Jimmy Carter loved rivers. He grew up fishing as a child in Georgia, and later in life became an avid paddler. As Governor of Georgia, Carter was instrumental in securing protections for the Chattahoochee River. As President, he played a key role in strengthening the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and securing federal protection for the Chattooga River. Carter also ensured a legacy of healthy, free-flowing rivers by vetoing construction of the harmful Sprewell Bluff Dam on the Flint River in Georgia, and other unnecessary, destructive dams across the country. 

In 2018, to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and to highlight President Carter’s leadership and connection to the Chattooga, American Rivers produced the film The Wild President with our partners at NRS. 

Below are some quotes from the interview that we did with President Carter for the film, that did not make it into the final production. These words share additional insight on Carter’s connection to rivers and his commitment to their protection: 

On his love of fishing: 

“I was an avid fisher from my boyhood days…some of the most vivid memories of my childhood is going fishing with my father who was also an excellent fisherman. Back then it was all warm water because we lived in South Georgia. And it wasn’t until I became Governor in the 1970’s that I began to learn about flyfishing on the Chattahoochee River.” 

On his values: 

“My motivation I think was trying to preserve as much as I could of the beauty of God’s world. Based on my early religious feelings and the heritage that I got from my father and others who would try and do the same thing from a sportsman’s point of view… still, you know, being on a trout stream which is always lovely, the water’s always pure, the environment’s always conducive to preservation or protection, that’s still some of the most awe inspiring experience I’ve ever had.” 

On the photo of Bull Sluice Rapid (taken when he was Governor): 

“I think people who are explorers and innovators and wildlife experts like Claude Terry [Note: Claude Terry was one of the founders of American Rivers] were a little bit skeptical at first because the Governor actually wanted to ride in the canoe and go down this precipitous falls in the Chattooga River. So, Claude Terry kind of adopted me as one of his students and I learned all I could about handling a canoe and then handling a kayak. And Bull Sluice was a double waterfall, each one was about 5 or 6 feet high, and it precipitated down, and to go down Bull Sluice in an open canoe had never been accomplished. So, Claude and I decided we’d try it. And we actually made it successfully, we only had about 4 inches of freeboard left when we got to the bottom of a thing but that photograph became very famous…since we were the first ones to go down Bull Sluice.” 

On vetoing proposals to build harmful dams: 

“I vetoed I think 16 different dam projects all over the United States which aroused a great deal of animosity and also condemnation among members of Congress and Chambers of Commerce and so forth. But I tried to maintain as close as I could my commitment that these dams were unnecessary and counterproductive for the future and well- being of American citizens.” 

On the power of wild rivers: 

“I think that the Chattooga was the first time I ever risked my life, I’d say, in going down a wild river. And I think it gave me an element of both satisfaction and a sense of you might say heroism in confronting the awe- inspiring power of the Chattooga River when I had a major responsibility as a Governor of a state…So I was more deeply immersed in the extreme advantages of wild rivers like the Salmon River which is called the River of No Return as well as those in Alaska and also the Chattooga in Georgia than I ever had before. So, it kind of opened my eyes to a relationship between a human being and a wild river that I had never contemplated before that.” 

On his hope for future river protections: 

“I think it’s very important for all Americans to take a stand, a positive stand, in protecting wild rivers and scenic areas. I hope that all Americans will join together with me and others who love the outdoors to protect this for our children and our grandchildren.” 

The road to recovery is slow after powerful storms like Hurricane Helene and Milton which left devastating destruction across the southeast. As we reel from the lives lost and the sheer scope of the damage, many of us are now also grappling with the new realities of the climate crisis that played out before us in ways few imagined. U.S. Senators and Representatives from the impacted areas — like Rep. Chuck Edwards and Senator Thom Tillis — have been making the case to their colleagues and Congress can no longer delay a significant investment in the recovery process. 

The storms’ most apparent impacts were in the shattered homes, damaged roadways, and the extensive loss of property left behind in the immediate aftermath. While the community impacts have been extensive, the storms left a major mark on our rivers as well – which supply drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people and are the backbone of local economies. The immense volume of water altered the path of the rivers, undermined the safety of many of the 1,500 dams in the region, while pulling in unfathomable amounts of structural debris which if left unattended will pose serious long-term threats to drinking water supplies and all of the people and wildlife who depend on our rivers. 

