The maps are coming. That’s what Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, told The Bend Bulletin’s community editorial board Monday, Aug. 15 about the River Democracy Act.

And we think it is great.

Wyden and his fellow Oregon Democrat, Sen. Jeff Merkley, introduced the River Democracy Act in February 2021. It would designate 4,700 miles of waterways in Oregon as wild and scenic. That’s the highest level of environmental protection a waterway can get. Free-flowing and unpolluted water are goals. Good for floating. Good for drinking water. Good for recreation and recreation jobs. Good for wildlife. Good for river health. Many conservationists and groups adore the idea.

Not everyone does. Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz, a Republican, said earlier this year the added layer of environmental regulation would make the areas around designated waterways more difficult to treat for wildfire and more dangerous. “…(T)his designation will prevent what needs to be done to protect these watersheds — placing them in a bureaucratic wasteland where it will take years, if not decades, to initiate and then complete plans that may or may not allow the treatment activities needed right now,” Bentz said in a statement.

And of course, private property owners adjacent to a designated area may face new levels of regulation and scrutiny. The act does say: Nothing in this Act or an amendment made by this Act affects private property rights with respect to a covered segment.

Whatever you may think about the River Democracy Act, the thing that struck us most about its 283 pages was how hard it was to figure out where the designations would apply. There are word descriptions of where the designations begin and end. What it needed was a map or maps that people could zoom down into and see it for themselves. And Wyden told us very good maps are coming soon. That’s important before any legislation like this would be seriously considered by Congress. Oregonians need to easily understand what would change, first.