Outdoor retailer REI is joining a project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the USA’s Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by protecting another 5,000 miles of rivers.
The Seattle-based co-op, which sells outdoor sports and camping equipment, joins a coalition of brands, NGOs, individuals and businesses for the 5,000 Miles of Wild project. This aims to designate and help protect 5,000 new miles of rivers as part of the National Wild and Scenic River System by 2020.
As part of its efforts, REI wants members to:
- Share your personal river story. Whether in urban or rural environments, big rivers or small creeks, everyone has a river story. The 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign will share these stories with legislators. Use the #MyRiverStory hashtag on photos.
- Sign the petition. Ask Congress to protect 5,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers and one million acres of riverside lands. Make your voice heard by lawmakers.
- Shop the collection. REI will donate five percent of the purchase price of each item from the collection to support the 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign.
REI’s chief executive Jerry Stritzke has shared his own story, recalling his formative years exploring the Arkansas River in Colorado, and his discovery of a tributary stream in its headwaters.
“My family grew up on that stream—swimming, rafting, and wading for miles through snowmelt in beat-up tennis shoes,” he wrote. “Just recently, I helped my five-year-old grandson build a shelter of aspen sticks on the banks of ‘our’ stream – it’s been incredibly powerful to watch him forge his own connection to this place that means so much to me.”
He added: “You can’t deny the restorative power of being outdoors, and for me, being near a river. There’s a marked change when you move into the presence of a river. The foliage, the sounds, and even the air changes as you feel the cool breeze blowing off the water. It’s a physical, moving experience, and for me embodies the very best of what a life outside is all about.
“Ensuring that future generations have access to these places will help create better stewards of the planet as well as more fulfilled, complete people.”
The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was created by Congress in 1968 to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations. The designation prohibits construction of new dams or projects that would impede the river’s free-flowing state, water quality or resource values.
It also protects a quarter-mile buffer of land along the river and encourages the development of locally driven management plans for each river. The designation does not change existing river uses, such as fishing, ranching or recreation.
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Currently, less than 1% of all American rivers are protected; 208 rivers (12,734 miles in total) make up the National Wild and Scenic River System.
Of the additional 5,000 miles that the coalition plans to designate, protections are already under way for over 1,100 river miles. The remaining river miles have been identified by local community groups and river advocates across the nation or currently run on public lands that are due for land management inventories.
“The outdoor community is essential in helping to add and preserve additional river miles,” said Thomas O’Keefe, PhD, Pacific Northwest stewardship director of American Whitewater. “By joining 5,000 miles of Wild, REI helps bring awareness to the program and provides people an easy way to share stories, voice their opinions and meet our goal of designating and protecting additional river miles.”
