The Allagash Wilderness Waterway- What wild and Scenic actually means
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, or AWW, is a 92 mile north flowing river in northern Maine. It is flanked by commercial forestland and other conservation lands. July 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the federal designation of the Allagash as a “wild and scenic river”
As a result of the hard work by Senator Edmund Muskie, on July 19, 1970 the AWW was designated a “wild” river area in the National Wild and Scenic River Systems. This meant that it would be kept generally inaccessible except by river.
A “wild and scenic” river designation, established by the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is the United States’ highest form of protection for free-flowing rivers, protecting them from new dams and harmful development. It preserves rivers with outstandingly remarkable, natural, cultural, or recreational values, ensuring they remain unimpaired for future generations.
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway was the first state-administered river to be designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. AWW was a pioneer for the system, being the first to be managed by a state government rather than a federal one. With in the United States there are 226 wild and scenic rivers.
