National Park Service Response (PDF) | Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (March 12, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) applauded the National Park Service (NPS) for heeding their calls to evaluate the Deerfield River and its major tributaries for designation under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program. The Deerfield River flows through the Green Mountain National Forest, the Berkshire Mountains, and Pioneer Valley, and for centuries has served as a natural environment deeply tied to the culture and history of the region, including as a travel route for Indigenous communities on the Mohawk Trail parallel to the river.

“We applaud the National Park Service for heeding our calls to move forward with a survey on the Deerfield River and its tributaries, marking the first step toward a Wild and Scenic River designation. From swimming and rafting to canoeing and dry-fly fishing, the Deerfield River has been an invaluable and historic natural and recreational resource for families across Massachusetts. We must continue to safeguard this beautiful water for generations to come.”

In March 2023, Senator Markey and Congressman McGovern reintroduced the Deerfield River Wild and Scenic River Study Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the Deerfield River—which begins in southern Vermont and runs for 76 miles winding through western Massachusetts until it meets the Connecticut River—to identify portions of the river and its tributaries that could be incorporated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In February 2019, Senator Markey introduced legislation to designate portions of the Nashua, Squannacook, and Nissitissit Rivers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as scenic rivers under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, which was then signed into law that year under part of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.

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