"This is really, really exciting in terms of wild and scenic rivers," said Mark Danenhauer, river solutions coordinator for the Utah Rivers Council. "Anybody out there who cares about rivers, who loves to go fishing, loves to go boating, who loves to go hiking, this is the best chance anyone has to actually try to do something to make sure the rivers will be the way they are today into the future, and that's what a Wild and Scenic Rivers designation will do."

In May, the Forest Service met with communities across Utah and gathered public comments that will help decide which segments, if any, will be presented to Congress.

More information on the proposed segments can be found on the Forest Service's Web site, www.fs.fed.us/r4/rivers/. The Forest Service will be gathering public comments until June 30, and Kahlow said the study should be complete by fall 2008.

The National Park Service has also identified several river segments that run on Park Service land that are eligible for designation, including the north fork of the Virgin River.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, has proposed the Virgin River to Congress for protection, but the bill was not approved. A representative of Bennett said the senator plans to reintroduce the bill to Congress this year.

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com