Dedicated disaster recovery funding is desperately needed in North Carolina to protect people and restore rivers. With unprecedented hurricane damage ranging from Lake Lure to Asheville and up to Boone, the scope and scale of the debris removal is unprecedented. In many cases, traditional debris removal strategies would be ineffective and environmentally destructive. An investment through AmeriCorps or similar programs within the Department of Labor would create the workforce to address the state’s cleanup needs in an environmentally and economically effective way while also investing in the impacted communities. These activate regional stream debris teams would partner with federal, state, and local agencies to restore rivers like the Green, French Broad, Watauga, and Catawba Rivers in time for spring. 

The flood waters took a severe toll on the aging and often unmaintained dams across western North Carolina. Inspections by local, state and federal officials are underway and dozens of dams have been identified as a high threat to public safety. If a major winter storm were to hit the region, it is not likely these compromised dams would be able to withstand the increase in water flows – and the failure of these dams could unleash a deluge that claims more lives and causes more devastation. 

The North Carolina dam safety program needs an influx of resources from Congress to assess dam conditions and remove those that are unsafe and unneeded. Additionally, the U.S. Forest Service manages a significant amount of land in the impacted area and they have not yet had the capacity to assess the status or condition of the numerous dams within the boundaries and affecting the Forest Service lands. Regularly inspected and assessed dams are crucial to keeping people safe. The better data we have, the quicker decisions can be made to save lives. 
 
The North Carolina General Assembly will adjourn in short time without any meaningful investments in the recovery of western North Carolina, leaving the federal government as the only option for relief funding to help our state recover in an ecologically and economically resilient manner.  
 
A coalition of 132 organizations and businesses including public health professionals, community associations, think tanks, land trusts, floodplain managers, conservation districts, waterkeepers, rural voices, farm workers, and more, called on Congress to invest in the restoration of our rivers and communities through the passage of an emergency supplemental appropriations bill before Congress adjourns. This legislation must include enhanced public safety, restoration, and infrastructure to help our communities rebuild. 

The opportunity to invest in restoring our storm-damaged rivers and in removing failing infrastructure cannot be missed. 

Our collective fight for justice is ongoing and long from over, but with the strength and leadership of community, change is possible. This drives my work. And this is the foundation of thought for America’s Most Endangered Rivers®. 

America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2024 emphasizes urgent threats to clean water across the nation. By amplifying the work of Tribal Nations, local river advocates, and community leaders – who continue to stand at the forefront of the fight for clean water – this report galvanizes public action to stand with communities in protecting our nation’s rivers and all the life they support. 

As we continue to advocate for water justice, it’s critical to celebrate the wins, and the frontline communities that make them happen. 

Several weeks ago, my colleague and I had the immense honor of joining our Tijuana River partners, Surfrider and Un Mar de Colores, at the Unite to Heal our Coast rally in Imperial Beach, California. The rally allowed folks to gather, connect, strengthen community, and have their voices heard. Above all, it celebrated the people who continue to fight for justice for the Tijuana River – one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2024. 

Our time spent in Imperial Beach left me feeling deep heartache and anger for the communities most impacted by decades-long environmental injustices. Yet, it also inspired me. The resiliency of the community and steadfast frontline leaders – all fighting for the waters and the people – left me re-ignited with hope and reminded of why we do the work we do. 

Further north in California, the Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes have been defenders of the Trinity River for generations. Their advocacy impacts are immense, from the river to the courtroom, and their leadership has been critical to the river’s survival. The Hoopa Valley Tribe recently filed an intent to sue the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Fish and Wildlife. Their violations against the Endangered Species Act through unlawful, ongoing operations of the Trinity River Hatchery put Indigenous livelihoods at risk. As the fight for Tribal rights and water justice carries on, we continue our support. 

In the wake of the Most Endangered Rivers release, many decision-makers have also stepped up to heed the calls for action and address community concerns. 

Just recently, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee took a major stride toward water justice by signing an Executive Order to establish the Duck River Watershed Planning Partnership. We applaud Governor Lee for this critical step in protecting the Duck – a national treasure of immense economic and biological value. And we celebrate Harpeth Conservancy and other local partners for their ongoing advocacy for the river, all of which make initiatives like this possible. 

In Connecticut, representatives from Stanley Black and Decker have met with local organizations and American Rivers to discuss concerns and solutions for the Rainbow Dam on the Farmington River. 

Officials in Arizona have taken major strides to protect the Santa Cruz River through support of the creation of the Urban National Wildlife Refuge. So far, Sonoran Institute and other leading local advocates have gained resolutions of support from the Tohono O’odham Nation, the City of Tucson, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, and more. The local coalition’s efforts emphasize the power of collaboration and community solidarity – for the benefit of people and nature. 

