In Don Elder’s time as President, from 2003 to 2008, he became increasingly convinced that river and watershed groups had a role to play in climate protection. At River Rally 2006, his opening remarks focused on the climate and water connection. 

“We should not think of ourselves as groups that work on water only… We are working on a wide range of related environmental, economic, social, and moral issues. We should add climate change to the list.”

-Don Elder

These remarks were well-received by the network, generating both interest in and funding to support climate work and align it with equity issues. Elder saw firsthand how infrastructure investments were encouraging, allowing, and even subsidizing white flight, while living in the South for a period of time. This enabled him to make the connection at the watershed level, and he became convinced that climate protection—with an eye on efficiency and equity—should be an aspect of our work in every watershed of the country.