State Wild and Scenic River Program Development
Group Members: Sarah Hamming, Sarah Heller, Jack Sheehan
American Whitewater is a 501(c)(3) river conservation organization with a mission to protect and restore America鈥檚 whitewater rivers and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. The ultimate goal of this Capstone project is to determine whether or not a state-level wild and scenic program would be both feasible and beneficial for the State of Colorado. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (NWSRA) currently designates only 76 miles of one river, the Cache La Poudre, within the State of Colorado. That is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of Colorado鈥檚 river miles. Throughout this project, the MENV team will be researching the NWSRA and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and similar state-level wild and scenic programs to gain insight into what has and has not worked in the past. In addition to researching wild and scenic programs across the Nation, the team will also be engaging with a multitude of stakeholders to hear about the varying perspectives of wild and scenic programs, as well as to receive feedback on their ideas for a potential wild and scenic policy proposal for the State of Colorado. After extensive research and stakeholder engagement, they will create several deliverables: a literature review, stakeholder reports, a whitepaper, a policy proposal, and maps.