Furthermore, Rivers of New Mexico – ranked #1 due to a Supreme Court ruling that stripped federal protections of virtually all the state’s streams and wetlands – illustrates exemplary community and municipal collaboration. Tribal Nations, frontline communities, local organizations, and local and state municipalities have worked diligently to address the major gap in water protections across the state. New Mexico’s progress serves as an example in effectively supporting communities through state-wide clean water protections advocacy. 

We know that Life Depends on Rivers℠ and there are direct correlations between the health of rivers and the health of people. The Tijuana River is perhaps one of the most glaring examples of this, as the ongoing pollution crisis continues to wreak significant harm to the health and wellness of residents on both sides of the border. Though the river’s designation on the list of Most Endangered Rivers has garnered increased binational attention and interest from federal decision makers, mere attention is not enough. We urge elected officials to take the necessary actions to fund and streamline construction of critical infrastructure solutions needed to protect the river and coastal communities, including a state of emergency declaration. 

Vincent Fernandez, an acequia mayordomo and community leader in New Mexico stated, “Without this river, we would not be able to survive.” This is a reality shared by communities across the nation. 

When rivers are hurt, people and the planet are hurt. But we know that we are stronger together. We thank our partners, river advocates, and Indigenous communities who continue to stand at the frontlines of the fight for environmental justice. Without you all, there is no movement, but in community, there is hope for change. 

We hope you will support American Rivers and our partners by taking action for the rivers that they, and we all, rely on. 

The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is celebrating 50 years! The act was signed into law in 1974 to protect public health by enforcing national standards for drinking water quality. Clean water is a basic human right and is essential to all life.

Fun fact: more than half the country gets its drinking water from rivers!

Below are some notable milestones since the SDWA was signed:

Even still, American clean water supplies are becoming increasingly stretched each year—the pressures of rising population, agricultural and energy demands, and the growing effects of climate change all have a major impact on rivers and water resources. Communities across the nation are without access to safe, clean drinking water. Most recently, Hurricane Helene devastated the Southeast and left millions without clean water for weeks. If we do not embrace innovative solutions, delivering clean drinking water will become more and more difficult. 

We must continue to safeguard the clean water that is the lifeblood of our communities and environment. Below are ways to learn more and get involved to help ensure our clean water is protected for generations to come.

Every November we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. From the Klamath — the biggest dam removal and river restoration project in history — to the Penobscot, Elwha, Snake, and so many more — we honor the leadership of Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities leading the way for clean water and healthy rivers nationwide.

Below is a list of films and blog posts that highlight Indigenous stories and the leadership of Tribal Nations.

This is a guest blog by Rachel Kelleher.

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On September 27, 2024, our lives, as we knew them, were forever changed. Hurricane Helene decimated Western North Carolina, a place I call home. The mountains and rivers in this region have brought me peace and healing while supporting my growth and encouraging my strength to blossom. The landscapes here have shaped me. We are collectively grieving the loss of lives, homes, businesses, and the sanctuary of our rivers as we once knew them, so intimately. When I close my eyes, I can run the Green River Narrows in my mind. Every move, like a dance to the sweet song of homecoming. Forever changed, the Green flows naturally, each move a new sequence to explore, discover, and unlock. There are new landscapes to traverse — a mystery to unfurl. 

When the rivers swelled to historic peaks, I was directing a mountain bike festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I was enveloped by a feeling of helplessness not being there to help physically. Hurricanehelenewnc.com was born on the side of the highway on my way back home. This webpage was built to support my friends in the Whitewater community who had mobilized a direct action response team in Asheville to help communities and individuals in need. We have developed into Helene Rebuild Collaborative. We allocate resources directly to communities that are underserved, isolated, and cut off. We coordinate a variety of specialized volunteer operations that serve to fill in the gaps of aid provided to our rural communities.

Rainpursuit.org reported 32 inches of rainfall in 72 hours near my home at the Green River Cove in Polk County, Saluda, NC. The sheer volume of water that inundated the landscape was not only incomprehensible but landed with such a devastating force that it forever altered the region and the people who survived. The communication grid broke down and people found themselves disconnected from the outside world. Cell phones didn’t work and no one had power. Flooded rivers and devastated infrastructure isolated communities creating fragmented pockets of people scattered throughout the region, completely cut off. In these isolated communities, basic needs were met by humans coming together to support and share resources – neighbors helping neighbors. The initial response was geared towards primal life-saving efforts, then moved towards basic survival needs of water, food, and shelter. 

