Little River for Wild & Scenic designation

Little River + Wild & Scenic Designation

“Polishing the Crown Jewel of Alabama”

Click here to support Wild & Scenic designation for Little River.

Click here to watch the film Something About Little River

 

 

The Little River flows down the middle of Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. It is the only river in North America flowing on top of a mountain, carving out one of the Southeast’s deepest canyons. It winds from its headwaters in Georgia to the Coosa River and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico.

Community members and tourists from all over the world fish, paddle, camp, and enjoy the Little River. As many as 500,000 people visit the area every year contributing around $12,000,000 to the local economy.

There are around 230 Wild & Scenic rivers in the country.

There’s only ONE in Alabama.

 

 

  • The COMMUNITY wants to protect the river
  • It must be free flowing
  • It must possess at least one of these outstandingly remarkable values[1]:

Scenery | Recreation | Geology | Fish and Wildlife History | Culture | other values

 

 

  • Designation increases PROPERTY VALUES near the river.[1]
  • Designation gives local businesses a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE to appeal to tourists.
  • Designation leads to recreation and use of the river. This creates JOBS AND INCOME REVENUE.[2]
  • Designation increases TOURISM. Tourists’ spending as calculated by the National Park Service[3]:

 

[1] Bowker, J., and John Bergstrom, Wild and Scenic Rivers: An Economic Perspective, 23 Int’l J. of Wilderness 22, 28 (2017).
[2] Id. at 24.
[3] See generally, National Park Service, 2018 National Park Visitor Spending Effects (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm)
[1] The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 1271-1287).