Wild 

and 

Scenic 

Rivers
them. The three activities take students beyond 

an awareness of wild and scenic rivers. The story 

map, the Craighead brothers’ writings, and the 

poetry inspired by rivers combine to give students 

a deep appreciation for the practical and spiritual 

values sustained by rivers and by the act.

Although designed for middle school students, 

the unit can be adapted for high school and upper 

elementary levels. Civics and history teachers who 

are covering lawmaking or civic participation may 

find the unit useful, as may language arts teachers 

who want to provide engaging primary source 

documents for their students.

The unit supports innovative strategies in 

education, such as:

Social and emotional learning: Students 

participate in small groups in which they work 

together, listen and speak to one another, and 

collaborate.

Interdisciplinary instruction: As they progress 

through the unit, students analyze maps to 

determine the nearest wild and scenic river, 

practice persuasive communication skills, 

explore the historical background and clauses 

of a statute, and interpret poetry about rivers.

Curriculum 

Connections

The activities address the following Common 

Core English Language Arts Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1: Cite several pieces 

of textual evidence to support analysis of what 

the text says explicitly as well as inferences 

drawn from the text.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.3: Analyze the 

interactions between individuals, events, 

and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence 

individuals or events, or how individuals 

influence ideas or events).

Dear Teacher,

Welcome to this Classroom Investigation Series 

unit about America’s wild and scenic rivers. Its 

main goal is for students to understand and 

appreciate their public lands and waters through 

outdoor recreation and exploration of riverinspired poetry.

Through this teaching guide, students learn to 

locate wild and scenic rivers their families can 

visit. Students also carefully read the language 

of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (act), which 

motivates them to explore public lands and 

volunteer to maintain rivers and watersheds. 

Like the other agencies in the Department of the 

Interior, the BLM relies heavily on volunteers to 

efficiently manage its diverse landscapes. Youths 

and families who are inspired to volunteer on the 

public lands see firsthand how multiple-use land 

management balances minerals development, 

recreation, respect for Indian tribes and Alaska 

Natives, grazing, and habitat protection. 

Recreation and volunteer experiences on public 

lands and waters can turn casual visitors into 

well-informed, lifelong allies of public lands who 

deeply understand the BLM’s mission.

The three activities in the teaching guide help 

students find wild and scenic rivers, explore the 

history of the passage of the act, and develop 

their own river-inspired poetry. Students use a 

web-based story map to examine the river values 

that form the basis for the act, and they navigate 

an interactive map to find the wild or scenic river 

nearest to their school. They then read passages 

written by the Craighead brothers, whose 

decades-long advocacy helped bring the act into 

existence. The example of the Craighead brothers 

shows students how to translate experiences 

on rivers into a passion for America’s awesome 

landscapes and a shared conservation ethic.

The final activity in the teaching guide shows 

students how rivers have inspired poetry for 

centuries. Students read river-inspired verse, 

identify metaphors, and compose their own 

original poems that reflect what rivers mean to 
i

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4: Determine the 

meaning of words and phrases as they are used 

in a text, including figurative and connotative 

meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and 

other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on 

a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section 

of a story or drama.

This unit supports standard D2.Civ.3.6-8 of the 

“College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for 

Social Studies State Standards,” published by the 

National Council for the Social Studies: Examine 

the origins, purposes, and impact of constitutions, 

laws, treaties, and international agreements.

The activities address the following essential 

understandings:

• The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System is 

built upon seven fundamental values.

• Citizen voices shaped much of the content of 

the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

• Rivers inspire poets and others to create 

enduring art.

About the Bureau of 

Land Management

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres 

of public land located primarily in 12 western 

states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 

700 million acres of subsurface mineral estate 

throughout the nation. The agency’s mission is 

to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity 

of America’s public lands for the use and 

enjoyment of present and future generations. 

Diverse activities authorized on these lands 

generated $75 billion in sales of goods and 

services throughout the American economy in 

fiscal year 2016—more than any other agency in 

the Department of the Interior. These activities 

supported more than 372,000 jobs.