Energetically toggling between mayhem and mass destruction, chaos and catastrophe, devastation and gratitude. I haven’t even begun to unpack the cacophony of emotions brought on by this disaster and I believe we will need new vocabulary words to encapsulate these feelings. The scene here is post-apocalyptic. Wide-spread wreckage, major sand deposits, destruction, and trash piles scattered everywhere. You are left to confront the dualities of our human experience at every intersection, while your nervous system is stretched to an unfathomable capacity. I imagine that we have evolved to a higher capacity of functioning under high loads of stress because of the direct, focused response required by the magnitude of this historic event.

Living through a disaster chimes you into experiencing more gratitude for the simple things we’ve grown accustomed to taking for granted. Having a safe, warm place to rest your head at night, access to clean water, access to food, and connection to emergency medical services. We’ve been challenged both as individuals and communities by this disaster to rise to the occasion to help and support each other. I now understand directly what it means to be displaced and unable to meet your basic needs. To ask for help from this place of need requires a tremendous amount of vulnerability and courage and is one of the most difficult places I’ve ever found myself in. I’ve seen people soften with compassion as a result of empathetic understanding of these new found hardships. At this time, everyone is reaching out a hand and it’s a beautiful miracle to witness and be a recipient of such kindness. There’s a grand illusion of sorts that serves to divide us and entangle us in fear while our natural pulse is towards connection and community with each other. We have to remember that we can accomplish anything when we work together, set aside our differences, and help support one another in times of need. It’s really quite simple.

The force of the Appalachian people is as strong as the mountains in this region. The landscape is vast, steep, hard, and weathered. Water is abundant here and flows like arteries and veins directly into the heart of Appalachia. We stand together in our strengths, united by this life force, and nothing can bring us down. Our collective pulse is vigorous like the creeks and rivers flowing that provide life to our communities and biota. Each individual, when brought together in community, forms the powerful and steady heartbeat of Appalachia. We will sustain connection with each other while rebuilding and maintain unity throughout these lands as a direct reflection of our American dream. Sometimes, it’s only through a path of destruction and deep turmoil that can shepherd us towards an opportunity to cultivate ripe ground. To forge a new dawn and restore humanity back into deep connection and community. 

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Rachel lives in Western North Carolina and is an avid mountain biker, whitewater kayaker, and nature lover.

There’s a lot going on in a river in the fall.  Flows are changing and the temperature is dropping and there’s a bit of fish whimsy happening.  In the October afternoon, as the gloaming comes on, the river margins of the Connecticut and other coastal rivers begin to pop and flash with glints of silver.  These are the juvenile American shad who were born in the river a few months back and are soon bound for their journey downstream to the Atlantic. 

At times I see hundreds of these little silver fish, just a few inches long, leaping a tiny leap out of the water making it ripple and flash in the low light of dusk.  I’m told there’s no reason for the leaps, so I just assume the behavior is the group gearing itself up for the collective journey downstream to the Atlantic and their multi-year stint in the ocean as they mature into adults and prepare to return to their natal river to spawn. 

But in southern New England the journey into the Atlantic for these juvenile shad and their river herring colleagues is fraught.  For too many years marine fish regulations in the waters off of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts have allowed overfishing of Atlantic herring.  The damage to this ecologically and economically important fishery is a double whammy.  Atlantic herring are different from the diadromous alewives, blueback herring, and shad that live in our rivers.  But those river herring and shad that are heading out to the Atlantic this month will swim and live amongst the Atlantic herring.  That means these river fish also end up in the nets with the Atlantic herring, which are being caught for their use as bait in the lobster industry, for fish oil, or sold as sardines.  In regulatory lingo, the river herring and shad that are caught alongside the Atlantic herring are “by-catch.” 

Stick with me here, fishing regulations are really complicated.  I’m getting to the problem – and the solution! 

Marine fishing regulations control amounts, gear, timing, location, and the number of times you can fish in a season.  They also try to control by-catch by setting limits on how much non-target fish can be caught.  Unfortunately, in southern New England, these regulations have allowed too many Atlantic herring to be caught and too much by-catch of river herring and shad.  And the consequences of that have meant dramatically reduced spring returns in our river systems of those 3 and 4-year-old adults.  And these reduced returns correspond to the timeframes in which the overharvesting of by-catch was being allowed.  

Another way to demonstrate how marine fishing can impact our river herring and shad runs is to look north to the Gulf of Maine where diadromous runs are surging up rivers including those newly opened up due to dam removals and modern fish passage structures.  The Gulf of Maine ocean fishing regulations include governing the time and location of Atlantic herring fishing in ways connected to spring migration season.  These controls allow river herring and shad time in April, May, and June to head into rivers absent the boats and nets looking for Atlantic herring. 

