THE VITAL ROLE OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY IN NEW RIVER CONSERVATION STRATEGIES

The need for new, comprehensive and biologically based federal protection policies for rivers and riverine ecosystems in the United States is urgent. While Congress has enacted significant legislation, such as the 1988 Omnibus Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and the Clean Water Act, America's river systems continue to be degraded. The history of actions taken by conservationists to protect rivers is marked by a distinct absence of scientific involvement, and has focused mostly on protecting high-quality recreational stream segments. Recently, however, river conservationists and scientists have begun to work together effectively and successfully. The testimony of the Scientific Panel on Late Successional Forests in Congress is an excellent example of the scientific community involving itself in the political process, although much more involvement is needed. The Pacific Rivers Council (PRC, formerly the Oregon Rivers Council) has begun a multi-faceted, national river protection campaign. Scientific involvement is central to this campaign, and we encourage scientists from diverse fields to actively participate in our efforts.