The Department of the Interior and the BLM 

carry out their missions by encouraging 

environmentally responsible development of 

energy and minerals on public lands, working as 

a good neighbors with partners and communities 

to promote multiple-use management on 

public lands, supporting working landscapes 

to boost employment, and providing access 

to hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and other 

recreational opportunities. Wild and scenic rivers 

are well-known access points for recreation, 

promoting health and appreciation of America’s 

awe-inspiring public lands. And as members of 

the public gain appreciation for public lands, 

they deepen their understanding of shared 

conservation stewardship, habitat preservation, 

and multiple-use management. Outdoor activity 

on rivers invites the public to the intersection of 

conserving our natural treasures and expanding 

access to outdoor recreation. In short, visiting 

wild and scenic rivers shows the public what “for 

the benefit and enjoyment” of the people means.

The BLM has the responsibility to protect and 

enhance river values (free flowing condition, 

water quality, and outstandingly remarkable 

values) on 69 designated rivers in 7 states 

covering over 2,400 miles and 1,001,353 acres 

(19 percent of the wild and scenic rivers) and on 

hundreds of eligible and suitable rivers across the 

western states.

The Importance of 

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Rivers play a significant role in our lives, even 

if we don’t live near one. Rivers are important 

sources of food and water for people as well as 

for wildlife, and they provide habitat for a wide 

variety of plant and animal species. Rivers also 

serve as pathways for exploration, transportation, 

and commerce. They provide irrigation for 

croplands and energy to power machines and 

homes. In addition, rivers offer opportunities for 
ii

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

recreation and possess aesthetic and inspirational 

values that reinforce our connection with nature.

Rivers connect people and communities to 

America’s great outdoors and are vital migration 

corridors for fish and wildlife. Healthy rivers 

enhance the resilience of human and natural 

communities. Millions of people visit wild and 

scenic rivers annually, either on their own or 

through hundreds of permitted commercial 

outfitters, which generates economic activity in 

local communities.

In 1968, Congress recognized the need to protect 

some of our rivers on behalf of future generations 

and passed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Public 

Law 90-542). The act created the National Wild 

and Scenic Rivers System to preserve certain 

rivers with outstanding conservation values in 

free-flowing condition. The act defines three 

categories of protected rivers: wild, scenic, and 

recreational. It safeguards the special character of 

these rivers while also recognizing the potential 

for their appropriate use and development. It 

also enables all levels of government to work with 

landowners, river users, tribal nations, and private 

organizations to protect and manage river values 

through shared stewardship.

When he signed the act, President Lyndon B. 

Johnson said that it gave “immediate protection to 

portions of eight rivers and a ribbon of land along 

each river bank.” The act also named 27 rivers as 

potential additions to the National Wild and Scenic 

Rivers System and provided a process for future 

designations. Today, the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act protects more than 200 rivers in 40 states and 

Puerto Rico, and the BLM manages hundreds of 

“study” rivers across the country, evaluating their 

suitability for inclusion in the system.

Protecting wild and scenic rivers improves 

recreational access and community partnerships 

that enhance quality of life outcomes (e.g., 

economic benefits to small businesses) for 

residents and visitors. The BLM focuses on 

enhancing river recreation, which supports jobs 

in tourism and outdoor recreation; working with 

communities to take action to secure economic, 

social, and ecological benefits of having a healthy 

river; protecting and restoring rivers for people 

and fish and wildlife; and working collaboratively 

with local, state, tribal, and other federal 

agencies on river protection, restoration, and 

recreation access.

Table of Contents

Activity 1: Just the Facts from a 

Story Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Activity 2: Three Perspectives—Advocates, 

Congress, and the President . . . . . 7

Activity 3: River-Inspired Poetry . . . . . . . . . . 13
1

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 1: Just 

the Facts from a 

Story Map

For the Teacher

This activity addresses the following 

essential understanding:

• The National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System is built upon seven outstandingly 

remarkable values.

Overview

This is the first of three activities that 

address wild and scenic rivers. This 

activity introduces students to:

• The values outlined in the Wild and Scenic 

Rivers Act.

• The agencies that manage wild and 

scenic rivers.

• The locations of wild and scenic rivers.

Time Estimate

45 minutes

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to (1) describe the river 

values underlying the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act; (2) identify the location of a wild or scenic 

river; and (3) describe the attractive features of 

that river.

Teacher Preparation

1. Arrange for an Internet 

connection so that students can 

use the National Wild and Scenic 

Rivers System story map.

2. Make enough copies of the activity 1 

handout, “Questions for the Story Map,” 

for each student.