Dropping some regulatory-speak here – that type of regulation is called a time and area control.  And American Rivers along with many other conservation organizations, small-scale fishing boats, and state agencies are working to re-establish time and area regulations in southern New England that will allow for a sustainable Atlantic herring fishery as well as rebounded river herring and shad runs. 

So where’s that flash of hope? 

In late September the New England Fishery Management Council took action to dramatically limit the Atlantic herring fishery due to overfishing, a limit that will effectively close the fishery.  This will help to protect the river herring and shad returns for now. 

The longer term work of the Council and other fishery managers is to continue developing the basis to reinstate time and area limitations as well as appropriate limits on by-catch in the waters of southern New England. 

That work is a few years off and will undoubtedly be fought again by some of the commercial fishing interests.  American Rivers will be there along the way with our many partners, scientists, and fishers to ensure our work to remove dams and reconnect thousands of miles of habitat for migratory fish is not for naught. 

Want to dive into this issue?  The New England Fishery Management Council has a lot of good information on this recent action.  Forewarned for the novice – there’s more acronyms and statistics than you can imagine so gear up if you are going in! 

Here’s some good general info on Atlantic herring and river herring and their fellow Alosine, the American shad 

Our colleagues at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership have a good website on the issue of forage fish and their connection to sportfishing that includes really great video. 

Hand-thinning: The manual removal of vegetation in forested areas to prevent the spread and intensification of wildfire.  
Mastication: The use of several different types of equipment to grind, chip, or break apart fuels such as brush, small trees and slash into small pieces. 
Prescribed fire: A planned fire intentionally set by land managers to achieve management objectives such as wildfire mitigation or restoration.  

These terms may be unfamiliar. In the Yuba River watershed, we are using these methods alongside our partners to manage the forests of the Sierra Nevada and create climate resilience, enhance public safety, and most relevantly to the name and mission of American Rivers, protect river health by reducing wildfire risk. The Hoyt-Purdon Prescribed Fire and Fuel Reduction Project will treat 570 acres within a 918-acre project area along the South Yuba River at a strategic location between the river and surrounding local rural communities. The project will use a combination of the approaches described above to reduce the risk of wildfire and increase forest and watershed resilience. The essential design will reduce the horizontal and vertical continuity of fuels (e.g. make it so fire can’t carry along the ground horizontally or get into the tops of trees vertically) to make it easier to fight a fire should it occur. The project is also designed to protect ecological function and sensitive species.  

At first glance, it might seem confusing that a river-centric nonprofit is involved in forest management and wildfire mitigation, but the impacts of catastrophic wildfire extend beyond the immediate physical destruction of ecosystems and property, and the release of smoke, having severe consequences for the headwaters of California’s rivers. High-severity fires burn vegetation and can even burns soils, preventing regrowth. This lack of vegetation eliminates cover and shade, which raises water temperatures for aquatic species and leads to less dissolved oxygen in the water, a key parameter for healthy aquatic ecosystems. Loss of vegetative cover also prevents precipitation from infiltrating the soil and leads to erosion, releasing sediment downstream and impacting key life-cycle processes such as spawning. On a community level, excessive sediment can disrupt the operations of key infrastructure such as water treatment plants and hydropower production, and if a fire is severe enough, erosion can even reduce the capacity of reservoirs downstream as they receive sediment and debris post-fire.  

Fire has always been a part of the ecology of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, whether naturally ignited burns that arise from events like lightning strikes, or the prescribed burns by the Tribes that have lived in, cultivated, and stewarded the watershed since time immemorial. But a pattern of Euro-American fire-suppression that began in the 19^th century has allowed fuels to build to dangerous levels across the range, putting communities and watersheds at risk from catastrophic high-severity wildfire. This is true of current conditions along the South Yuba River. The Hoyt-Purdon Project aims to address this by first implementing hand and mechanical thinning (i.e. mastication) to reduce vegetation to levels that allow for the safe reintroduction of fire. The project will then implement initial prescribed burning, with a plan to reburn the project area at regular intervals to maintain lower fire risk conditions. As temperatures climb with a changing climate, leading to hotter and drier summers and increasingly risky fire conditions, this work is more important than ever and needs to be scaled. 

American Rivers is working to pursue integrated forest and watershed restoration in the California headwaters, recognizing the important role the surrounding landscape plays in protecting and maintaining downstream rivers. The Hoyt-Purdon Project will provide wildfire risk reduction at a strategic location between the South Yuba Canyon and adjacent communities including Nevada City and Grass Valley, thereby protecting both communities and the forested ecosystems that the South Yuba River needs to thrive. American Rivers and partners initiated project activities in spring 2024 and have completed significant hand and mechanical thinning. We plan to conduct initial prescribed burning in fall/winter 2024/2025. 

