The State We're In

Sep 19, 2025

By Alison Mitchell, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation

This state we’re in has some of the most beautiful rivers in the country, including several that are federally recognized under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. From endangered fish like the Atlantic sturgeon to the iconic bald eagle, New Jersey’s rivers are essential to the biodiversity that helps make our state so special.

The Wild and Scenic program was created by Congress in 1968 to help protect rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values for the enjoyment of present and future generations. The designation helps keep rivers safe from overdevelopment and pollution, brings in critical funding for management, and highlights the importance of treasured waterways.

World Rivers Day, which occurs annually on the fourth Sunday of September, is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on the rivers in this program and on every waterway – big and small – and to celebrate the dedicated people working quietly behind the scenes to keep them safe and thriving.

Starting with the Great Egg Harbor River, New Jersey became the first state to have a river outside of a federal land holding be included in the Wild and Scenic River System. We now have four designated rivers: the Great Egg Harbor, Musconetcong, Lower Delaware, and the Maurice River with three of its tributaries. New Jersey has been a leader in designating rivers – nationally there are 18 rivers in 10 states under the Wild and Scenic mantle.

The road to Wild and Scenic designation is often not quick or easy.  In the case of the Maurice, the process spanned more than seven years – from 1986 to the official designation in 1993 – and required sustained local commitment, grassroots organizing, and strategic collaboration across town lines and organizations.

“There had to be a lot of advocacy to make it happen,” recalls Jane Galetto, lead advocate and board president of Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries.

The federal designation proved pivotal in protecting the local environment, including stopping a coal-fired generating plant proposed for the over 1,000-acre Holly Farm – a critical forest tract in Millville. The tract provided habitat for the last bald eagle nest in New Jersey at that time, and enhanced protections that come with the designation for federally threatened and endangered species like the eagle were incompatible with the coal plant.

In the years that followed, tens of thousands of acres around the river were permanently protected, including the Holly Farm.

Fred Akers, operations manager of the Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association and longtime advocate, has been protecting rivers for decades through the program. “Each one of the designated rivers is different, but they all have this one thing in common: someone loved them enough to push for their designation as Wild and Scenic,” he says.

There is interest in adding more rivers in New Jersey to the system, including the Mullica River in the Pine Barrens and the Upper Raritan in the Highlands region. In a state as developed as New Jersey, rivers are particularly precious. Join the celebration this World Rivers Day! Sign up for a local stream cleanup or bring a picnic lunch to a river near you. New Jersey has rivers that are still wild. Still scenic. And that is truly something to celebrate.

Visit www.rivers.gov and www.nps.gov/orgs/1912/partnership-wild-and-scenic-rivers.htm to learn more about the Wild and Scenic Rivers System program, including history, designation process, and more. To read about New Jersey’s Wild and Scenic Rivers, visit www.cumauriceriver.org/.

To learn more about how you can help preserve New Jersey’s natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation at www.njconservation.org or reach out to us at info@njconservation.org.