Beginning in the 1980’s, citizen groups have sought designation of the river and its corridor under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. In 2002 the US Forest Service found the Crystal River eligible for inclusion in the national Wild and Scenic River system, which would protect its free-flowing character, water quality, and outstandingly remarkable scenic, historic, and recreational values.
The Crystal River Wild and Scenic Collaborative (“Collaborative”) was formed in 2022 as a scoping group to discuss the creation of a facilitated process. The Collaborative developed a structure to enable broad reaching discussion and investigation of the feasibility of a Wild and Scenic designation and other protective measures. The Collaborative created the Crystal Wild and Scenic and Other Alternatives Steering Committee made up of local stakeholders to commence in fact finding, identification of overlapping interests and concerns, and a robust discussion of shared goals and strategies that would facilitate lasting river protections for the Crystal River. One of the first tasks the Steering Committee took on was to develop shared values that any protections for the Crystal River should achieve. After a year of robust discussions about different river protection options, the Steering Committee reached a consensus agreement to further explore the three options that generated the most community interest: Wild and Scenic designation, enhanced instream flow water rights and intergovernmental agreement. Subcommittees were formed for each option and were directed to develop a proposal of each protection mechanism and report back to the broader Steering Committee to discuss a path forward.
Ths website will be a clearinghouse for the records of what that stakeholder process covers, learns, and decides, as well as a source for information on upcoming meetings and how to get involved. Materials, meetings, and information on the Wild and Scenic Feasibility Subcommittee can be found here. If you have any questions about the Steering Committee or any of the three subcommittees, please email the group administrator at hattie@americanwhitewater.org.