This project and wildfire risk reduction and mitigation across the headwaters of the Sierra Nevada is only possible through strong collaboration. For this project, we are working with three different private landowners, and the project team includes Terra Fuego Resources Foundation, Open Canopy LLC and Stillwater Sciences, with funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bella Vista Foundation to restore a healthy fire regime to the Yuba River Canyon. Watch the video below to learn more about wildfire risk reduction and the projected impacts on the landscape!  

This is a guest blog written by Julie Kramer, America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2024 Intern

What is it about a dry riverbed that brings so many people together? To outsiders, our desert rivers may look odd, uninviting, and honestly not much like rivers at all. As a resident of Tucson, the Santa Cruz River is my home water. I’ve ridden my bike along its banks numerous times, for simple enjoyment, world-class birdwatching, learning about watershed management and city water treatment, or to commute downtown. In any given month, you might find events in and around the river with the Feminist Bird Club, Sky Island Alliance, Tucson Birthplace Open Space Coalition, and Watershed Management Group, just to name a few.

I attended a Santa Cruz River Day of Connection event in April, to clean up a small section of the river within city limits. In the past three years, I’ve participated in a few river cleanups led by just one or two organizations and the turnout was often fewer than 25 people. The current collaborative efforts of Sonoran Institute with The Wilderness Society, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Tucson Audubon Society, Ironwood Tree Experience and others have led to much higher turnout. In other words, hundreds of people are picking up debris in a single outing, removing thousands of pounds of trash from the river. 

Luke Cole is Sonoran Institute’s director of the Santa Cruz River program within their Resilient Communities and Watersheds team. Starting in 2023, he began to connect a variety of local organizations to the cleanup efforts, and he added a DJ and food trucks for extra appeal. His plan is to host four of these cleanup days throughout the year, in February, April, October and December. This magic formula is not only bringing people together to clean our riverbed, but also showing what is possible on a much larger scale. Due to climate change, water scarcity and loss of federal protections, we have no time to waste in getting our river in the best shape of her life.

For thousands of years, this ribbon of water took care of the people and land of the Sonoran Desert. In turn, Indigenous tribes including the Hohokam, Pasqua Yaqui and Tohono O’odham were excellent stewards of the river. It takes an unusual path, flowing from the San Rafael Valley, into Mexico, then back across near Nogales on the border, turning north through Tucson. Outside interests like ranching and mining were first introduced to the area in the 19th century, relying heavily on the water supply. Rapid population growth and development in the 20th century increased demand for drinking water, agriculture, and industry, draining the river in a relatively short period. 

We bent and shaped the river to our needs, often to the detriment of nature. Slowly but surely, we are returning this land and water to some semblance of former glory. In the past few years, treated wastewater has been released into the Santa Cruz River, encouraging fish and wildlife, as well as cottonwoods, willow, and other vegetation to return to this corridor. The City of Tucson and Pima County initiated a program to discharge the recycled water and it’s already making a difference.

The Santa Cruz River lives within Pima and Santa Cruz counties, firmly ensconced in the Sonoran Desert. This region receives anywhere from 3-15 inches of rainfall per year, with both summer and winter rains. The vegetation here is the most biodiverse of all North American deserts. Within the boundaries of the Sonoran Desert, public lands currently include Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and Saguaro National Park. The proposal to establish more public lands in the form of an Urban National Wildlife Refuge, the first of its kind in Tucson, would help to secure the sustainability of the Santa Cruz River. 

Throughout the world we have many examples of rivers that have been loved to death. In the case of the Santa Cruz River, the strong connections between residents and key regional organizations are showing that the opposite is possible, to love a river to life. I hope you’ll take action for the Santa Cruz, ensuring the future of this important waterway in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. The next cleanup events will be on Saturday, October 12th and December 14th. See you there?

Life Depends on Rivers℠. That’s why World Rivers Day is so important. Most people who live in America live within 1 mile of a river, they just don’t know it. This upcoming election will determine the fate of our nation’s rivers, yes, even the ones in your backyard, for years to come. That is why we encourage you to take the time this World Rivers Day and the days leading up to Election Day to get familiar with the candidates on your ballot and where they stand on your rivers and clean water.

Check out these four easy things you can do for World Rives Day and be a confident voice for rivers come Election Day in November. Don’t forget – #VoteRivers!

