Aspen Journalism A herd of bighorn sheep graze along the Crystal River near Penny Hot Springs on Tuesday. Local groups are restarting a push for a federal Wild & Scenic designation on the upper portion of the river. Heather Sackett/Aspen Journalism REDSTONE — After a four-year hiatus, residents of the Crystal River valley are reviving efforts to protect the upper portion of the river through a federal designation. The Crystal River Caucus, Pitkin County, the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association and others are once again discussing designating the upper 39 miles of the river — from the two branches of its headwaters in the Snowmass-Maroon Bells Wilderness to the first major downstream irrigation diversion, the Sweet Jessup Canal — as Wild & Scenic.