Blog

Drinking Water Guide – In Spanish!

by Diana Toledo

Presione aqui para leer este articulo en Español. My work on water has always been inspired by the intersection of water and people – conservation and community. The catalyst for joining the water movement was my experience living in Moncion, Dominican Republic in the mid-1990s and witnessing the direct impact of a dam that caused… Read More ›

Water and Equity in Latinx Communities: Ixchel’s Approach

by Diana Toledo
Photo courtesy of Peter Means, Virginia Tech.

The communities of Cicero (population 83,000) and Berwyn (population 56,000), two western Chicago suburbs, are majority Latinx – 90% and 63% respectively – and low-income. They are also both the focus of Ixchel, a grassroots organization whose mission is to, “cultivate grassroots leaders to dismantle structural racism for racial equity in education and environmental justice… Read More ›

State and Tribal Ability to Protect Clean Water Under Threat – Comment Now

by Katherine Baer
Recently, the state of Minnesota denied a permit for a Canadian oil pipeline planned to cross the state. The state environmental agency, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), denied the permit because they needed more information to determine if the proposed 340-mile pipeline would meet state water quality standards. Specifically, MPCA was seeking information on... Read More ›

Impacts from Project Rain Barrel’s 2018-2019 Season

by Amy Boal
This summer River Network—thanks to support from the Coca-Cola Foundation—wrapped up our 2018-2019 Project Rain Barrel season. Through programs like this, business partners and sponsors support community-based solutions for cleaner water and healthier rivers, empowering local groups to protect and conserve water in their communities. The 54 Project Rain Barrel workshops that took place between... Read More ›

River Network Staff Reflections to Mark World Rivers Day 2019

by Amy Boal
On September 22, 2019, the world marks the 15th annual World Rivers Day. This year, the theme is "waterways in our communities." The River Network staff is spread across the nation, much like the over 6,000 groups, Indigenous communities, and government agencies working at local, state, and regional levels to protect and restore rivers and... Read More ›

Connecting Local Stakeholders for Inclusive Planning on the Yampa River

by Amy Boal
Paddling on the Yampa River. Photo courtesy Kent Vertrees, Friends of the Yampa.
The Yampa River in northwest Colorado is a rare gem, as it is the only major Colorado River tributary without a large dam, flowing free for almost 300 miles through primarily federal, state, and private ranch lands. The river has high overall health and plays a vital role in sustaining endangered fish species with some... Read More ›

Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Partnership Funding Awards

by Katherine Baer
Learning about rivers in real time. Photo courtesy of Glacier Peak Institute.

Wild and Scenic Rivers flow throughout the country. This designation helps protect some of the nation’s free-flowing rivers providing opportunities for recreation, protecting drinking water, and helping fuel local economies. However, the Wild and Scenic Rivers designation doesn’t translate into full protection; many of these rivers suffer from the same threats as other rivers including:… Read More ›

Climate Science for All: NNOCCI Strategies to Improve Climate Communications

by Kait Birghenthal
Kait Birghenthal, Conservation Educator & NNOCCI Governing Council Member
Fight, flight, or freeze: these are human’s three natural reactions to encountering a perceived threat. But what if the threat was amorphous, seemingly far off, and highly misunderstood? How might we react then? As demonstrated by the FrameWorks Institute in their ‘on the street’ climate interviews—see The Value of Explanation research report—the majority of US Citizens demonstrate... Read More ›

Idea Exchanges Join the River Rally Program

by Amy Boal

River Rally 2019 featured the first Idea Exchanges: unique opportunities for attendees to connect during River Rally and beyond, to build their knowledge and network related to specific issues their communities may be facing. Skilled facilitators led structured conversations around Civic Engagement and four key issues: Safe, Clean, and Affordable Drinking Water; Water Laws and… Read More ›

Power in River Rally: Reflections on Rally 2019

by Nicole Silk

Twenty years ago, River Network began bringing together our nation’s river champions and water protectors at our annual River Rally conference. This year’s event was held on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last time the river caught fire, an event that informed the modern environmental… Read More ›

Beyond Equity: The 2019 River Rally

by James Edward Mills

At the moment he ascended to the podium, James Rasmussen wasn’t exactly certain what he was going to say. A capacity crowd was gathered in the ballroom of the Westin Cleveland Downtown Hotel for the annual River Rally conference. Among the honorees nominated by his peers to receive a 2019 River Hero Award, he walked… Read More ›

River Network Helps Map Waters for Recreation

by Gayle Killam

What is more refreshing than jumping into a river or lake on a hot day? In many urban areas, we are seeing a resurgence of interest in swimming and boating in waters that have long been considered off limits. Our urban rivers suffer from a bad reputation because they have been subject to decades, if… Read More ›

Update of Protecting and Restoring Flows in Our Southeastern Rivers Report Shows Progress and Need for Continued Improvement

by April Ingle

Rivers here in the southeast are special places, ranging from quiet, blackwater rivers in the Coastal Plain to raging whitewater in the mountains and everything in between. Over the last three years, since my colleague Katherine Baer and I, with the support of many people, researched and wrote the first edition of the Protecting and… Read More ›