2016 Was a Success – Thanks To You

As we look back on 2016, we are grateful to you, our supporters.

You showed up again and again to take action on critical issues facing rivers and clean water. You stood up to save the Grand Canyon from the harmful Escalade development, showing a huge wave of support for this national treasure.

And thanks to you, this past year brought major milestones in long-term river restoration efforts from Maine’s Penobscot to California’s Klamath to Washington’s Elwha.

We celebrated successes and inspired each other. Together, we shared stories, and new films.

Your commitment was critical as we faced new challenges, including the mining waste release in Colorado’s Animas River, the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and efforts in Congress to weaken river protections nationwide.

Your dedication means a lot to us as we confront the challenges ahead.

In this season of reflection, take a moment to appreciate all you helped accomplish for healthy rivers and clean water over the past year.

The following is a sampling of the successes we shared together. You made this possible and we are grateful for your support!

Key Successes in 2016

Restoring damaged rivers

• Helped revive efforts to remove four large dams on the Klamath River after Congress failed to authorize the project. As a result, the largest dam removal project in history is on track to begin in 2020.
• A federal court ruled in our favor in the long-running litigation to compel the federal government to give serious consideration to removing four dams on the lower Snake River in order to restore endangered salmon.
• Spearheaded the removal of 16 dams nationwide, including on tributaries to the Connecticut River, Citico Creek in North Carolina, and the Patapsco River in Maryland.

Conserving clean water

• Helped shape a landmark Colorado state water plan that recognizes the importance of healthy rivers and emphasizes conservation.
• Our call to move from water conflict to a new era of cooperation resonated in media stories nationwide when we named the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin #1 on our annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers®.
• Partnered with the Toledo Mud Hens Baseball Club to capture and filter stormwater runoff from rooftops at Hensville Park near the downtown stadium.

Protecting wild rivers

• Due in large part to our advocacy, the bipartisan Montana congressional delegation lent its support to protection of East Rosebud Creek as a Wild and Scenic River. Legislation protecting the river has passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
• Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) came out in opposition to the New Madrid Levee, which would drain an area of wetlands the size of Washington, DC and disconnect the last remaining piece of floodplain from the Mississippi River where it winds between Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. We worked closely with the Senator’s staff as he developed his position.

Advancing national policy

• Opposed a concerted effort by the hydropower industry to weaken environmental requirements in dam licensing proceedings as part of the debate over federal energy legislation in Congress. American Rivers played a large part in convincing the Obama Administration to threaten a veto of the legislation.
• Successfully defended the Clean Water Rule, which restored federal protection to headwater streams and wetlands, from efforts to undo it in Congress.

Thank you for making these and other successes possible! We are truly grateful for you support. And if you’re able to make a donation, there’s still time to have your gift matched $2 for every $1 you give.