Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

In 1978, the U.S. Congress designated a 191.2-mile reach of the Rio Grande, from river mile 842.3 (Mariscal Canyon) to mile 651.1 (the Terrell-Val Verde county line), as the first Wild and Scenic River in Texas. The protected river corridor contains 30 rare plant species, 10 threatened or endangered fish, dramatic canyons, and remnants of human habitation reaching back over 12,000 years. The designation guards against developments within a 0.25-mile buffer zone. In the Rio Grande’s case, this blocked possible construction of a dam in the Big Bend canyons.