On a brisk November afternoon in the Central Cascades, a group of restoration scientists and conservationists stood along the banks of Jungle Creek. Peering down at the passing water, we watched the creek flow silently and uninterrupted over a smooth stone streambed. Even standing next to the creek we were far from the water; the streambed was many feet below us. This particular reach of Jungle Creek was suspiciously straight and without clutter from debris, large rocks, or even gravel. It was as if a bulldozer had carefully plowed along the streambed creating a deep channel, not unlike a canal. This was not a healthy stream, and we had gathered to discuss our efforts to fix it.

Nestled among the Cascades, the Teanaway Community Forest was established in 2013 to protect 50,000 acres of state public land and over 400 miles of free-flowing streams. The Teanaway is Washington State’s first community forest, collaboratively managed by the State and a community-based advisory committee that includes Yakama Indian Nation, residents, business owners, local governments and conservation groups. The Teanaway Community Forest is a successful experiment in multiple-use land management that demonstrates how protecting healthy ecosystems and supporting working landscapes can go hand-in-hand. The Yakima Basin Integrated Plan Workgroup and its partners in the conservation community championed the Teanaway Community Forest acquisition to the state legislature and remain involved in this unique joint management effort, as protection of the Teanaway basin is the first major step toward restoring headwater habitat within the Yakima Basin.

The Teanaway is home to populations of wolf, elk and spotted owl, and contains over 400 miles of streams that feed the Teanaway River and the headwaters of the Yakima River Basin. Until the mid-20^th century, the Teanaway valley was used for timber harvest and as open grazing lands. Historically, streams provided a means to transport harvested timber downstream, and had to be straightened and kept clear of natural wood debris to do so. As a result, complex fish habitat was removed, and streambeds eroded downward over time. Despite being protected today, many streams in the Teanaway valley remain in degraded conditions. This is a problem, because the Teanaway’s feeder streams provide critical habitat for endangered bull trout and mid-Columbia basin steelhead, as well as salmon. In their current state, these streams are unlikely to support the recovery of endangered fish, especially as the impacts of climate change intensify in the coming decades.

Returning Large Woody Debris to Streams Can Restore Ecosystem Functions

Restoring a river is less a result of work that people do, and more a result of work that a river can do on its own when allowed. Rivers, streams and creeks are pretty clever systems, underpinned by natural processes that maintain everything from the quality of water to the character of a riverbank. Whether removing a dam, setting back a levee, or returning wood to a stream, river restoration is the act of returning natural processes that a river needs to passively restore itself.

In eastern Washington, Yakama Nation Fisheries has pioneered an approach to return large wood debris to degraded streams and floodplains and, in doing so, restore natural river processes. Wood debris naturally accumulates in forested rivers and is especially important in high-elevation cold-water streams such as the Teanaway River. Fallen trees and woody debris create logjams that produce deep pools, provide shade, and enhance roughness and sediment storage, together these factors maintain base-flow and cold-water habitat for fish.

Restore Habitat Today to Enable Species to Adapt to Climate Pressures Tomorrow

Degradation from past land use has stymied the Teanaway’s capacity to support the recovery of endangered fish, whose recovery is further jeopardized by warmer stream temperatures and lower summer flow levels driven by climate change. Fortunately, we can undertake restorative actions today to begin addressing these pressures, and support the ability of some species to adapt to the impacts of climate change as they progress.

Yakama Nation Fisheries’ wood restoration efforts aims to restore basic hydrologic and ecosystem functions to streams, naturally restoring instream and floodplain habitat overtime. As Scott Nicolai, Yakama Nation Fisheries’ project manager describes it; engineered log jams are not an attempt to control a stream, but instead act as a simple “suggestion to the stream” by reintroducing wood structures that encourage the system to retake natural form and functions. Restoration outcomes compound over many years as streams retain more sediment and streambeds rebuild, eventually reconnecting with side-channels and floodplains. Yakama Nation’s proven restoration methods and the compelling story of conserving the Teanaway Community Forest were central to securing a new grant to continue this work.

