| York River | |
|---|---|
 York River in 1908 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| Type | Recreational |
| Designated | December 29, 2022[1] |
TheYork River is a 13-mile-long (21 km)[2] stream in southeastMaine, United States. It is tidal for over half of its length. It rises at York Pond inEliot, and conjoined by brooks and creeks, feeds thetidal section. The York River flows southeast to theAtlantic Ocean atYork Harbor in the town ofYork.
TheAbenaki name for the York River isAgamenticus, which means "Beyond-the-hill-little-cove". According toEben Norton Horsford, Agamenticus "described the site of the mouth of Little York River to one approaching it from thenorth, as it lay behind the hill called by theIndians "Sassanows" (the modernAgamenticus). Little York River, a shorttidal river, was the "Beyond-the-hill-little-cove."
On May 23, 2013, RepChellie Pingree introduced the York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2013 (H.R. 2197; 113th Congress) would have required theNational Park Service to study a segment of the York River for potential addition to theWild and Scenic Rivers System.[3] The study would be to determine how the proposed designation would affect current recreational and commercial activities.[4][5]
The 2023 federal government funding bill (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023) designated the York River as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. A stewardship committee will be created to manage more than 30 miles of the river and land around it.[6]
43°7′45″N70°38′15″W / 43.12917°N 70.63750°W /43.12917; -70.63750