Developing a river protection policy for Texas: Paddling upstram against the current

Abstract

State-level wild and scenic river programs currently provide varying levels of protection to over 450 river segments covering 15,500 river miles in 32 states. Collectively, these state-level programs have surpassed the federal system under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in terms of both the number of river miles protected and the quality of protection provided. Content analysis and location quotient analyses are used to evaluate the programmatic features of existing state programs and the spatial distribution of river mileage protected across the United States. Results of the analyses were applied to developing policy recommendations for river protection in Texas, where nine previous legislative attempts to establish a river program have failed. Policy recommendations focus on nurturing local support for watershed and greenway protection programs, and working to overcome riparian landowner fears regarding trespass, littering, and vandalism. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.