Wild River Life Vol III: Conservation for Future River Runners

By Susan Elliott

Packrafting on the North Fork of the Blackfoot River in Montana is a great way to explore this watershed and proposed Wild & Scenic river. Photo courtesy of the Wild River Life.

I’ve always had a proclivity for the conservation of natural places. It felt obvious to me: if we want to live on this planet, we have to use its resources wisely. I rarely thought of the next generation, especially during my traveling twenties. I thought about boofing; I thought about visiting rivers around the world; I thought about how one day I might make a difference. I may have had, “future generations” in mind, but I certainly wasn’t thinking of a specific person. And then came Little Dipper and my thoughts about the future of rivers suddenly had a very real beneficiary.

My body alerted me of her presence before she actually arrived. As we navigated around the country seeking rivers last year, there were several moments when it was impossible to ignore her. Like when I sat in the backseat of Joe’s car on the way to the Chetco, feeling the tight turns and near nausea on the circuitous roads within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness (OR). Or when I stumbled with pure exhaustion from our raft to our camp every afternoon on the Owyhee River (OR). Then more obviously when I pulled on my drysuit one day to find it no longer fit around my growing belly.

Almost a year later, she is four-months-old, and we sit together next to the Nolichucky River (TN). She makes small noises rooted in wonder as she sees another kid playing in the shallow pool, or a raft paddle up to the take-out. I now see the Nolichucky in a whole new way. I think about her throwing rocks in the water, and later riding in a raft between Adam and me. Perhaps she’ll even kayak or stand-up paddle board the gorge when she is older.

But will she know this as a free-flowing, wild river? Or will she know it as a dam-controlled and regulated river? What can I do to help ensure this place stay wild and wonderful for her?

As we float our 50 Wild and Scenic rivers, I’ve learned that just paddling can make a difference. I visit rivers frequently, to say the least, and I talk to people about the watersheds that I visit. We may begin conversations with rivers I’ve already explored but they almost always lead to discussions of rivers I believe should be paddled, rivers that should be talked about more, that should be emphatically celebrated. Otherwise, these places may soon be usurped by development or hydropower or our own insatiable consumption.

Adam and Susan pause to take in the view of the North Fork Blackfoot River in Montana as they hike to the put-in. Photo courtesy of the Wild River Life.

This is why we chose to visit “future” Wild and Scenic Rivers as a part of our 50 rivers goal. We floated rivers on the Olympic Peninsula that local residents and businesses have identified for conservation. We stopped by the Madison and North Fork Blackfoot Rivers in Montana, both of which are included in a citizen’s proposal for more Wild and Scenic designations throughout the state. And just last week, we paddled Big Laurel Creek and the Nolichucky River in North Carolina and Tennessee, respectively, both of which have been identified as eligible for protection.

These are Little Dipper’s generation of Wild and Scenic Rivers. Our role is to help get them there so that she, and all our kids, can live in a country where we continually work to protect our outstanding natural resources. And perhaps, one day, I’ll be able to show her down the Wild and Scenic Nolichucky River.