The late, great governor of Oregon, Tom McCall, spoke often of our state’s “livability” – the clean air and water, the vast forests, beaches and grasslands, and the endless recreation opportunities that make Oregon such an amazing place to live.

A key aspect to Oregon’s livability is our 110,000-plus miles of rivers and streams, which provide us with cool, clear drinking water, world-class fishing and rafting opportunities, and unmatched habitat for salmon and steelhead. In fact, I have been proud on my watch that Oregon now has the most river miles designated as Wild and Scenic in the contiguous 48 states. Only Alaska has more and I’ve kidded Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, that I want Oregon to claim the top spot.

Teaming up with Oregonians throughout the state, I was just as proud as the senior Democrat on that committee to have worked successfully this year in the Senate to add more than 250 miles to our state’s national wild-and-scenic list.

Oregon now boasts 2,173 miles of wild-and-scenic rivers – farther than the distance from Bend to Chicago and more than a sixfold increase from the state’s total in 1988.

But when our state has more than 110,000 miles of rivers and streams, it’s clear there’s more that can – and should — be done.

The federal Wild & Scenic Rivers Act is a proven tool to achieve that goal, protecting and preserving our country’s most important rivers while balancing recreation, habitat and conservation.

At the 955 town halls I’ve held in every one of Oregon’s 36 counties, I hear regularly about how protecting our rivers is a must to protect our state’s quality of life.

Building upon Oregon river protections are so important that I’ve been asking Oregonians since October to send nominations through Jan. 20, 2020, to rivers@wyden.senate.gov for rivers in the state that merit addition to the wild-and-scenic rivers list.

So far, the nominations have been flowing in — our office has gotten 545 nominations with more than a month to go, including more than 50 from Deschutes County.

Because I want to continue this crucial conversation, I will be in Bend this Saturday, Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. at the Riverbend Community Room (799 SW Columbia) for an open-to-all forum to hear directly from Central Oregon about the rivers they think deserve addition to the national wild-and-scenic rivers list.

That community forum and one the day before in Portland (12:30 pm at Mazamas, 527 SE 43rd Ave.) are part of my ongoing effort to protect Oregon rivers through the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.

Recreation businesses that generate jobs in Central Oregon as well as the restaurants and brewpubs that rely on those customers to come in after a day on the Deschutes, Metolius and Crooked rivers know how important these river protections are for recreation.

Outdoor Industry Association statistics show that recreation supports 172,000 jobs in Oregon and generates $16.4 billion in economic activity statewide.

And more than 4 million Oregonians count on these rivers and streams for drinking water.

So please join me on Saturday in Bend to make your voice heard. And if you can’t attend, please send in your wild-and-scenic river nominations to rivers@wyden.senate.gov.

With the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act recently marking its 51st anniversary, my goal is to use this proven approach to channel Oregonians’ wild-and-scenic river nominations into fresh legislation next year.

So please join me on Saturday in Bend to make your voice heard. And if you can’t attend, please send in your wild-and-scenic river nominations to rivers@wyden.senate.gov.
With the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act recently marking its 51st anniversary, my goal is to use this proven approach to channel Oregonians’ wild-and-scenic river nominations into fresh legislation next year.

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