Our beautiful and mild spring is getting us itching to start the excursion season. The hillsides are greening up, birds have arrived early and it is looking like this will be an amazing season. Don’t delay in booking the ride of your choice – some rides sell out early!

Dick Burch, our First Responder volunteer in charge of ensuring you have a safe and comfortable ride, spent his career managing emergencies for Federal government agencies. He provided some information about our rivers that might be of interest to many of you, concerning the Wild & Scenic Rivers on which we run:

The Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers are federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers and are managed and protected by the Federal Government through the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S Forest Service. This designation affords additional protection and management over non-designated rivers. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act has three levels of protection: wild, scenic and recreational. Both of “our rivers” have designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Those designations are also recognized by state agencies and allow the local offices of the federal agencies to get additional funding for management.

The stretch of the Grande Ronde River from the confluence of Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers (Rondowa Bridge) to the Washington state line is designated wild or scenic for 26.4 miles depending on the nature of the river stretches. The stretch of the Wallowa River from the confluence of the Minam and Wallowa Rivers (Minam Bridge) to the confluence of the Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers (Rondowa) for 10 miles, is designated as recreational.

While these designations may seem frivolous to some, they are quite important to the federal agencies who manage the rivers. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act recognizes designated rivers as having special values for fishing, recreation and scenic opportunities, enough to warrant special federal designation and management.

Come see why these highly scenic rivers deserve special attention and care.