How Wyden’s River Democracy Act (Wyden’s River Democracy Act) will help fight wildfires as well as climate change

Senior Director Wild and Scenic Rivers and Public Lands Policy

The dead of Winter is often the last time we think of wildfire. But here we are wrapping up an historically dry February with many near-record-setting warm temperatures. Because of recent wildfires I now start to get nervous whenever we have a week or two without rain during the winter knowing our snowpack—our insurance policy for summer water and healthy forests—is dwindling.

Last month, United States Forest Service Chief Randy Moore Announced a new strategy that will focus the Forest Service and it’s partners on protecting at-risk communities while improving forest resilience. The strategy brings together states, tribes, states, and communities to collaborate across all borders. “We are ready to begin the work in a way that meets the urgency of the moment,” Moore says. 

In A post from last January, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden wrote, “This fire season has the potential to be the most devastating in our nation’s history.” The threats were so severe that Senator Wyden and fellow Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley sent a letter to federal agencies pressing them to “ensure our state has the resources it needs to fight these fires and keep communities safe.” In April. This was a time when the Willamette Valley was flooded by precipitation. Senator Wyden is right, “The climate crisis is here, and we’re living it.”

Thankfully, Oregon’s senators have been at work crafting legislation to bolster wildland firefighting and resources. In February 2021, Senators Wyden and Merkley introduced federal legislation—the River Democracy Act—that will more than triple Oregon’s Wild and Scenic river miles and in doing so also strengthen wildfire preparedness statewide.

The River Democracy Act allows for better wildfire risk assessment and planning, including for homes and businesses located near Wild and Scenic Rivers. It also allows for greater inter-agency coordination to fight wildfire, including with Native American Tribes. Federal resources are available to repair wildfire damage to infrastructure, drinking waters quality, and watersheds. The bill provides $30,000,000 annually to Wild and Scenic Rivers that provide water to downstream communities or those affected by catastrophic wildfire.

Most of us associate Wild and Scenic River designations with protecting the natural, recreational, cultural and ecological values of these waters—and we should. We should also understand the critical importance of national Wild and Scenic River designations as a tool to help us prepare and protect against an ever-increasing combined threat from catastrophic wildfire, warming climate, drought cycles and more people in harm’s way. Healthy, resilient rivers lead to healthy, resilient communities—and the importance of these life-giving rivers only becomes more vital in the face of climate change and fire seasons like the one we’re looking at this year.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing guest posts from people who have been—and still are—on the front lines. 

Stay alert and safe.