3. Gather flipchart paper and markers that 

students can use to make magazine ads.
2

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Procedure

Story Map.” The story map explains the act, 

how rivers can be designated, and the river 

values that are protected by the act.

6. Distribute the activity 1 handout, “Questions 

for the Story Map,” and have students work in 

groups of four or five to answer the questions. 

Ask each group to select a spokesperson.

7. Once groups have answered all the questions 

on the handout, review each answer by calling 

on groups in turn.

8. Distribute flipchart paper and markers and ask 

the groups to create magazine ads promoting 

a wild or scenic river that they identified using 

the story map. The ad should encourage 

people to visit the river and explain how the 

river represents one or more of the riverrelated values specified in the act.

9. Invite groups to share their ads.

10. Reconfigure the class into one unit and ask: 

Which river values did the ads mention most 

frequently? Why do you think these values are 

the most appealing to the public?

1. Ask students what they see in their minds when 

they hear the phrase “wild and scenic river.” 

Give them 60 seconds to write or call out as 

many adjectives as possible that describe 

what they see. Then ask them what they 

don’t see in their mental picture of a wild and 

scenic river (expect responses such as people, 

pollution, and buildings along the shore).

2. Ask students where they have visited rivers, how 

often, what they do there, and why they go.

3. Using a projector or individual computers, 

visit https://www.rivers.gov/wsr-act.php. 

Explain that the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act of 1968 (act) protects free-flowing 

rivers and river segments that have certain 

“outstandingly remarkable values.”

4. Review the three types of protected 

rivers defined in the act: wild, scenic, and 

recreational. Ask students which of the three 

types of rivers best describes the river they 

pictured in their minds.

5. On the web page, click on the green map in 

the upper right (or visit https://www.rivers.

gov/map.php), and then click on “View Our 

Adaptations to Consider

Assessment

Work with students to develop a rubric for the ads.

Plan a field trip to a segment of a nearby stream 

or river and assess how well it satisfies the seven 

“outstandingly remarkable values” on 

the handout.
Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 1 Handout

Questions for the Story Map

Visit https://www.rivers.gov/map.php and click “View Our Story Map.”

1. When it comes to wild and scenic rivers, what is the main task of the four federal agencies (the 

Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service) that are responsible for the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System?

2. For state-administered national wild and scenic rivers, state governments protect and enhance river 

values except when sections run through _____ or _____ lands.

3. Wild rivers represent vestiges of _____ America; scenic rivers must be free of _____ and may be 

accessible by _____; and recreational rivers are readily accessible by road or _____.

4. How are the following “outstandingly remarkable values” defined under “example criteria” in the 

story map?

a. Scenic:

b. Recreational: 

c. Geologic:

d. Fish:

e. Wildlife:

f. Cultural:

g. Historic:

5. Which wild or scenic river is nearest to your school?

5

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 1 Answer Key

Questions for the Story Map 

1. When it comes to wild and scenic rivers, what is the main task of the four federal agencies (the 

Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service) that are responsible for the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System?

To protect and enhance river values.

2. For state-administered national wild and scenic rivers, state governments protect and enhance river 

values except when sections run through federal or tribal lands.

3. Wild rivers represent vestiges of primitive America; scenic rivers must be free of impoundments

(which means dams) and may be accessible by roads; and recreational rivers are readily accessible 

by road or railroad.

4. How are the following “outstandingly remarkable values” defined under “example criteria” in the 

story map? (Answers may vary.)

a. Scenic: landscapes or attractions that are rare, unique, or exemplary.

b. Recreational: recreational opportunities that are unique, rare, or exemplary. 

c. Geologic: a unique or rare combination of geologic features.

d. Fish: nationally or regionally important fish populations and uniquely diverse or exceptionally 

high-quality habitat for fish species.

e. Wildlife: nationally or regionally important wildlife populations or uniquely diverse or 

exceptionally high-quality habitat that provides connectivity (meaning not scattered or 

fragmented) for migratory species and for life stages of other wildlife species.

f. Cultural: occupation or use by Native Americans in the past or present.

g. Historic: the presence of a site or feature that is at least 50 years old.

5. Which wild or scenic river is nearest to your school?

7

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 2: Three 

Perspectives—

Advocates, Congress, 

and the President

For the Teacher

This activity addresses the following 

essential understandings:

• The National Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System is built upon seven outstandingly 

remarkable values.

