Jamie Mierau
Director, River Protection
Department: Conservation
Area of Focus: Jamie works to engage communities to safeguard and improve river health by reconnecting people to rivers through blue trails and protecting the last great rivers through wild and scenic designation.
Background: Jamie joined American Rivers in 2000. Prior to that she performed natural resource management field research and developed recommendations for governmental policy in Costa Rica and studied natural systems agriculture at The Land Institute in Kansas.
Education: B.A. in Environmental Studies from Denison University, and M.A. in Environmental and Resource Policy from The George Washington University
Favorite River: Fraser River
Blog Posts By This Author
What is the National Blueways Initiative?
January 9, 2013 | Blue Trails, Urban Rivers, Wild and Scenic Rivers
In May of 2012, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar announced the new National Blueways System, a key element of America’s Great Outdoors, and designated the Connecticut River Watershed – covering areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut – as the nation’s first blueway.
Read more »Blue Trails Boost Local Economies
November 7, 2012 | Blue Trails
Three decades ago, my hometown river, the Saluda near Columbia, South Carolina, was threatened by a proposed hydroelectric dam. Working with dedicated community leaders, I ran canoe trips on the Saluda in an effort to bring attention the harmful project and to highlight the river as a recreational asset. These efforts not only stopped the dam project in its tracks, they also led to the creation of River Runner Outdoor Center, the first full service outfitter center in Columbia, where I met my wife when she came to buy a kayak.
Read more »Part 3: The Verde: A River Transformed
September 7, 2012 | Blue Trails
Clarkdale, Arizona, and many other local partners are working with American Rivers to improve recreation and preserve the Verde River through the creation of a Blue Trail. As part of this project, Clarkdale is creating the first river park along the Verde called, “Verde River @ Clarkdale.” This park will provide access to the river, kayaking facilities, educational opportunities and economic development plans based on a flowing, vital river.
Read more »Part 2: Keeping the Verde River Healthy
September 6, 2012 | Blue Trails
The unofficial oath of those of us who work to conserve the Verde River is, “First, Do No Harm.” By this, we mean that our river is in pretty good shape, especially when compared to the fate of so many other desert southwest rivers. In Arizona, the norm has been to consume rivers, not to conserve them, and this has left a legacy of dry creek beds where lush rivers once ran.
Read more »Part 1: Welcome to Central Arizona’s Oasis – The Verde River
September 5, 2012 | Blue Trails
The headwaters of the Verde River emerge 100 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona and begin an incredible journey to the east and south through wilderness, basalt canyons, and pristine riparian forest, gathering flow along its 200-mile long path to meet the Salt River.
Read more »