Wildlife Conservation Society Supports These Expanded Stream Restoration Projects

In December 2016, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited and The Wilderness Society’s joint restoration proposal was competitively selected for funding by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Climate Adaptation Fund. The Climate Adaptation Fund awards grants to conservation organizations for applied, on-the-ground projects that implement conservation actions to advance climate adaptation at a landscape scale. Awarded funds directly supported restoration of 8.5 miles of tributary habitat and 150  acres of floodplain on eight creeks, implemented by Yakama Nation Fisheries. American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, and The Wilderness Society have been carrying out a strategy to showcase woody debris restoration techniques and outcomes, and have been engaging  with local and regional stakeholders to further grow public support for conservation and restoration through volunteerism in the Teanaway Community Forest.

While the restoration projects are taking two years to complete, the outcomes will build upon themselves for decades. Cold-water stream habitat will be re-established and streams and floodplains will be reconnected; critical steps to recovery of endangered salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. As a result, the Teanaway Community Forest and larger Yakima River Basin will be better prepared to adapt to the impacts of climate change in the coming century. These projects will provide valuable data to inform restoration efforts elsewhere in the region, and serve as a powerful example of how conservation partnerships can leverage investment to benefit communities and ecosystems.

No one ever tells you how fast it all goes by – the ceremony, photos, reception, eating, dancing, crying, laughing. The act of getting married will forever be a blur in my memory. All of it except the river.

My husband, Dan, and I were married on June 30 on the North Fork of the Flathead River in northwest Montana. The North Fork was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1976. Its headwaters begin in Canada and flow south to its confluence with the Middle Fork Flathead, forming the western boundary of Glacier National Park. There are many reasons we chose this place to declare our lifelong commitment to one another. After all, our love for one another grew out of our love for rivers.

I grew up in Maryland, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where rivers are hard to escape. I worked in river conservation in Maryland for a few years after graduating college, however, it wasn’t until moving to Montana in 2011 that I truly developed my current love affair with rivers. The experience of multi-day river trips was something Dan first shared with me, and I quickly became obsessed. Almost every chance we have had together over the years, whether an evening float after work, wade fishing while walking the dogs, or multi-day floats over holiday weekends, we have been pulled to rivers.

Because of this relationship, it was no surprise that we would choose to get married on a river. And not any river, but a river forever protected as wild and scenic.

In the days leading up to the wedding, the weather was predicted to be fair at best – 60 degrees with a 60 percent chance of rain. But we told everyone “river or bust,” and on Saturday morning we loaded up our closest family and friends into rafts and launched on the river. We had planned to float an 11-mile section of river from just south of the Canadian border down to the small off-the-grid settlement of Polebridge. We had found a spot on the Glacier National Park side of the river to hold the ceremony with the towering Livingston mountain range serving as our backdrop and the sound of the river as our background music.

As my mother escorted me across a meadow towards our friends, family and my husband-to-be, an osprey hovered overhead, circling us as we walked. I still think it might have been the reincarnated spirit of my father, watching the event and guiding me with my mother.

I’ve been struggling with how to truly capture the emotion of that day, as it ran the gamut. One of our friends, Kit Fischer, author of Paddling Montana, gave a beautiful reading during our ceremony; a portion of which I feel compelled to share as it so eloquently compares rivers and marriage.

“Wild and Scenic River designation, much like the vows of marriage, protects rivers from future development and ensures it can stand the test of time. But like any free-flowing river and any marriage, there will be floods and there will be droughts. There will be hot streaks and howling at the moon. But through it all – they fill our lives with love, laughter and friends. Love, like a river, will cut a new path when it meets an obstacle. And your love will be no exception.”

The rain was on and off for the duration of our ceremony, but as we started our vows the sun broke through the clouds and the umbrellas were closed. We concluded with a champagne toast and some of our favorite songs, loaded everyone back onto the rafts and floated to the take out.

Dinner and dancing went by in a flash and before I knew it, we were back at our cabin, completely exhausted. The only word I can use to describe the feelings of that day is gratitude. When I shared my vision of a dream wedding to Dan and my friends, no one batted an eye. They made it happen for me. They organized rafts, prepared food, loaded supplies, ran shuttles and traveled from far and wide to show their love and support. Even now when I think back to that day, I am still overwhelmed with gratitude. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world, that I have so many people in my life who care for me and Dan, that care for us so much they made our dream come true without question or hesitation.

