River Voices: March 2022
Welcome to the March 2022 edition of River Voices. This month we’re launching the State of the Network Survey – and you’re invited to participate! Plus, hear from President Nicole Silk on our upcoming Strategic Refresh and why our commitment to our key issues is stronger than ever. River Rally scholarship applications and Emerging Leader self-nominations are due March 15!
River Network is launching our State of the Network Survey, an every five-year survey for all of us working on water issues in our communities nationwide. Survey questions cover the basics of your organization’s capacity, achievements, challenges, and needs. The survey results will help us show the amazing impact of all we do and better understand how we can be most responsive to support all water leaders in the climb to a future of clean and accessible water and rivers for all.
Read more and take the survey.
“We have conversations around culturally-specific ways different individuals in Oregon interact with water, including drinking water and bodies of water quality of water and cost, and how they use resiliency in the face of challenges of accessing water resources.”
We’ve launched a new group in our Online Community with a focus on litter management and reduction! We’d love anyone working on reducing litter to join this group, which aims to be a peer-to-peer network for learning, discussion and resource sharing around this work.
Have you registered for River Rally 2022 yet? There’s still time to apply for a scholarship or self-nominate for the Emerging Leader Award. Plus, the first 100 registrants will be entered in a giveaway for a FREE River Rally 2023 registration! Apply today, as only a few more spots remain.
Our Key Issues and the Next Five Years
Resilience. Policy. Agriculture. Drinking water. What do these terms mean to you? For River Network, they’re the four key issues that are central to addressing the current water crisis in the United States and they shaped our 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. Now, as our Strategic Plan wraps up at the end of this year—and we look to the future—this still holds true. Hear from River Network President Nicole Silk on what we’re doing, where we’re heading, and what’s in store with our Strategic “Refresh,” coming this fall.
The River Network Climate Justice Flow Fund Circle is a community of people and organizations that are working with flow funds distributed by River Network, inspired by Flow Funding philanthropy principles.
Watch: How We’re Equitably Addressing US Water Issues
Behind countless successful water organizations is River Network.
Learn how we center equity and align the national network of water protectors to address the key issues that define a new path forward and seek climate solutions.
Science Corner: Environmental Protection Network’s Pro Bono Capacity-Building Technical Assistance Program
The latest from our science team.
The Environmental Protection Network is now offering pro-bono technical assistance via their 500+ membership of former EPA employees through their Capacity Building Technical Assistance Program. Technical assistance is defined broadly and spans many area of work such as providing assistance understanding permitting, planning data collection and analysis and translating technical language for accessibility.
To learn more, click here or contact EPN at info@environmentalprotectionnetwork.org.
Trash to Action: Using Trash Data to Take Informed Action for Your Waterways
Mar. 3, 1p ET/10a PT
Join River Network to hear from local groups putting their trash monitoring data to action by highlighting hotspots, categorizing types of trash, identifying patterns, and advocating for change. Join us and learn how you too can use trash data and the Clean Water Act to take action!
River Management Society’s Six-Part Wild & Scenic Webinar Series
Jan. 19 – Jun. 15
Join River Management Society for a six-part webinar series for river managers and advocates. Participants will learn how federal WSR designation protects specific river values and river managers’ responsibilities as caretakers and stewards of the rivers, once their designation takes place.
WaterNow Alliance’s 2022 Tap Into Resilience Summit – Philadelphia, PA
Apr. 13-14
The two day Summit will bring together local water leaders and decision makers from across the country, covering a variety of sustainable water management topics and empowering attendees to explore distributed water solutions and opportunities for their communities.
World Fish Migration Day
May 21
Join World Fish Migration Day to globally celebrate opening up rivers and recovering migratory fish populations. Together the World Fish Migration Foundation has created an enormous movement, connecting hundreds of thousands of people around the world with the same interest: protecting rivers and fish. Join them by taking action locally!
- “Becoming Water – Black Memory in Slavery’s Afterlives”: Makshya Tolbert’s essay in Emergence Magazine “wades into the liminal, haunted space that exists between water and Black memory.”
- Financing Green Stormwater and Natural Infrastructure with Clean Water State Revolving Funds: Environmental Policy Innovation Center’s new report examines Clean Water State Revolving Fund-financed investment in green stormwater infrastructure and natural infrastructure. Read on for their findings.
- EPA’s Funding Integration Tool for Source Water: Want to learn all the ways you can pay for source water protection? Check out EPA’s Funding Integration Tool for Source Water that provides all of the federal funding opportunities for source water protection and examples of how they’ve been applied.
- Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: This week’s IPCC report shows we need to do more to protect our communities and ecosystems from climate-driven severe droughts, devastating floods, and extreme storms that cut-off access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
