“Turtle Island Park, at the confluence of the North Fork of the Middle Fork Willamette and the Middle Fork Willamette rivers, is an important recreation spot for the [Oregon] communities of Westfir and Oakridge as well as a location with promising habitat for native fish, wildlife, and plants. Funds from River Network will go a… Read More ›
Blog
Demanding Drainage Justice in Houston Through Evidence-Based Advocacy
by Diana Toledo
Survivors As Experts Formed during Hurricane Harvey by community members looking to help their neighbors survive and then recover from the historic floods of 2017, West Street Recovery (WSR) and its long-time partner, the Northeast Action Collective (NAC), are now focusing on changing the very systems that contribute to climate injustice in the majority Black… Read More ›
Supreme Court Deals a Blow to Clean Water
by April IngleWhat the Supreme Court Clean Water Act Ruling Means for Your Community and Waters On May 25, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued their ruling in the Sackett vs. EPA case. With this ruling, the Court has delivered a catastrophic blow to our ability to protect our waters from pollution and climate disasters, undoing protections… Read More ›
River Network Welcomes Raj Shukla as Next President and CEO
by Amy BoalMay 17, 2023 [Boulder, Colorado] – River Network is honored and pleased to announce that, after a meticulous national search, Raj Shukla will be joining the organization as its next President and CEO. His first day will be Tuesday, June 20, and he will be working primarily from his home office in Madison, Wisconsin. Shukla... Read More ›
Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program: Annual Report Look Back
by Shelby ClineThis is the fourth blog post we’ve written about the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) since it was first funded through COVID-19 legislation in 2020 and 2021. For background on the establishment of the program and what it’s achieved so far, take a look at the previous blogs: Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Check-In,... Read More ›
Equipping the Network for the Federal Funding Long-Game
by River Network
Learn about our federal funding support. River Network has a long history of supporting local organizations in accessing the funding they need for their communities. The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, Nov. 2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, Aug. 2022) carry unprecedented prioritization of water via federal funding programs—and a historic opportunity... Read More ›
Community Stewardship of Wild and Scenic Rivers
by Katherine Baer
Watching the Verde’s muddy-colored water soar downstream following several days of rain was an impressive reminder of how dynamic our rivers are as well as the flooding you can encounter even in places we think of as arid or dry. Despite the rain, we were on a tour with Friends of the Verde River’s Restoration… Read More ›
Centering Water Quality, Public Health, and Climate Resiliency in the 2023 Farm Bill
by Erin KanzigWhen you hear the words “Farm Bill” you might imagine that this legislation impacts farmers and ranchers – which is true – through the Farm Bill farmers can access crop insurance, receive technical assistance from US Department of Agriculture, benefit from research, receive disaster assistance, and more, all because of the Farm Bill. However, it’s important... Read More ›
Building Formal Collaboratives to Leverage Federal Funding
by Chelsea Silva
Learn about our federal funding support. What does it take to build and sustain a formal collaborative and how do these collaboratives leverage federal funding to support their work? To explore these questions, River Network partnered with AMP Insights to develop case studies of coalitions across the Western United States that have effectively leveraged federal... Read More ›
Litter in Our Nation’s Waterways and Communities
by Grace FullmerLitter, we have all seen it—clogging the flow of our favorite neighborhood stream, or carelessly thrown to the side of the road waiting to be carried by the elements to the nearest waterway. Keep America Beautiful’s 2020 Litter Study estimated that over 50 billion pieces of litter are obstructing our roadways and waterways. When disposed… Read More ›
Joy and Hope for Our Planet Flows Through Our Rivers – River Network’s Refreshed Strategic Plan
by Katherine BaerOur new dog, Juno, is a water dog. She spent a number of weeks tentatively sniffing the water and delicately dipping her paws before one day bounding in with undiluted glee. There can now never be enough throwing and retrieving of sticks and pinecones or splashing in the riffles before tugging her homeward. Walking along... Read More ›
Observation in the Basin – A Community Action Story
by Colleen McGuire
This guest blog was originally written by Dave Bell, a volunteer with Tookany/Tacony-Frankford partnership (TTF), and published on their website in December 2019. Dave updated the blog in November 2022, granting permission to River Network to publish it in conjunction with the release of our new “Observation in the Basin” pages. Construction Site Runoff In… Read More ›
Solving the Puzzle of the Yampa River
by Amy Boal
For the last four years, tucked in the northwestern corner of Colorado, a group of 27 stakeholders representing a diverse range of interest groups has come together to write an Integrated Water Management Plan (IWMP). Over this four-year period, the IWMP conducted assessments and identified consensus-driven strategies that seek to maintain a balanced river system... Read More ›
Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Check-In
by Erin KanzigLIHWAP, the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program created and funded through emergency Covid-19 legislation in December 2020 (Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA)) and March 2021 (ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act)), is the first national water assistance program of its kind. We previously covered some of the basics of the program and an update on how the... Read More ›
A Profound Shift of Focus – Reflections on the 2022 River Rally
by James Edward MillsIn recent years, a growing number of environmental organizations are addressing the issues of natural resource management in America’s cities. Though most had previously devoted their attention to the conservation of remote wilderness areas, many are now dedicating their efforts towards communities that have long been on the margins of our society. At its first… Read More ›
