SHELBURNE — The Selectboard has endorsed efforts to have Congress designate the Deerfield River as a Wild and Scenic River.

The Deerfield River Watershed Association’s Wild & Scenic Deerfield River Steering Committee presented the Selectboard this week with a report on the eligibility of the Deerfield River and its tributaries to be designated as a Wild and Scenic River, and requested the board’s support in petitioning Congress for the designation, which would make the river eligible for grants and conservation aid.

“We found there’s quite a few things on the river that make it really special,” said Chris Curtis, vice president of the Deerfield River Watershed Association. “Really, the main goal of getting the Wild and Scenic River designation is it comes with federal funding through the Partnership Rivers program. Typically that gives the region and the communities an average of $225,000 annually for projects like trail improvements, river access, river cleanup and water quality improvement.”

The watershed provides recreational opportunities; provides a habitat for many species, including serving as the premier wild trout stream in Massachusetts; and has ties to colonial and Indigenous history, in addition to being naturally beautiful, Curtis said.

According to Curtis, a study that was conducted by the Deerfield River Watershed Association in collaboration with the Connecticut River Conservancy looked at 23 different segments of the river and its tributaries, and concluded that roughly 155 miles of the river are eligible to be incorporated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Some sections are ineligible due to having dams and higher levels of development along the river, he noted.

Curtis said all the Massachusetts senators and representatives, as well as several from Vermont, have indicated their support for the initiative, and several local organizations and Selectboards have also written letters of support. These include the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Trout Unlimited, the Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Elnu Abenaki Tribe.

Shelburne Selectboard members asked if the designation would entail any additional restrictions for the towns. Curtis said that while current structures along the river would be grandfathered in, any further dams would be prohibited on any sections that are selected to be part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to ensure they remain free-flowing and wild. However, bridges and culvert projects would still be allowed pending approval from the National Park Service.

After being assured that projects the town has planned for the future could still occur under the designation, Selectboard members voted unanimously to support the watershed association’s efforts to preserve the river.

“I believe it’s the most beautiful river in the entire state,” Curtis said.

For more information about the Deerfield River Watershed Association and its initiative to designate the Deerfield River as a Wild and Scenic River, visit deerfieldriver.org/wild-and-scenic.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.