Thanks to the Wild and Scenic designation of the North Fork Flathead (along with the Middle and South Forks of the Flathead) in 1976, it will forever be protected as free flowing and clean. This designation allowed for our public access and celebration of one of the most important events of our lives. As a Montanan, it’s still shocking to me that only five of the rivers in our state have this permanent protection status: the three forks of the Flathead River, 150 miles of the Upper Missouri River and most recently East Rosebud Creek in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. But hopefully there are more protected rivers on the way. A coalition I work with called Montanans for Healthy Rivers is spearheading the development of new legislation that would protect close to 50 new rivers and streams in the state as Wild and Scenic.

In the end, it all comes back to rivers. Rivers connect us; they bring us together and take us places where we couldn’t be otherwise. Although Dan and I are outdoors people and find ourselves in beautiful places all over the world, the North Fork Flathead will forever hold an especially important meaning to us. It is a place that will remind me of how lucky I am to have a husband and people in my life who love me, support me and want to be apart of making my dreams come true. What more could anyone ever want?

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Do you have a river story to share? Please visit 5000miles.org today and help us protect more of our most cherished rivers by telling your story.

Dams! Be they small ones that clog tributary streams or vast hydropower developments that impact hundreds of river miles, dams profoundly impact rivers by altering natural flows, impairing clean water, harming wildlife, and limiting river recreation.

This summer American Rivers and our partners celebrated two great successes for rivers in the Southeast involving hydropower dams. Benefits to the Broad River in South Carolina and the Coosa River in Alabama were achieved through the federal relicensing process for hydropower dams. Yet, how those victories came about differs greatly.

Federal licenses for dams last a generation or longer

The relicensing process for non-federal hydropower dams, those operated by electric utilities, municipalities or private entities, provides a once in a generation opportunity to improve the way these dams operate and undo environmental damages. Conditions for new operating licenses can be one of the most effective tools for improving the health of rivers that have been impacted by hydropower dams.

Non-federal hydropower dam operators are required to get licenses that balance hydroelectric generation with environmental protections such as improving downstream river flows, safely passing migratory fish around (or over) dams, enhancing dissolved oxygen levels in water discharges, and creating new recreational opportunities. The licenses are issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) and last from 30 to 50 years! Relicensing dams when their current licenses are set to expire provides opportunities to improve for decades the way these dams operate to protect, restore and enhance rivers.

Perhaps in no other region is this more important than in the Southeast where new licenses have been required for a myriad of large dams built primarily from the early 1900s to the 1950s.

Reaching agreement for improving the Broad River

Our first reason for celebration is the signing of a comprehensive relicensing settlement agreement for the Parr Shoals Hydropower Project on the Broad River upstream of Columbia. Operated by South Carolina Electric and Gas Company, flows passing through the dam contribute virtually all water for 26 miles of the Broad River and most of the water for 50 miles of the Congaree River. The dam also creates Parr and Monticello Reservoirs, totaling 11,100 acres. The settlement agreement provides a set of consolidated recommendations for new license conditions to the Commission. Signatories include the power company, American Rivers, Congaree Riverkeeper, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, SC Department of Natural Resources and other stakeholders.

Highlights of the settlement include:

• a nearly three-fold increase in downstream flow requirements during spring months from the current 800 cubic feet per second to 2,300 cubic feet per second
• downstream flow requirements of 1,000 cubic feet per second during the remainder of the year, more than six times more water than currently required
• fish passage for American shad
• extensive investment in new equipment by the power company to reduce unnatural downstream flow fluctuations and meet state dissolved oxygen standards in flow releases
• protection of over 1,000 acres of riverside lands
• improved recreation facilities for boaters, anglers and campers

The settlement also establishes a mitigation fund for environmental enhancements to offset impacts to fish and wildlife and recreation caused by Parr Reservoir water level fluctuations. Tied to the amount of generation, the fund would be valued at approximately $4 million if a 40-year license were issued.

If accepted by the Commission, which usually adopts recommended terms of comprehensive settlement agreements, the above improvements would start after a new license is issued. The current project license expires in 2020.

The Parr Shoals relicensing process is a testament to the collaborative approach adopted by South Carolina Electric and Gas Company so that a comprehensive settlement agreement could be reached with local stakeholders that balances environmental benefits with power generation.