• Citizen voices shaped much of the content of 

the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Overview

This is the second of three activities 

that address wild and scenic rivers. 

This activity introduces students to:

• The rationale for the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act of 1968 (act).

• The criteria used to designate rivers.

• The twin brothers whose writings helped 

generate public support for the passage of 

the act.

Time Estimate

45 minutes

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to (1) identify the reasons 

Congress passed the act, and (2) compare 

writings by advocates for the act, the language 

in the act, and comments by President Johnson. 

Teacher Preparation

1. Read the excerpts from the 

“Frank Craighead Legacy,” the 

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and President 

Johnson’s signing statement.

2. Make enough copies of the activity 2 

handout, “Three Voices about Wild and 

Scenic Rivers,” for each student.
8

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Procedure

Assessment

Circulate among pairs and groups to determine 

how well students understand the excerpts on the 

handout.

Assess the students’ interpretation of Congress’ 

statement of policy by asking:

Which inference is best supported by Congress’ 

statement of policy? A) Dams always harm 

water quality. B) Dams can threaten water 

quality. C) Dams can improve water quality. 

D) Dams always improve water quality.

1. Let students know that Congress passed a 

law in 1968, called the Wild and Scenic Rivers 

Act, to protect certain rivers defined as wild, 

scenic, and recreational. The act also gave 

lawmakers a process for protecting additional 

rivers in the future.

2. Distribute the activity 2 handout, “Three 

Voices about Wild and Scenic Rivers,” and 

explain that students should read the excerpts 

and answer the five discussion questions.

3. Ask students to pair up and compare answers 

to the discussion questions.

4. Ask each pair of students to join with another 

pair and describe how Congress attempted 

to preserve the values at the heart of the 

act: scenic, historic, cultural, wildlife, fish, 

geologic, and recreational values as well as 

water quality and free-flowing condition.

5. Reconfigure the class into one unit and 

ask: What did you learn by discussing 

the questions with other students? What 

prompted Congress to respond to the 

Craighead brothers? Why did the brothers’ 

advocacy for wild and scenic rivers succeed? 

Adaptation to Consider

Replace steps 2 and 3 by providing half the class 

with the excerpts from only President Johnson 

and Congress, and providing the other half with 

the excerpts from only the Craighead Brothers. 

Then form pairs consisting of students who 

read different excerpts and have them discuss 

the questions.
Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 2 Handout

Three Voices about Wild and 

Scenic Rivers

Voice One: President Johnson

Excerpts from President Johnson’s Signing 

Ceremony Remarks 

(http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.

php?pid=29150#axzz1xE2Od0br)

I am signing an act today which preserves 

sections of selected rivers that possess 

outstanding conservation values.

An unspoiled river is a very rare thing in this 

Nation today. Their flow and vitality have been 

harnessed by dams and too often they have 

been turned into open sewers by communities 

and by industries. It makes us all very fearful that 

all rivers will go this way unless somebody acts 

now to try to balance our river development.

So we are establishing a National Wild and 

Scenic Rivers System which will complement 

our river development with a policy to preserve 

sections of selected rivers in their free-flowing 

conditions and to protect their water quality 

and other vital conservation values.

Voice Two: Congress

Excerpts from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 

(https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/1271)

Congressional declaration of policy 

[16 U.S. Code 1271]

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the 

United States that certain selected rivers 

of the Nation which, with their immediate 

environments, possess outstandingly remarkable 

scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, 

historic, cultural, or other similar values, shall 

be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that 

they and their immediate environments shall 

be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of 

present and future generations. The Congress 

declares that the established national policy 

of dam and other construction at appropriate 

sections of the rivers of the United States 

needs to be complemented by a policy that 

would preserve other selected rivers or sections 

thereof in their free-flowing condition to protect 

the water quality of such rivers and to fulfill 

other vital national conservation purposes.

National wild and scenic rivers system 

[16 U.S. Code 1273]

(b) CLASSIFICATION, DESIGNATION, AND 

ADMINISTRATION OF RIVERS

. . . Every wild, scenic or recreational river in its 

free-flowing condition, or upon restoration to 

this condition, shall be considered eligible for 

inclusion in the national wild and scenic rivers 

system and, if included, shall be classified, 

designated, and administered as one of the 

following:

(1) Wild river areas—Those rivers or sections 

of rivers that are free of impoundments and 

generally inaccessible except by trail, with 

watersheds or shorelines essentially primitive 

and waters unpolluted. These represent 

vestiges of primitive America.

