American Whitewater is proud to be a leading partner in the Wild Olympics Campaign, a collaborative effort to protect the wild rivers, ancient forests, and salmon habitat of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Working alongside conservation and recreation organizations, American Whitewater helped launch this campaign with the leadership of our local members to safeguard a dozen major river systems that represent some of the most important opportunities for river conservation in the Pacific Northwest.
The Olympic Peninsula is one of the wettest regions in the continental United States, receiving several feet of precipitation each year. This abundance of rainfall feeds a dense network of rivers and streams that flow from glacier-clad peaks through towering old-growth forests to the Pacific Ocean. The result is an extraordinary concentration of whitewater runs and vibrant aquatic ecosystems within a relatively small geographic area.
The Wild Olympics proposal would permanently protect approximately 125,000 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and designate 19 rivers and their major tributaries—totaling 464 river miles—as Wild and Scenic Rivers. These designations would preserve the free-flowing character, water quality, and ecological integrity of the Elwha, Sol Duc, Quinault, Hoh, Queets, and other rivers beloved by paddlers, anglers, and local communities.
American Whitewater has taken a leadership role in shaping and advancing the Wild and Scenic Rivers component of the campaign. We have identified eligible river segments, documented their outstanding recreational and ecological values, and worked with local paddlers and partners to build broad support. Through this effort, we have ensured that river recreation and stewardship remain central to the proposal—demonstrating that protecting rivers also protects the experiences and communities they sustain.
Through the Wild Olympics Campaign, American Whitewater continues our mission to protect and restore America’s whitewater rivers, securing lasting safeguards for some of the nation’s most spectacular free-flowing waters.