Winning in Court to Protect the Coosa River

Our Alabama success followed a much different path. The Coosa Hydroelectric Project consists of seven dams affecting 225 miles of the Coosa River. The construction and operation of these dams resulted in one of the largest mass extinctions of the 20^th Century with over 30 aquatic species being lost. Once one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America, additional species of freshwater mussels, snails and fish continue to be threatened by these dams. Several of these species are either listed or are being considered for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The Coosa relicensing was derailed by distrust and non-cooperation. Rather than take the collaborative approach used by South Carolina Electric and Gas Company, Alabama Power Company – which operates the dams – ignored issues raised by stakeholders and didn’t complete adequate studies for a new license.

American Rivers and our conservation partners Alabama Rivers Alliance and Southern Environmental Law Center were actively engaged in the relicensing of these seven dams from the initial meetings through the new license being issued. Throughout the process we recommended studies to assess impacts of the dams, reviewed technical reports and issued written comments which consistently called for sound scientific information, thorough assessment of impacts, rare species protection, healthy river flows, and improved dissolved oxygen levels. Our recommendations were ignored first by Alabama Power, then by US Fish and Wildlife Service and finally by the Commission.

Alabama Power submitted a license application to the Commission that failed to protect the region’s rich biodiversity. Analysis showed that the company’s proposed operations could harm up to 100% of certain species protected under the Endangered Species Act. The license application also failed to include measures for raising dissolved oxygen levels to meet state standards and would only minimally increase flows in the Weiss Bypass, a 20-mile river reach that harbors endangered species from which most all flow is diverted by the hydropower dams.

The Fish and Wildlife Service did no better. The Service kotowed to Alabama Power and issued a biological opinion that ignored the impacts to species protected under the Endangered Species Act and supported the power company’s flawed license application.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also failed to live up to its regulatory responsibilities and issued a 30-year license to Alabama Power that by and large adopted the harmful terms favored by the power company.

So how is this something worth celebrating?

Instead of folding, the conservation groups acted. We filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Commission and Fish and Wildlife Service for violations of the Endangered Species Act, Federal Hydropower Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.

On Friday, July 6, 2018, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a unanimous ruling in American Rivers v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The Court found “deep flaws” in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s biological opinion required under the Endangered Species Act. It found fault with the Commission’s analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Court found that neither agency used credible and timely scientific information to back their conclusions. The decision specifically called out the harmful effects of inadequate Weiss bypass flows, low dissolved oxygen in dam releases and improper assessment of impacts to endangered species. It also found that the Commission had violated the Federal Power Act when it issued the new 30-year license to Alabama Power. Because of these violations of law, the Court overturned the license and sent it back to the Commission for a redo consistent with the Court’s findings. We look forward to changes that will protect the Coosa River’s diverse species, clean water and other public benefits.

A most effective tool for improving river health

Be it through settlement agreements or legal challenges, these examples demonstrate how relicensing can be one of the most effective tools for improving the health of large rivers damaged by hydropower dams. Recognizing this, American Rivers has been the national leader for reforming hydropower dam operations since the 1990s. These new licenses will help protect endangered species, restore river flows, improve oxygen levels and enhance recreation opportunities after more than 80 years of impacts to rivers in South Carolina and Alabama. These successes which came after years of hard work by American Rivers and our partners are surely worth celebrating!

This guest blog was written by Louise and Reese Partridge. It is a part of our blog series on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® – Pearl River.

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control and Drainage Control District has proposed a dam and lake construction project to manage flooding along Jackson, Mississippi’s urban reach of the Pearl River. This project would widen the river and fill 1,000 acres of wetland habitat now home to mammals, fish and birds.

The Jackson Audubon Society (JAS) is concerned about Prothonotary Warbler habitat being lost to the lake development, which would condemn preferred nesting areas along the Pearl River at Lefleur’s Bluff. It would represent another incremental loss of unique and vanishing natural habitat to developers — trading our natural heritage for a return on capital.

In 1998, JAS members embarked on a new bird conservation project to benefit one of the signature migratory songbirds of the southern swamplands: the bright yellow, highly vocal Prothonotary Warbler. No song is more pervasive and insistent than the, “zweet zweet zweet,” of these vividly-colored birds known affectionately as swamp canaries.

