American Heritage Rivers are designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to receive special attention (coordinating efforts of multiple governmental entities) to further three objectives: EPA redirects here. ...

• natural resource and environmental protection,
• economic revitalization, and
• historic and cultural preservation.

This intiative was created by Executive Order 13061 issued by President Bill Clinton on September 11, 1997. An executive order is an edict issued by a member of the executive branch of a government, usually the head of that branch. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Criteria for designation

Rivers are selected for designation according to the following criteria:

• The characteristics of the natural, economic, agricultural, scenic, historic, cultural, or recreational resources of the river that render it distinctive or unique;
• The effectiveness with which the community has defined its plan of action and the extent to which the plan addresses, either through planned actions or past accomplishments, all three American Heritage Rivers objectives;
• The strength and diversity of community support for the nomination as evidenced by letters from elected officials; landowners; private citizens; businesses; and especially State, local, and tribal governments. Broad community support is essential to receiving the American Heritage River designation; and
• Willingness and capability of the community to forge partnerships and agreements to implement their plan to meet their goals and objectives.

Designated rivers

• Blackstone and Woonasquatucket Rivers (MA, RI)
• Connecticut River (CT, VT, NH, MA)
• Cuyahoga River (OH)
• Detroit River (MI)
• Hanalei River (HI)
• Hudson River (NY)
• Lower Mississippi River (LA, TN)
• New River (NC, VA, WV)
• Potomac River (DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
• Rio Grande (TX)
• St. Johns River (FL)
• Upper Mississippi River (IA, IL, MN, MO)
• Upper Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers (PA)
• Willamette River (OR)

The Blackstone River begins in central Massachusetts and travels through Rhode Island until emptying into Narragansett Bay which connects to the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Connecticut River as seen from the French King Bridge in western Massachusetts. ... Cuyahoga River in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio. ... Landsat satellite photo, showing Lake Saint Clair, as well as St. ... View of the Hudson in the 1880s showing Jersey City The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... This article is about the river in the United States. ... The New River is a tributary of the Kanawha River, approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, in the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia in the United States. ... The Potomac River at Great Falls, MD from Olmsted Island, water relatively low The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... The Rio Grande flowing in Big Bend National Park Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, the river, 3034 km long, rises in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, USA, flows... The St. ... This article is about the river in the United States. ... The Susquehanna River is a river in the northeastern United States. ... The Lackawanna River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately 35 mi (56 km) long, in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. ... The Willamette River (pronounced wil-LAM-met) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 240 mi (386 km) long, in northwestern Oregon in the United States. ...

External link

• American Heritage Rivers on www.epa.gov