the ‘outstandingly remarkable’ values required to be designated Wild and Scenic.

Visitors to Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve can experience the remarkable underground journey of the River Styx up close by taking a cave tour. Guided tours enter the cave where the River Styx emerges from its dark underground voyage and once again reclaims the name Cave Creek. Just outside the cave entrance, the water tumbles down man-made waterfalls and into beautiful pools that contribute to the rustic ambiance of the historic Chateau. Some of the water is then diverted into an artificial stream bed that runs through the dining room of the Chateau, thus losing its Wild and Scenic status. However, as the water continues its now above-ground odyssey to the infinite sea, it will eventually join the Illinois River and flow into Oregon's Kalmiopsis Wilderness, once again claiming Wild and Scenic status. Even farther downstream, the Illinois flows into the mighty Rogue, one of the original eight rivers designated as Wild and Scenic in 1968. If the United States Congress approves the National Park Service recommendation to designate Upper Cave Creek as Wild and Scenic, some of the precipitation falling on Mount Elijah may soon encounter FOUR different Wild and Scenic sections before finally flowing into the Pacific Ocean near Gold Beach!

Upper Cave Creek is being considered for Wild and Scenic status because of its scenic value and its contribution to the River Styx. However, the disappearing creek is not the only source of the water that journeys down the River Styx. Upper Cave Creek is an intermittent stream that regularly dries up during the dry summer months. Yet the River Styx is a perennial stream that flows continuously all year round. Obviously, additional water from other sources joins the River Styx inside the cave. Two hundred and twenty feet underground, alert visitors on the cave tour may observe two small River Styx tributaries on the floor of the large Ghost Room. These small streams join to form what is called the Ghost Styx. The Ghost Styx seems to disappear back into the bedrock and eventually joins the main River Styx deeper in the cave. No one knows for sure the source of the water flowing in these tributaries. But just 30 feet before entering the Ghost Room, in a tiny passage out of sight, one of the tributaries flows over the bones of a rare ice-age Jaguar skeleton.

Another important source of water for the River Styx is precipitation falling on the surface above the cave area. This water can take a very slow and tortuous journey downward before finally dripping into the cave, sometimes landing on the heads of surprised visitors. The drips contain small amounts of dissolved calcite that can precipitate out of solution once the drips encounter cave air. Over thousands of years the drips create the beautiful and sometimes massive speleothem decorations that contribute to the scenic and geologic value of the River Styx. The drips are also vital to the ecologic value of the River Styx. They help keep the River Styx flowing year round and help keep the cave air humid, conditions that are vital to the survival of small creatures struggling to live in the dark cave environment. As many as ten tiny critters are found nowhere else in the universe.

 

Colombian Black tail deer guard the main entrance to Oregon Caves. The opening is also the outlet spring that marks the end of the River Styx’s outstandingly remarkable journey through marble bedrock. Visitors begin their guided underground adventure by crossing the River Styx on a metal-grate bridge.

NPS/ Neil Elfrink