American Whitewater supports designation of the Methow River and its tributaries including the mainstem Methow River, Lost River, Early Winters Creek, Cedar Creek, Chewuch River, and Twisp River as Wild and Scenic Rivers. For the segment of the Methow River downstream of the Forest Service boundary, State Scenic Waterway designation could be considered as an alternative.

The 82.9 mile length of the Methow River from Brush Creek to Pateros Reservoir on the Columbia River was identified as a potential Wild and Scenic River in the Nationwide Rivers Inventory published in 1982 and subsequently found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan National Forest Plan of 1989. The Forest Service made a formal recommendation that the segment from Brush Creek to the National Forest boundary be designated as Wild and Scenic. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenic, wildlife, fish and recreation. The Forest Service notes that rafting and tubing downstream of Mazama has increased in recent years and that the segment downstream of Carlton received an overall recreation rating of high based on whitewater boating and kayaking opportunities.

The 42.8 mile length of the Chewuch River from Tungsten Creek to the confluence with the Methow River in Winthrop was identified as a potential Wild and Scenic River in the Nationwide Rivers Inventory published in 1982 and subsequently found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan National Forest Plan of 1989. The Forest Service made a formal recommendation that the segment from Tungsten Creek to the National Forest boundary be designated as Wild and Scenic. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenic, wildlife, fish and recreation. The Forest Service notes that rafting and tubing use downstream from Camp 4 Campground has increased in recent years and the Chewuch River drainage receives some of the highest amount of recreation use on the Forest. The 28.9 mile length of the Twisp River from the confluence of the North Fork and South Fork Twisp to the confluence with the Methow River in Twisp was found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan National Forest Plan of 1989. The Forest Service made a formal recommendation that the segment from the North Fork and South Fork Twisp to the National Forest boundary be designated as Wild and Scenic. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenic, wildlife, fish and recreation. The Forest Service found only minor amounts of rafting and kayaking but noted that the The drainage receives some of the highest amounts of recreation use on the Forest.

The 14.6 mile length of the Lost River from the mouth of Rampart Creek to the confluence with the Methow River upstream of Mazama was found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan National Forest Plan of 1989. The Forest Service made a formal recommendation that the segment from Rampart Creek to the confluence with the Methow River be designated as Wild and Scenic. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenic, geologic, wildlife, fish. The Forest Service did not identify recreation, but did describe the Lost River Gorge as a deep gorge with a variety of geologic features and formations. This gorge has been explored by whitewater kayakers since the publication of the Forest Plan and is known as a high-challenge backcountry kayaking trip.

Early Winters Creek, tributary of the Methow River that originates at Washington Pass and parallels Highway 20, was found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Plan Revision Proposed Action of 2011. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenery and recreation.

Cedar Creek, a tributary of Early Winters Creek, was found eligible for Wild and Scenic designation in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Plan Revision Proposed Action of 2011. The regionally significant outstandingly remarkable values were identified as scenery and recreation.

The headwaters of the Methow River have attracted the interest of miners for many years, and the antiquated provisions of the 1872 mining laws continue to represent a threat to the health of this watershed. The North Cascades Scenic Highway Zone is currently administratively withdrawn (through 2030) from mineral entry and protected from mining (Public Land Order No. 7739), but this narrow zone does not provide adequate protection for the Methow River and we support extending it and making it permanent.

As evidence of the recent threats, a Canadian Company—Blue River Resources—filed for permits to conduct exploratory drilling for copper on Flagg Mountain on U.S. Forest Service land, in the headwaters of the Methow River near Mazama, Washington. The 1872 mining law allows any citizen or private company to stake mining claims, and the agency must entertain and evaluate such proposals. The low-grade deposit on Flagg Mountain would likely require an open-pit approach and impact a minimum area of six square miles. In our view, the impacts of industrial-scale mining are incompatible with the Methow Valley, its character, and economy. Full-scale mining would cause years of disruption to the area through increased heavy truck traffic and industrial activity, visual impacts, and direct impacts to outdoor recreation. It would also threaten the water quality of the Methow River.