Wild and Scenic River Currents 2022

colorful leaves in shallow water with title "Wild & Scenic River Currents"

NPS / Dave Bieri

Welcome!

Welcome to the fourth edition of Wild and Scenic River Currents, an annual newsletter designed to share stories about National Park Service (NPS) wild and scenic rivers and the community of people working to protect and enhance them. This edition of Wild and Scenic River Currents highlights a diverse range of activities on our wild and scenic rivers in 2021, from new outreach and education initiatives to preservation of cultural landscapes to grappling with management challenges posed by climate change. We continue to be amazed by all the accomplishments on our wild and scenic rivers, especially during these turbulent times, and we appreciate the many contributions to Wild and Scenic River Currents this year. Thank you for all that you do to keep our rivers clean, healthy, and free-flowing!

Corita Waters, Co-Lead, and Susannah Erwin, Acting Co-Lead, of the NPS WSR Program

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Highlights

Throughout the past year, the NPS Wild and Scenic Rivers program has been working hard to assist and collaborate with rivers across the nation. With new guidance released in RM 46, community scientists collecting water quality data at 106 Wild and Scenic Rivers with Adventure Scientists, and the River Management Society’s River Training Center’s workshops and trainings, we have made strides this year in protecting and managing our Wild and Scenic Rivers. Read more about these accomplishments in the stories below.

Connection & Protection

From improving recreational opportunities to expanding stewardship through community engagement, this section highlights the many unique projects that NPS and its partners carried out in 2021 to connect people to Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Stewardship & Science

With new scientific publications, projects to remove invasive species, and binational partnerships these stories highlight a comprehensive approach to science and stewardship in Wild and Scenic Rivers across the nation.

Our Changing Climate

Our modern climate is changing rapidly and managers must work diligently to address and adapt to the changes it brings.


Water Quality

Monitoring water quality in Wild and Scenic Rivers is essential to the health of our watersheds. By identifying issues, we can answer the question: Is this water safe for recreation?

Land Additions

Through powerful partnerships, vital land and water is being conserved within Wild and Scenic River watersheds.

Cultural Resources

While many are drawn to rivers for their scenic and recreational values, there is often more than meets the eye at our Wild and Scenic Rivers. These stories highlight rivers celebrating the Outstanding Remarkable Value of cultural resources within their watersheds.

Education, Outreach, & Volunteers

From new programming to anniversary celebrations these rivers are helping their communities form deeper connections to the areas they protect.


People & Resources

At the heart of preserving and protecting our wild and scenic rivers are the people who make it possible. Meet some new faces and celebrate some recent accomplishments of the Wild and Scenic Rivers community.

Welcome to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Community!

A smiling woman with dark hair and tan skin with the ocean, an orca fin, and mountains in the background

Sharon Kim

Outdoor Recreation Planner &
Alaska Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Coordinator
Alaska Regional Office

Sharon Kim is one of two leads for the Wild and Scenic River Program in Alaska for NPS. She has worked for NPS for over twenty years, including starting in 1999 for Alaska parks. Her background is in planning, compliance, and park resource management; and she was Resource Management Division Chief at Kenai Fjords National Park, as well as Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments. She loves water sports - paddleboarding, boating, and fishing in particular.

A smiling woman with medium length brown hair poses amid fall colors

Adrienne Lindholm

NPS Alaska Wilderness Program Coordinator &
Alaska National Natural Landmark Coordinator &
Alaska Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Coordinator

Adrienne Lindholm co-coordinates the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program for the Alaska Region and has worked for the NPS in Alaska for more than 20 years. In addition, she melds her love of writing, law, science, and public education as the coordinator of Alaska's Wilderness Stewardship Program and National Natural Landmarks Program. Adrienne has trekked across the Arctic, fought off grizzly bears deep in the Alaskan wilderness, and survived harrowing descents of glacial rivers, but without a doubt, her most demanding and rewarding life experience is being a mother to young children.

A smiling older man in ball cap and sunglasses kneels on the rim of a canyon

Bob Krumenaker

Superintendent
Big Bend National Park &
Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

Bob Krumenaker is superintendent of Big Bend National Park and Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. His over 40-year NPS career has taken him from half a dozen seasonal jobs in several western parks and monuments to resource and leadership roles in NPS Washington headquarters, in two regional offices and at major national parks from Zion in Utah to Shenandoah in Virginia and the Everglades in Florida. Prior to joining BIBE/RIGR, Bob was superintendent of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Bob enjoys woodworking and furniture craft, history and good fiction, hiking and other outdoor pursuits.

A smiling man with grey hair, beard, and glasses wears a national park service uniform and sits next to an unconscious black bear with collar and ear tag

Steve Black

Superintendent
Little River Canyon National Preserve &
Russell Cave National Monument

Steve Black is the superintendent of Little River Canyon National Preserve and Russell Cave National Monument. He has lived in NE Alabama for the last seven years with his wife Rhonda and their lab Lizzy. In addition to his current parks, Steve has been a superintendent either permanently or on acting at Big Hole NB, Canyon de Cheely NM, Bent's Old Fort NHS, Virgin Islands NP and has been a Park Ranger since 1989.

Congratulations to Jennifer Back!

A woman with gray beanie hat and sunglasses smiles

The Interagency Wild and Scenic Rivers Coordinating Council (IWSRCC) awarded Jennifer Back, former NPS Wild and Scenic Rivers Science Lead as the recipient of the Jackie Diedrich Excellence in Leadership Award. This award recognizes an individual who has shown outstanding leadership to manage and protect wild and scenic rivers (WSR).

In her 5 years with the IWSRCC, Jen worked tirelessly to advance cross-disciplinary understanding of wild and scenic rivers and encouraged a deeper understanding of the importance of water quality data for long term river protection. Jen provided leadership on the national interagency partnership with Adventure Scientists, helping guide scientific protocol for community science and mentored three Conservation Fellows on water quality research providing a vital more complex understanding of WSR water quality (see ‘Evaluation of State Water Quality Assessments and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System’).

Contact Us

If you have questions regarding a specific Wild and Scenic River project or want more information on Wild and Scenic Rivers please contact us.

Last updated: January 26, 2022

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