Years ago, in search of my first career job as a biologist, I interviewed with a private firm in Portland. The interviewer asked me a hypothetical question about how I would help to manage a piece of ground. My reply was a simple question: âWhat are your objectives?â He nodded, smiled slightly and made a note. I felt this was an impressive start to my interview and, while I didnât get the job, I did learn an important lesson: Good management starts with good objectives. This concept is key to the River Democracy Act of 2021 recently introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley. The senators started in October 2019 by asking Oregonians what wild and scenic streams deserved protection, and the resulting public nomination process yielded thousands of responses and nominations from people across the state.