Monday, January 11, 2021 — Democracy is fundamental to our efforts to deliver safe, clean, affordable water and healthy rivers to people and nature. We rely on our elected officials to represent the will of the people, to make decisions with the health and welfare of the public in mind, and ground their actions in what… Read More ›
Blog
Water Policy Wrap 2020 – Heartbreak and Hope
by Katherine Baer
My father didn’t grow up as an outdoors person, but he started hiking and canoeing when my sister and I were young. I can remember cold backpacking trips without quite the right gear to stay warm. But, he kept us at it, and one of our favorite places to visit was the Okefenokee Swamp in... Read More ›
2020 Trends Report on State of Water Protection Shows Hope, But More Progress Needed for Sector Diversity
by River Network
BOULDER, COLORADO – December, 2020 – National organization River Network released a 2020 trends report called Our Water, Our Future: State of River and Watershed Protection this week. The report outlines current conditions of waterways in the U.S. including opportunities and threats to water quality and quantity, and provides an analysis of the diversity of… Read More ›
Hope, Water, and Community
by Nicole Silk
2020 was quite a year. Floods, fires, water shutoffs, civil unrest, racial injustice, the health crisis of COVID-19, and economic hardship. Our society, our families, and our hearts have all been pushed and pulled, towards worry and grief as well as recovery and resilience, nearly continuously. There is a sense of exhaustion and fatigue in… Read More ›
Engaging Youth and Communities for Impact in 2020
by River NetworkImpact in 2020 looked very different for River Network and the groups we serve. How did we help get groups, and especially youth, on the water and cleaning up the water, despite it all? Cultivating community and youth stewardship of our waters was no less important this year – in fact, it was more important… Read More ›
Fostering Community Leadership – A Tool for Equitable Climate Resilience
by Hannah Mico
As the importance of addressing climate change continues to be well-evidenced by communities combatting ever-more-frequent flooding, fire, and extreme weather, the environmental community finds itself at the intersection of science, equity, and justice – yet again. The urgency of working at this intersection is well-established – both by empirical scientific evidence, and the stories and... Read More ›
Building Strong Champions for Local Impact
by Brenna Goggin
We say it a lot: River Network connects local watershed organizations across the country, empowering them with tools, training, and resources. But what does this really mean? What does it look like to “build strong champions,” as our strategic plan puts it, and to support Leadership Development, Organizational Sustainability & Planning, and Professional Development for… Read More ›
Connecting Local Groups to National Funding for Groundwater Replenishment
by Kellie Kreiss
“Ohia trees, which are considered the mother of all native forests [on Hawaii]…are under threat right now,” begins Cheyenne Hiapo Perry, Project Coordinator at the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance (MKWA), an organization that’s been hard at work since 2009 preserving and rehabilitating the Big Island’s native forests, “…and if we did nothing, over 100 years... Read More ›
The Clean Water Act in 2020: Celebrate the Successes Today
by Colleen McGuire
Par for the course in 2020, the Clean Water Act (the Act) has seen better days. As we mark its 48th anniversary on October 18, 2020, it is now more important than ever to keep fighting for our rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. This year began with major rollbacks to protections for small streams and… Read More ›
River Rally 2021: A Second Virtual Experience!
by Nicole Silk
Last spring, we made an extraordinary decision to take River Rally 2020 virtual in order to protect our community and our team from the health risks of COVID-19. With only six weeks to completely remake our annual event, learn new technology, and reframe expectations, River Rally 2020 was a success, thanks to the patience and… Read More ›
YOU Can Make a BIG Difference and Help Get Out the Vote in 2020
by April IngleGraphic courtesy Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 General Election will be like no other. In typical years, many NGOs make sure their audiences are motivated to vote, are registered to vote, and know their options on when and where to cast their ballot. Now, with COVID-19, there is a... Read More ›
Advancing Racial Justice
by Megan Nguyen
Megan Nguyen is the recipient of River Network's 2020 Emerging Leader Award. Watch “Finding My Voice”. Climate Justice = Racial Justice Climate change affects everyone on this planet, especially marginalized communities. Racial and ethnic minorities will experience negative climate change impacts first and the worst. In my home state of California—and the entire West Coast—we... Read More ›
An Update from River Network’s Staff Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee
by River Network Staff EDI Committee
Over the course of the past decade, River Network’s work on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) has deepened significantly, focusing on both internal aspects of our organization and external programming. Initially, much of that work happened organically and, admittedly, somewhat haphazardly. A staff person tweaking one aspect of a program here (often in response to… Read More ›
“Masks On, Litter Gone”: Innovating Through Corporate Support
by Karla NoboaAs we near the fall and continue to live through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all adjusted to new ways of living and working. Creativity in programming has come to the forefront and new, exciting initiatives are popping up all over the network and the world. At River Network, we knew there had to be… Read More ›
Resilience and Equity: Working with Communities, Not for Communities
by Renée MazurekThis post originally appeared on the Urban Waters Learning Network blog. As the nation faces not only a global pandemic but also a long-overdue reckoning with systems of racial oppression, the urban waters movement is not removed from either. While the intentions of wanting to help vulnerable communities become more resilient are valid, the reality... Read More ›
