Looking to paddle a river somewhere? Now you’ve got some help with the National River Recreation Database, a geospatial portfolio of information on Wild & Scenic Rivers, water trails, whitewater rivers, access points and campgrounds within the United States.
With a click or a swipe, paddlers and anglers can now “shop” rivers when planning outdoor excursions, with the National Rivers Project serving to help identify, explore and plan trips on rivers within the database. Together, comprehensive river recreation and management information is provided for paddlers and resource managers. To date, the database includes 60,000 river miles and another 10,000 lake shore and coastal miles. It also includes: River Sections: 2,122 | Access Points: 15,162 | Campgrounds: 974.
“This is a living database, regularly updated as we collaborate with river managers to add new segments and corresponding access, fishing, camping, and permit information,” says RMS’ Bekah Price. “There’s no resource like it for boaters to ‘shop’ river trips.”
The River Management Society launched the NRP in 2015 to increase visibility for water trails, whitewater rivers and Wild and Scenic Rivers. Site visitors can search for rivers by location, difficulty, managing agency and related activities. Nearly 60 federal, state and local watershed partners have provided the data, making it the most comprehensive and reliable river map on the web.
One of the project’s most recent additions is a river database system for the river-heavy state of Idaho.
Another is one for Wyoming, with the National Rivers Project (NRP) website www.nationalriversproject.com now featuring 850 river miles and nearly 120 access points with the recent addition of rivers managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Wyoming.
“The National Rivers Project allows recreationists to explore new parts of Wyoming, whether they’re looking to float, fish, camp, or just hang out along public rivers,” said Katy Kuhnel, BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner. “This way, we introduce new users to public lands and waters while protecting important resources like riparian ecosystems and clean water.”
Newly added rivers include the North Platte River, recognized among the top five fisheries in the state as a Blue Ribbon Stream, and the Bighorn River Blueway Trail, which is set to gain recreational facilities through a partnership with the Bighorn Basin Outdoor Recreation Collaborative and local communities. Both are popular for floating, fishing, observing wildlife, picnicking and camping.
For this project, RMS gives special thanks to BLM Wyoming and its outdoor recreation planners for their partnership. “It is wonderful to have river access information in one easy-to-use database,” said Lochen Wood, fellow BLM Outdoor Recreation Planner. “It’s all about access.”
The River Management Society is a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports professionals who study, protect and manage North America’s rivers by providing resources, training and networking opportunities to its members. One such resource is the National Rivers Project. Powered by authoritative river data in the National River Recreation Database, this online map and search engine enables tens of thousands of recreationists to discover new river sections nationwide each year.
For more information, contact Bekah Price, bekah@river-management.org, 423-943-2000.
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