Prothonotaries use nest cavities in decaying trees which they line with fresh moss. Nest boxes offer reliable substitutes when cavities are scarce. In Jackson, the suitable nesting area includes the backwater swamps along the Pearl River as it flows through LeFleur’s Bluff State Park. The park is designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the Audubon Society.

Each February, Audubon members make a pilgrimage to the park’s wetlands to clean out and repair the boxes before the birds begin arriving from their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Volunteers have observed nesting success in about 2/3 of boxes.

Cornell University considers the Prothonotary Warbler a species of, “high conservation concern.” The American Bird Conservancy’s watchlist states, “restoration of forested wetlands in the southeastern U.S. (is) the most important conservation measure(s) that would protect this warbler.”

We hope that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public officials and park users will come to understand the full implications of this potential loss of priceless riverside habitat.

Please join American Rivers by September 6, 2018, in asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control and Drainage Control District’s new dam project.

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Author: Louise and Reese Partridge

Reese Partridge is a retired attorney and member of the Jackson Audubon Society. The Partridges live near Jackson, Mississippi.

Dam removal can be simple. Or complicated. Or somewhere in between.

Here at American Rivers, our River Restoration Team likes to celebrate our successes with a boisterous WOO HOO! I think everyone somehow feels invested in the WOO HOOs of our teammates. We’re out there making things happen on the ground. Bringing rivers back to life. That deserves a WOO HOO, right?

Delp Dam Project

In June, I worked on a project up in Telford, Pennsylvania, removing the Delp Dam (aka Swartley Mill Dam and Keller Creamery Dam) on Indian Creek, a Delaware River tributary. This structure was part of an old mill that was no longer in use and in poor shape. In fact, about a week before construction began, a storm carved around the end of the dam to the bedrock, forming a breach and draining the impoundment. That made our lives a bit easier, as most of the dam removal itself was able to be completed on more or less dry land (woo hoo!).

This concrete dam was removed as compensatory mitigation for construction on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Removal of Delp Dam will open 2,600 linear feet of Indian Creek and restore natural form and function to a stream that supports habitat for fish and wildlife. American Rivers, the PA Turnpike Commission and the PA Fish and Boat Commission are the primary partners for this project.

In this first phase of the project, we removed the dam and stabilized the banks, although we were happy to discover that one of the banks was largely bedrock near the dam (that means it won’t be undercut by river flows). Over the course of the next year, we will see how the river adjusts itself through storm events and see if any additional work needs to be done to ensure a solid sustainable project. Directly downstream of this dam is a bridge crossing, so we want to be sure that the dam removal does not compromise that structure in the long-term. So far, everything looks great! Woo hoo!

Krady Mill Dam Project

In July, I hopped on over to Columbia, Pennsylvania, home of the National Watch and Clock Museum and home base of Turkey Hill (for any iced tea and ice cream lovers out there). This was another low-head former mill dam removal project on Chiques Creek, a Susquehanna River tributary, known as the Krady Mill Dam. This dam was built in the late 1800s to provide water power to a historic mill (still onsite). The concrete dam was approximately 5 feet high by 100 feet long. The dam was disconnected from the mill and no longer was serving a useful purpose.

Removal of Krady Mill Dam has opened 2.9 river miles and restored natural form and function to a stream that supports American eel, resident fish and historic migratory fish runs. Woo hoo! American Rivers, the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation are the primary partners for this project.

Both of these projects removed safety hazards for their communities and eliminated the liability for owners. So many low-head dams have injured or killed people recreating around them. In fact, American Rivers is going to be removing a killer dam in Patapsco Valley State Park in Maryland starting in a couple of weeks! Woo hoo! (Stay tuned for more information on that project soon.)

ENTER: Storms for days. And days. And days.

The best laid plans… something something… woah.

Anyone living in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. likely has experienced a deluge of rain this spring and summer. Well, as soon as we completed the Krady Mill Dam removal last month, Pennsylvania got hit with a major flood in many watersheds, including Indian and Chiques creeks.

