Stories from the field: Finding eligible Wild & Scenic rivers in Wyoming, Part III

“Our land is more valuable than your money. It will last forever. It will not even perish by the flames of fire. As long as the sun shines and the waters flow, this land will be here to give life to men and animals.” Chief Crowfoot, Siksika (1825-1890)

North Fork Fish Creek looking east. (Photo Orion Hatch.)

As the days of summer wane, the hum of cicadas has given way to early morning elk bugles. Parched vegetation crackles under my heels and frost coats the north-facing slopes well into mid-morning. I am amazed how, even in the fall as the hills beg for moisture, nearly every drainage holds water. My time in the Bridger-Teton National Forest has deepened my respect for the divinity of this landscape and the waters that flow through it. It is no wonder that these lands are so sacred to our indigenous communities.

Time and again this summer, I’ve asked myself: what do we stand to lose if these rivers aren’t protected against development? Yes, these waters are crucial for maintaining our robust populations of charismatic mammals. Yes, the cold creeks that flow out of these mountains are irreplaceable refugia for native trout. But how does one quantify a spiritual and historical connection to an intact ecosystem? For thousands of years, native tribes relied on the land and water of the Bridger-Teton National Forest for seasonal hunting and gathering grounds and their connection to these places persists today. Our nation’s obsession with harnessing the kinetic energy of rivers has drowned far too many sites of cultural significance. Tipi rings and camas roasting pits, seen a few feet below the surface of Jackson Lake, are a local testament to this erasure.

Fortunately, we have the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as an administrative tool to protect waters with Outstandingly Remarkable Values (ORVs). These ORVs can vary widely from one geographic region to another. Some waters are host to amazing geological wonders or support crucial habitat for endemic wildlife, while others provide exceptional recreational opportunities for anglers or whitewater paddlers. Others still can be protected because of their cultural or historical significance.

Enos Lake looking north. It is the largest lake in the Teton Wilderness. (Photo Orion Hatch.)

The Bridger-Teton comprises the ancestral lands of many native tribes and it could be argued that all of the free-flowing streams therein are an infinitely important part of the spiritual connection those tribes have to the land. Over 4,000 miles of water support the migratory game and fisheries around which native peoples built their lives. To impound or divert water from even the most “insignificant” of free-flowing drainages would be to cut another root from the already wilting spiritual tree of our local tribes.

Despite the cultural and temporal chasm which separates our contemporary lives from those of American Indians, it is my hope that our society can continue to foster its own spiritual and cultural connection to these last vestiges of American wildness. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act gives us the opportunity to protect these free-flowing waters for the enjoyment of present and future generations of all people.

—Orion Hatch worked for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition as a field technician to inventory potential Eligible Wild and Scenic Rivers on Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Eligibility Inventory is a project supported in partnership with American Rivers, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Snake River Fund.

The Bridger-Teton Forest is on the Land of the Shoshone-Bannock, Niitsítapi (Blackfeet), Apsáalooke Crow, S’elish-Ktunaxa (Salish-Kootenai), Aaniiih (Gros Ventre), Eastern Shoshone, and Nimiipuu (Nez Perce).