(2) Scenic river areas—Those rivers or sections 

of rivers that are free of impoundments, with 

shorelines or watersheds still largely primitive 

and shorelines largely undeveloped, but 

accessible in places by roads.

(3) Recreational river areas—Those rivers or 

sections of rivers that are readily accessible 

by road or railroad, that may have some 

development along their shorelines, and that 

may have undergone some impoundment or 

diversion in the past.
Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Voice Three: The Craighead Brothers

Quote by John Craighead from the Autumn 

1965 edition of “Naturalist” magazine 

(https://www.rivers.gov/quotations.php)

The river called. The call is the thundering 

rumble of distant rapids, the intimate roar 

of white water . . . a primeval summons to 

primordial values.

Excerpts from “Frank Craighead Legacy” 

(http://www.craigheadresearch.org/frankcraighead-legacy.html)

Writing the National Wild and Scenic River[s] Act

Frank [Craighead] also became active in the 

conservation of wild rivers, and much of the 

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 

came verbatim [word for word] from his writings.

Frank and John Craighead’s involvement with 

the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act began in the 

early [19]50’s when they were conducting 

survival training [for the U.S. Navy] from a base 

in McCall, Idaho. Part of the training involved 

wilderness raft trips, using surplus rafts that they 

had used during World War II survival training, 

to float the Salmon and Snake rivers. This gave 

them a deep appreciation of wild rivers which 

contrasted greatly to the rivers of their youth; 

rivers like the Potomac near Washington DC 

which had become increasingly polluted and 

crowded with recreationists.

In 1957, Frank was working in Washington DC 

for the US Forest Service, helping to design an 

agency response to a newly identified need. John 

was involved in the fight to stop the Army Corps 

of Engineers dam at Spruce Park on the Middle 

Fork of the Flathead. They wrote an article for 

Naturalist magazine in which Frank described 

a system of river classification including wild, 

semiwild, semiharnessed, and harnessed rivers. 

He reasoned that once rivers were categorized 

people would see the scarcity of quality streams 

and realize the need to protect them. John 

wrote that rivers were needed as benchmarks 

for comparison of environmental change: 

“Rivers and their watersheds are inseparable, 

and to maintain wild areas we must preserve the 

rivers that drain them”. They both felt that wild 

rivers were needed for recreation and education 

of future generations. . . .

 . . .In 1959 the Craighead brothers called 

for a system of federally protected rivers. . . 

. The [Congress’s] Select Committee’s report 

proposed that certain streams be preserved 

in their free-flowing condition “because 

their natural scenic, scientific, aesthetic, and 

recreational values outweigh their value for 

water development and control purposes now 

and in the future.” This became the federal 

government’s first major proposal for a national 

rivers system. . . .

In 1964 the first bill was introduced which 

was called the Wild Rivers Act, Congress 

later broadened this to include ‘scenic’ and 

‘recreation’ rivers. In 1965 President Johnson 

called for a rivers bill in his State of the Union 

Address. Frank Church, Senator from Idaho, 

sponsored the bill in the Senate. It passed the 

Senate in 1965 but got no further. . . .

 . . .In 1968 . . . the house committee 

finally released the bill and the House voted 

in favor of it 265-7. The Senate approved it 

on October 2, and it was signed into law by 

President Johnson.

This was 14 years after the Craigheads had 

begun their work to [envision] it.
Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Questions

1. What was the source of much of the language that became the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act?

2. What experiences gave the Craighead brothers a deep appreciation for wild rivers?

3. What effect did the brothers expect their 1957 article in “Naturalist” magazine to have on the 

public? Why do you think they thought it was important to have an effect on the public?

4. According to President Johnson, why are unspoiled rivers “very rare”?

5. The Craighead brothers “both felt that wild rivers were needed for recreation and education of 

future generations.” What are some specific ways the act promotes recreation and education?

13

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 3: RiverInspired Poetry

For the Teacher

This activity addresses the following 

essential understandings:

• Citizen voices shaped much of the content of 

the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

• Rivers inspire poets and others to create 

enduring art.

Overview

This is the third of three activities 

that address wild and scenic rivers. 