During the Californian winter and spring, the Sierra Nevada’s mountain meadows are covered in snow and inaccessible, so when the season shifts and the snow melts, we jump into action alongside our partners, putting boots on the ground and shovels in the dirt. Mountain meadows are critical to the hydrology of the landscape and provide a unique home to native plant and animal species, anchoring soil and storing groundwater. While they may be comparatively small in area, covering 191,000 acres of the Sierra Nevada, mountain meadows are critical to the health of California’s headwaters, which provide clean drinking water to more than 75% of Californians.  Beyond this, they provide essential habitat, recreational opportunities, and increase regional resilience to climate change. With around 50% of the Sierra Nevada’s mountain meadows significantly degraded, scaling mountain meadow restoration across the Sierra Nevada is more important than ever.  

Our Headwaters team leads meadow restoration from concept to completion, including initial assessment to identify meadows in need of restoration, design and permitting, on-the-ground restoration, and monitoring to quantify project benefits. And this summer and fall, our team has been in the field ensuring the health of Sierra Nevada mountain meadows. Read about our projects to stay in the loop on our progress! 

Ackerson Meadow 

Ackerson Meadow is a low-elevation wet meadow straddling the boundary of Yosemite National Park (YNP) and Stanislaus National Forest (SNF), and provides critical breeding habitat for the CA Endangered Great Grey Owl and Willow Flycatcher. Over a century of land use including logging, ditching, and grazing led to the deep incision of the creek that flows through the meadow, which empties into the Tuolumne River, and the dewatering of the meadow. This summer, work began on the second and final phase of implementation, which will culminate in the restoration of the upper meadow (158 acres). A healthy Ackerson Meadow means more habitat for a wide range of native species, expanded wet meadow vegetation, enhanced groundwater storage (an estimated 217 acre-feet per year) and water filtration, as well as increased carbon sequestration.   

This is a collaborative project the partnership of American Rivers, National Park Service Yosemite National Park, US Forest Service Stanislaus National Forest, and the Yosemite Conservancy (listed alphabetically).This project was funded in part by the donors of American Rivers, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Wildlife Conservation Board, Google (in association with their Water Stewardship pledge and strategy), National Park Foundation (provided by The Coca-Cola Company, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and Stericycle), National Park Service (provided by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-Ecosystem Restoration, Concessions Franchise Fee, and NPS Operations), US Forest Service, and Yosemite Conservancy (listed alphabetically). 

Faith Valley 

Faith Valley is a 200-acre wet meadow site in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (HTNF). American Rivers implemented Phase 2 of the Faith Valley Restoration Project in 2023 in partnership with the HTNF, which included installing 25 new Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs), repairing 4 BDAs installed during phase 1 in 2022, and repairing the OHV road along the west side of the meadow. In 2024, the project team is conducting adaptive management to repair the BDAs installed in 2023, install additional new BDAs, and repair a rocked swale installed on the OHV road during Phase 2. These actions will ensure that the BDAs and road repairs continue to function effectively. Adaptive management work at Faith Valley is funded by the California Wildlife Conservation Board.   

Log Meadow 

Log Meadow is surrounded by Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest, one of the world’s most important sequoia groves.  Hand crews wrapped up the final season of implementation at Log Meadow in Sequoia National Park during summer 2024. After filling the main Crescent Creek gully during summer 2023, crews focused on filling two smaller ditches on the northwest side of the meadow this summer. Restoration at Log Meadow piloted a novel wilderness-friendly meadow restoration technique that involved harvesting meadow vegetation, mixing it with sediment sourced from the gully banks, and packing the resulting “haydobe” material into the gully. Work on Log Meadow this summer was funded by the California Wildlife Conservation Board.  

Grouse Meadow 

American Rivers and the Humboldt-Toiaybe National Forest implemented restoration at 40-acre Grouse Meadow in the West Walker River watershed during September 2024. Grouse meadow is located near the top of the Grouse Creek watershed, which is a tributary to the West Walker River. The meadow has numerous headcuts and gully features, including a large headcut near the bottom of the meadow that threatens to migrate upstream and “unzip” the relatively healthy meadow habitat upstream. Restoration work will include constructing a valley grade control structure at this large headcut, treating other headcuts in the meadow, filling the deepest gully reaches, and installing low-tech process-based restoration structures including Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) and Post Assisted Log Structures (PALs). Restoration at Grouse Meadow is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and by Point Blue Conservation Science through the Sierra Meadows Partnership Block Grant Program.   

