American Whitewater would like to commend the Shoshone National Forest for expanding their roster of rivers considered “eligible” for Wild and Scenic designation under their new Forest Plan.  American Whitewater participated in their forest planning process and offered evidence and recommendations for several new eligible streams in our scoping comments and comments on the draft plan.  The plan considered our information, and adopted several of our recommendations. 

We would like to thank Aaron Pruzan for providing first-hand accounts of many of these rivers and descriptions of their outstanding values.  Additional evidence and support was provided by Forrest McCarthy. 

The newly protected streams under the new plan are as follows:

• Bear Creek
• Crandall Creek
• NF Popo Agie 
• South Fork Little Wind
• East Fork Torrey
• West Fork Torrey
• Wind River

These are in addition to previously eligible streams which retained protection under the new plan, several of which AW provided additional support for: Clarks Fork, Dinwoody, Greybull, Middle Fork Popo Agie, NF Shoshone, SF Shoshone, Sunlight, WF Dunoir, Wiggins Fork, and the Wood River.  Check out all the eligible streams on a map, or dig into the new plan itself here. 

All told the Forest increased the number of eligible streams by 82.2 miles.  Eligibility requires the Forest to protect the values that could cause the river to be designated Wild and Scenic, including their free-flowing characteristics. 

This process stands in stark contrast to the treatment of Wild and Scenic eligibility on the Kootenai (MT) and Idaho Panhandle National Forests where the Forests recently dismissed evidence supporting protection for additional streams without any sound basis.  American Whitewater is appealing those decisions.  Unlike these plans, we support the process and findings of the Shoshone National Forest Plan and feel the eligible streams are well supported and more than worthy of protection.   

American Whitewater is currently working to expand the roster of Wild and Scenic eligible rivers on public lands in North Carolina, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and elsewhere.