forest service employees like aaron rotert educated the public about good stewardship but confess theman impact is just too large. - if something isn't done, we could potentially damage some of those values that the creek was designated for in the first place. burkhardt: in 2009, fossil creek became part of america's conservation lands and was designated a wild and scenic river by congress. the designation provides protection for the waterway as well as its unique cultural, scenic, ecological, and recreational values. because of the area's extreme popularity, limitations on public visitation will likely be included as part of a future management plan. for the time being, fossil creek struggles with its newfound fame. - it's very popular. it's rare. the lesson that we really need to take away from this is, we need more miracles and success stories like fossil creek, because we have a population that really desires this type of recreation and this experience with nature. burkhardt: for this american land, i'm bruce burkhardt.