Minnesota’s Wild and Scenic River Act: 

The state of Minnesota has a Wild and Scenic River Act that allows for a river to be classified as wild, scenic, and recreational or any combination of the three.  To be accepted into the Minnesota wild and scenic river system a river has to have “scenic, recreational, natural, historical, scientific, or similar values.”  Once admitted, the river is managed so that the aspects of the river that allowed it to be classified as a wild and scenic river are protected and conserved.⁶  

The criteria for wild, scenic and recreational are defined below:

Wild: 

Wild rivers are the most natural and undisturbed type of classification.  They are in a free flowing state, have excellent water quality and are surrounded by lands that are essentially primitive. A free flowing state means that the river has not been diverted, impeded or changed from its the natural flow. Small obstructions are tolerated within this category.  The surrounding lands must be “free of habitation and other evidence of human intrusion.” The wild classification does allow for farmers to run livestock along the river. ⁷   Hay production for feeding livestock is also allowable.   

Scenic: 

The scenic criteria include the requirement that a river be in a “free flowing state.” Small obstructions or minor diversions do not make the river ineligible for the wild and scenic river program.  Too much development along the shores of the river is unacceptable, however.  Some agricultural, residential and small communities that do not take up large proportions of the designated land area are acceptable under the scenic section of the program.  Roads are considered acceptable in the scenic classification because there is more leeway under it than the wild river classification.⁸ A river may be designated scenic even if there are bridges, sections of unshielded road (visible from the river) and adjacent railroad and longer amounts of road that are shielded from the river.

Recreational:

Recreational rivers are defined as rivers that have been developed and changed by humans.  They do not have to meet the “free flowing” requirements of scenic and wild rivers.  Roads, agriculture and developments along the shores are acceptable.  The river must be able to be managed to “further the purposes of this act” despite the developments.⁹