This activity introduces students to: 

• Rivers as metaphors.

• Poetry inspired by rivers.

Time Estimate

45 minutes

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to (1) identify various 

metaphors poets have used to convey what 

rivers mean to them, and (2) create metaphors 

and poems using rivers and the river values 

defined in the act. 

Teacher Preparation

1. Visit https://www.rivers.gov/

quotations.php and read the 

four poems that follow the 

quotations presented there.

2. Arrange for each student to have a device 

that can connect to the Internet.

3. Make a copy of the activity 3 handout, “RiverInspired Poetry,” for each student.
14

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Assessment

Work with students to develop a rubric for their 

poems based on the preferred format.

Procedure

1. Point out that for centuries, rivers have 

inspired poets as metaphors for various 

aspects of everyday life. Explain that students 

will read some river-inspired poems, select 

one to answer questions about, and write an 

original poem using rivers as a metaphor.

2. Distribute the activity 3 handout, “RiverInspired Poetry,” to each student and 

ask them to visit https://www.rivers.gov/

quotations.php. Have students select one of 

the four poems below the river quotations 

that is meaningful to them and identify how 

the poem uses rivers as a metaphor.

3. Ask students to answer the questions on the 

handout and create river-inspired poems of 

their own. Assign a format, such as haiku, 

pentameter, free form, or rap, if desired.

4. Have students pair up and read each other 

their poems.

5. Reconvene the class into one unit and ask 

students which river values they featured in 

their poems.

Alternatives to Consider

Assign an alternative to poetry, such as persuasive 

essay, video, song, or personal recollection.
Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Activity 3 Handout

River-Inspired Poetry

Visit https://www.rivers.gov/quotations.php. Read through the poems, select the poem that means the 

most to you, and answer the following questions:

1. Who is the poet and what are the poet’s metaphors for rivers?

2. What is meaningful to you about this poem?

3. Make your own list of metaphors for rivers and create a poem about rivers that uses those 

metaphors. Use the format, such as haiku, pentameter, free form, or rap, required by your teacher, 

if any.
16

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

For Further Research

A Compendium of Questions and Answers Relating to Wild and Scenic Rivers: https://www.rivers.

gov/documents/q-a.pdf

Impacts of Wild and Scenic River Designation—A Report for the Utah Governor’s Public Lands 

Office: http://publiclands.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/WS_Final_Report_804.pdf

Honoring Our Rivers: http://honoringourrivers.org/

School’s Out: A Year of ‘Honoring Our Rivers’ In Review: http://willamettepartnership.org/schoolsyear-honoring-rivers-review/

Acknowledgments

Author

Scott Richardson, BLM Education Specialist, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, 

Washington, DC

Reviewers

Janet C. Ady, BLM Division Chief, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, 

Washington, DC

Cathi Bailey, BLM National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program Lead, Division of National Conservation 

Lands, Washington, DC

Derrick Baldwin, Acting BLM Education Program Lead, Division of Education, Interpretation, and 

Partnerships, Washington, DC

Bibi Booth, BLM Deputy Division Chief, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, 

Washington, DC

Kevin Flynn, BLM Technical Information Specialist, Division of Education, Interpretation, and 

Partnerships, Washington, DC

Janet Lacey, BLM Education Specialist, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, 

Washington, DC 

Brian Lombard, BLM Public Affairs Specialist, Division of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 

Cindy G. Osorto, BLM Planning and Environmental Specialist, Division of National Conservation Lands, 

Washington, DC

Betsy Wooster, BLM National Lead for Youth, Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships, 

Washington, DC

Evan Worthington, BLM River Ranger, Boise District, Idaho
17

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Production

Linda Hill, BLM Writer/Editor, National Operations Center, Denver, CO

Jennifer Kapus, BLM Visual Information Specialist, National Operations Center, Denver, Colorado

Janine Koselak, BLM Visual Information Specialist, National Operations Center, Denver, Colorado

Notes:
18

Classroom Investigation, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS
The BLM’s Division of Education, Interpretation, and Partnerships produced this publication. 

The BLM’s National Operations Center, Information and Publishing Services Section, provided 

production services.

Visit www.blm.gov/teachers/ to explore the BLM’s resources for educators.

The mention of company names, trade names, or commercial products does not constitute 

endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government.

September 2018

BLM/WO/GI-18/003+1115

EE 2042f