While Oregon leads the nation in number of units in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (NWSRS), Oregon trails in (1) total number of protected wild and scenic river miles, (2) total acreage within the NWSRS, and (3) percentage of the state’s total stream mileage protected in the NWSRS.
Read MoreFigure 1. Darlingtonia California, a carnivorous plant, along Rough and Ready Creek in a watershed of extraordinary biological diversity. The watershed is threatened with nickel mining, and wild and scenic river status would help end the mining threat. Source: Sandy Lonsdale. First appeared in Oregon Wild: Endangered Forest Wilderness by the author.