One of the fundamental goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA), passed on this day in 1972, was that all waters would be swimmable by 1983. A sister goal was to eliminate all pollutants being dumped into our nation’s waters by 1985. When I tell people about those specific goals, I am met most often… Read More ›
Blog
Celebrating 50 Years of Wild & Scenic Rivers
by Radha MarcumOctober 2nd marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, which protects over 12,000 miles of 200+ rivers. Federal agencies rely on engaged and knowledgeable citizen groups to manage these spectacular rivers, and River Network supports local water champions and groups from around the country doing vital work on… Read More ›
Bridging the Gap in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: River Network’s Journey
by Nicole SilkA Moment In Time In the final stages of the recruitment process for my position with River Network, I had a poignant interaction with the hiring committee during our final meeting. After exploring many topics related to rivers, management, finance, fundraising, and nonprofits, they asked me what was missing that would allow us to achieve… Read More ›
Essential Medicine for Veterans and Youth: Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers
by Bridget CrockerIt was a poignant moment during River Rally 2018: Over 400 people, moved to tears, applauding Navy veteran Chad Brown’s heartfelt presentation of the work he’s doing through Soul River, Inc., an Oregon-based nonprofit that teaches U.S. veterans and inner-city youth together to fly fish on wild and scenic rivers, National Parks, and other public... Read More ›
Kern River Conservancy: Building the Next Generation of Wild & Scenic River Protectors
by Bridget Crocker“I tell people that River Rally changed my life,” laughs Gary Ananian, Executive Director and Founder of Kern River Conservancy. A first-time attendee of River Network’s River Rally (held near Truckee, California in April/May 2018), Ananian came to environmental work from a background in the food and beverage industry. The environmental community was all new... Read More ›
The Future of Water Quality Data
by Adam GriggsWorld Water Monitoring Day (now known as EarthEcho Water Challenge) is coming up on September 18th and droves of citizen scientists across the globe will head out to local waters to gain a snapshot of their water quality. If you are reading this blog, you may be one of the thousands of staff, volunteers, students,… Read More ›
Lessons From the Latest Wild & Scenic Success: East Rosebud Creek
by Morgan TiltonIn early August, Montana won its first Wild and Scenic Rivers designation since 1976. The key to success? Addressing community concerns at the kitchen table. On Thursday, August 2, 2018, H.R. 4645, the “East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act” was signed into law, designating segments of the East Rosebud Creek in the State of… Read More ›
See Our Network’s Future in Four Key Issues
by Nicole SilkFor 30 years, River Network has served as a backbone for groups working at the local level across the United States, connecting them to each other and to the resources and knowledge they need to succeed. Thirty years ago, that network included a few hundred groups. Today, the network includes nearly six thousand community and… Read More ›
Rural Communities At Risk: Vital Water Funding Needs Continued Support
by Gayle KillamSeal Rock State Park, Oregon (Credit: Seal Rock Water District) In the Pacific Northwest, the risk of a Cascadia earthquake is high, and in that situation, fresh water will be the most critical need. Communities need to think ahead, but small communities often don’t have the resources to do so. Seal Rock Water District (SRWD)... Read More ›
Drinking Water Takes Center Stage – Help Us Review Toolkit
by Katherine BaerEver heard of GenX – and, not the post-baby boom generation Gen X – but the chemical contaminant? Neither had I really – until sometime in the last year or so when it was discovered in the drinking water supply of several communities in North Carolina, the state where I live. The chemical was found… Read More ›
Nearly One Million Pounds of Trash Removed at River Network/Anheuser-Busch Clean-ups
by Radha MarcumSince 2010, River Network has partnered with Anheuser-Busch to produce the company’s World Environment Day series of employee and community volunteer events. River Network has supported a total of 150 volunteer events with Anheuser-Busch staff since the World Environment Day program began in 2010. Over the last eight years, events have been a tremendous success... Read More ›
Action Alert – Tell EPA: “Don’t Blow a Hole in the Clean Water Act”
by April IngleIt’s hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since we were with 450 clean water protectors from across the country at River Rally 2018. River Rally has so much to offer – learning, networking, celebrating – and an opportunity to take action. At this year’s River Rally Action Station we had the opportunity… Read More ›
River Network and Patagonia Award Wild and Scenic River Grants to Four Grassroots Organizations
by Sam Cohen
This October marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. In the past half century, over 12,000 miles of 200+ rivers have been designated wild and scenic, affording extra protection to some of the country’s most spectacular and valued river stretches. Federal agencies are tasked with managing these… Read More ›
Building Resilient Communities: Insights from Puerto Rico
by Radha Marcum
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island of Puerto Rico, wiping out nearly all public access to power, water, health facilities, and supermarkets. Before Hurricane Maria made landfall in 2017, Puerto Rico was already struggling with environmental issues, and it was clear that the problems were tied to social and economic issues…. Read More ›
Our Voices Heard: Congress Funds Clean Water, Air and Land Programs in Spending Package
by April IngleAround this time last year, I was asked to give a presentation on environmental issues at a workshop being held by Georgia Women (and Those Who Stand With Us). The session’s focus was on cuts the new administration was proposing to US environmental programs and what could be done about it. The news was bleak:… Read More ›
