In 1973, following its successful campaign for the 1967 Nature Preserves Act, the Indiana Division was a major factor in passage of the Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act. Most of the state's rivers had over the years been ruined by dredging, straightening, channeling, draining, and other "improvements". Surely a few could be left alone to the creative forces of nature. It was a magnificent idea, and has now been on the state statute books for almost a quarter century. But only three of the state's relatively undisturbed streams have been recognized under the statute. Objections from real estate developers, farmers, industries, adjoining property owners, and local government heavily influenced by drainage boards and county surveyors, have prevented reasonable fulfillment in Indiana thus far. The classic case of river destruction in Indiana was the Kankakee River draining eight counties in northwestern Indiana. It was dredged and channeled nearly 100 years ago. Now, there is a major project toward restoring some 25,000 acres of the Kankakee River and Grand Marsh system, which had been one of the nation's major migratory bird habitats. The Indiana Izaak Walton League is a major advocate of that project, which is being carried out under Federal, state and local auspices, as well as with support from major industries and private organizations.

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