By Donna Stevens
The Gila River is America’s First Wilderness River, with its headwaters deep in the Gila Wilderness – the nation’s first wilderness. At last, it’s one step closer to being designated a Wild and Scenic River. Both of New Mexico’s federal Senators, Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, are co-sponsors of the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act. As this newsletter goes to press, the senators have just introduced the bill, named for writer and conservationist Dutch Salmon, a long-time protector of the Gila River who passed away in March 2019.
The legislation would protect about 450 river miles of the Gila and San Francisco Rivers and many named tributaries, mostly in the Gila National Forest. There are also a few miles of rivers on Bureau of Land Management land and on private property where landowners have requested to be included.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed in 1968, when Stewart Udall – the father of recently retired New Mexico Senator Tom Udall – was Secretary of the Interior under President Lyndon Johnson. Wild and Scenic Rivers can only be designated by Congress. In 1968, conservation was a bipartisan priority. Alas, this is no longer true, and passing conservation legislation can be a protracted process.
In New Mexico, only about 124 miles, all in the northern part of the state, are designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers: the East Fork of the Jemez, Pecos, and Red Rivers, Rio Chama, and Rio Grande. This represents less than one percent of the state’s river miles. As climate change leads to hotter and drier conditions statewide, it is increasingly important that we protect our rivers. Wild and Scenic River designation is a great way to achieve this goal.
To be included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, according to the 1968 Act, a river must “possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values.” If a river meets this standard and is designated, it “shall be preserved in free-flowing condition ….. for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Gila lovers already recognize that the Gila River is outstandingly remarkable, and while we waiting for Congress to catch up, we’ll keep the pressure on. We’ll let you know the right time to let Senators Heinrich and Luján know that they have your support.
Many thanks to the Conservation Lands Foundation for funding UGWA’s work on Wild and Scenic River designation for the Gila.