American Rivers Announces 2026 River Champion Award Recipients
Contact: Hawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org
WASHINGTON D.C. – American Rivers is today announcing the 2026 recipients of our “River Champion” awards, which recognize leaders who are improving lives and strengthening our nation by advancing solutions for healthy rivers and clean water. This year’s honorees are championing Wild and Scenic River protection bills in Montana and New Mexico and are building bipartisan efforts to protect Wild and Scenic Rivers nationwide.
“Rivers connect us as people and as a nation. Our communities are stronger when they have free-flowing and protected rivers to provide clean, healthy drinking water and abundant wildlife habitat,” said Tom Kiernan, president and CEO of American Rivers. “We are pleased to recognize this year’s River Champions for their bipartisan leadership establishing public lands-focused caucuses in Congress and for their work advancing river protection bills in their home states.”
Senator Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is sponsoring the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act which would designate more than 450 miles of the Gila River, San Francisco River, and their main tributaries in the Gila National Forest and nearby lands that are critical for southwest New Mexico’s agricultural and tourism economies, clean water, and way of life.
He was also a founding member of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, which aims to protect and expand access to the nation’s lands and waters, support wildlife conservation, and restore habitat.
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) was a founding member of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, which aims to protect and expand access to the nation’s lands and waters, support wildlife conservation, and restore habitat.
Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-New Mexico) as sponsor of the M.H. Dutch Salmon Greater Gila Wild and Scenic River Act to designate nearly 450 miles of the Gila River, San Francisco River, and their main tributaries in the Gila National Forest as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, Congressman Vasquez has worked to protect nearby lands that are critical for southwest New Mexico’s agricultural and tourism economies, clean water, and way of life. He is also a founder of the House of Representatives’ Public Lands Caucus.
Representative Ryan Zinke (R-Montana) is sponsoring the Greater Yellowstone Recreation Enhancement and Tourism Act, which would designate more than 100 miles of the Madison and Gallatin Rivers and select tributaries as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. He was also a founding member of the U.S. House’s Public Lands Caucus, which aims to protect and expand access to America’s public lands.
He was also instrumental in preventing the selloff of millions of acres of public lands last summer. He served as Secretary of the Interior from 2017-2019.
County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer, a member of the Gallatin County Commission, has helped garner support for the GYREAT Act in Gallatin County and has dedicated most of her professional career to protecting Montana’s clean water and healthy rivers. She was a founding member of the Gallatin Watershed Council and co-chaired the Montana Watershed Coordination Council.
County Commissioner Chris Ponce, Chairman of the Grant County Commission in southwest New Mexico, has been a tireless champion for the Gila River — one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southwest. A retired police chief, he sponsored the county resolution supporting the Wild and Scenic designation for stretches of the Gila River and has championed the M.H. Dutch Salmon Gila River Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation pending in Congress.
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American Rivers is a national conservation organization working to make every river clean and healthy for people and wildlife. We combine evidence-based solutions with enduring partnerships to safeguard the 4.4 million miles of rivers and streams that are essential to our nation’s clean drinking water, extraordinary wildlife, and the strength of our communities. For more than 50 years, our staff, supporters, and partners have been driven by a common belief: Life Depends on Rivers. AmericanRivers.org