This year marks the 35th anniversary of the designation of segments of the Cache la Poudre River as Wild and Scenic.

On Oct. 30, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation creating the Wild and Scenic designation on stretches of the Poudre River and the South Fork upstream from the canyon mouth. The legislation placing the stretches of river under the auspices of the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was sponsored by then-Rep. Hank Brown, a congressman from Greeley. The legislation recognized the features of the river but also made it clear that additional water development could occur outside the areas of designation.

The inclusion of the Poudre River in the Wild and Scenic Rivers program was the first for a river in Colorado, and it remains the only river in the state with portions designated as Wild and Scenic.

Later, stretches downstream were included in the National Heritage Areas program.