Wilson Ranch Meadow 

Wilson Ranch Meadow (60 acres) was selected as a priority site for restoration during American Rivers’ 2017 assessment of meadows in the American River watershed, which overlaps significantly with Eldorado National Forest (ENF). The primary problem at Wilson Ranch was a road crossing at the top of the meadow. This crossing created a pinch point, channelizing flows entering the meadow, which resulted in a large gully cutting through the entire meadow. To address this, the project team replaced the crossing with a series of eight culverts and fully filled the gully with onsite soils to spread flows and improve groundwater storage! Now, after restoration concluded in October 2023, Wilson Ranch Meadow’s hydrology has improved significantly. In summer 2024, American Rivers and the Eldorado National Forest are conducting adaptive management at Wilson Ranch Meadow to finish filling the lower portion of the gully through the meadow to further improve site conditions. This work has also expanded the U.S. Forest Service’s capacity to conduct meadow restoration and enhanced the meadow restoration community of practice’s ability to implement this type of project across the Sierra Nevada. Funding for this project was provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Board.  

Caldor Fire Meadows Assessment 

American Rivers has been hard at work assessing meadow health within the Caldor Fire burn scar this summer. Following the catastrophic Caldor Fire in 2021, American Rivers collaborated with the Eldorado National Forest (ENF) to acquire funding for planning and prioritizing meadow restoration in the Caldor Fire footprint. Funding for this project was provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, Vegetation and Watershed Management Fund, and Sierra Meadows Partnership Block Grant through the Wildlife Conservation Board. 

As I stood on a bridge and looked upstream along the Klamath River, I felt confused. For over 15 years, I had stood in the same stop and gazed on the earthen face of Iron Gate Dam. But on this day, I saw…space. Framing the edges of that space, I saw canyon walls, river bed, floodplains and terraces, and miles of vista. 

I lost my dad last year, so I understand having the experience of noticing the absence of someone who had been monumental in my life – both physically and metaphorically. I understand the confusion that results from seeing a space where he used to be and being keenly aware of his absence. I noticed the absence of Iron Gate Dam in the same way – the loss of something that had been monumental in my life and in the lives of thousands of others. But unlike the absence of my dad, seeing the absence of Iron Gate Dam stirred feelings of wonder, joy, hope, and gratitude. 

We live in a world where we are experiencing seemingly insurmountable crises that threaten our way of life every day: human-caused climate change, biodiversity loss, and racial injustice. While we know people are causing these crises, it feels harder to believe that people can similarly act to solve these crises. The solutions feel too big and too complicated to achieve given the deep differences we perceive in one another. 

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time working in the Klamath, it’s that no matter what my preconception of others have been, we all share a core of humanity. When we come together and name the feelings and values we share, rather than categorizing our differences, we can accomplish amazing feats. 

With the cofferdam gone at Iron Gate, we are part of a historic shift in how we exist with the Klamath River flows freely from Lake Ewauna to the Pacific Ocean. The Klamath River dam removals mark an inflection point from the past century, when the river was dominated by people who saw it as a catalogue of resources to be extracted and exported, to a new chapter where we more fully embrace a lesson from deep time: rivers have value in on of themselves, not just for the environment or fish, but for people, too. This is the moment where we give ourselves over to the belief that nature is a better steward of life than we are, where natural processes can take the helm.  

For those of us who are nervous or afraid about following nature’s lead, consider that there are people who can guide us through this transformation in how we exist with a river. We often talk about people living in tension with or opposition to nature, but there has been a long history of life lived in alignment with nature that stretches back to time immemorial. Recognizing this goes beyond simply acknowledging the sovereignty and rights of Tribes; it means we might also begin to see how dam removal isn’t just a revitalization a river, but of traditions and ways of life that were demolished when these dams were constructed. The Tribes of the watershed and their relationship with the Klamath are truly the origin point of the movement to heal, and the most committed advocates for the river’s recovery. Working together has been an opportunity to learn about and begin the process of addressing historic injustices to heal our relationships with each other, our histories, and the heritages and traditions that give our lives meaning.  

With the removal of the final cofferdam and the dawning of the Klamath River’s revitalization, I have learned more than the power of collaboration. I have learned about the power of now: we don’t need to wait for generations to celebrate incredible milestones of success. We can celebrate all we can save right now. We can remove dams without displacing people. We can do it on time and on budget while undertaking critical work that sits in alignment with the needs of the environment. This incredible effort has created a much-needed precedent and expanded the vision for what successful dam removal can be.  

Most dam removals will not share the scale of the Klamath. Most dam removals are small, but their cumulative impact is immense. No one project will solve all of our overlapping crises, but everyone has a role to play in the solution. I feel hopeful knowing that even though there’s still much to do, a lot has been accomplished. As we move into a future where more dams become obsolete, we can reflect on the success of the Klamath River and its people as a guide for how to move forward together.