It was frustrating that we didn’t have more time for vegetation to establish at Krady Mill. As you can see, a lot of our matting washed up and got tangled with debris (woah!). In this case, we have decided to clean up the site and let nature take its course for a while. We will revisit the site next summer to see if any additional work needs to be done once the river channel settles a bit. In reality, our floodplain seemed to act as it was designed, so we were happy to see that (woo hoo!). We will see what Mother Nature sends our way in the coming months.

At the site of the former Delp Dam, things faired pretty well. Our dam owners did not experience flooding in the mill building, as they would have in the past, so they were happy about that (woo hoo!). The river will likely continue to adjust and move a little bit as storms come through until it finds its new normal. We will also revisit this site in summer 2019 to see if any further work needs to be done to ensure the long-term sustainability of the restoration work. It is great to see this site greening up already! WOO HOO!

Living in Michigan means water is everywhere; weekends at the lake, afternoon kayaking on a river or fishing with your best friend. After severe storms, it also means water in your backyard and flooding in the streets. Communities around the Great Lakes are increasingly concerned with impacts from extreme weather, which is expected to be more frequent due to climate change. Localized flooding can be exacerbated due to deteriorating infrastructure and system overflows. The stormwater flowing through our streets and running over sidewalks, sweep up debris and pollutants, in some areas, carrying it away to your favorite Great Lake. The same lake we seek out for recreation and depend upon as a resource.

Cities and municipalities burdened with costs related to stormwater management are looking toward innovative tools that encourage volume reduction and promote protection for our most precious resource, clean water. Implementing green infrastructure through the Great Lakes will provide a comprehensive approach to restoring the natural hydrology of the region. Cities can capitalize on private capital for this type of low impact development design that provides multiple benefits to communities.

In 2015, American Rivers, Corona Environmental Consulting and Water Environment Federation teamed together to create a unique partnership to explore the need and capacity for the private market to assist in the finance and construction of green infrastructure in Great Lakes cities. The primary goal is a collaborative approach to develop and implement private sector green infrastructure-financing opportunities in two distinct Great Lakes cities; Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cleveland, Ohio. The partnership is generously funded by The Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF).

Moving ahead to 2018, the team is developing the structure of a stormwater credit “bank” with Grand Rapids’ Environmental Services Department in Grand Rapids, Michigan and pursing to optimize Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s green infrastructure grant program to better leverage private capital in the Cleveland region. Throughout all phases of our work, we will include a “peer education” component that provides opportunities for other Great Lakes cities to participate as observers and to foster connections with key stakeholders.

Our team is reviewing current conditions in project areas, collecting data and analyzing key market components to pursue a sustainable path and highlight methods to better serve marginalized and minority communities. Participating in community meetings and listening to concerns from neighborhoods is key for reaching regional stormwater reduction goals in the Great Lakes.

As we design, implement and plan with our partners in these key cities, we are continuing to build resources for other municipalities considering an integrated urban water management program. Our local focus with “boots on the ground” work seeks to engage neighbors and shareholders alike to optimize programs to accomplish a wide-array of benefits for people and nature.

Stay tuned for our updates on program implementation and how your city can benefit from leveraging private capital for achieving stormwater reduction goals and assist in flood protection.

Hooray – National Public Lands Day is on September 22 this year! Whether you’re looking to gain service hours, meet new people or spend a day outside with your family and friends, this is the opportunity for you! National Public Lands Day combines two of our favorite things: free access to our favorite public lands and waters AND hundreds of opportunities to volunteer.

In 1994, this day was established as a day of service. Starting with 3 sites and 700 volunteers (yes, only 700), the day has turned into one of the largest volunteer days in the country. According to National Environmental Education Foundation, 169,000 volunteers participated and contributed 680,000 hours of service at over 2,100 sites across the U.S. in 2017.

Volunteers can participate in public land improvement projects such as trash cleanups, trail maintenance, tree plantings and other restoration projects. Many volunteer opportunities are provided through participating federal agencies, including Bureau of Land Management, Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service. Volunteer opportunities can also be found through your city, state, county, school and local park departments. American Rivers encourages everyone to sign up to volunteer or organize your own public lands cleanup through our National River Cleanup© program. Cleaning up our public lands and waters helps remove hazardous debris which threatens our wildlife, rivers and each other.

More Fun Facts about National Public Lands Day:

1. National Public Lands Day is celebrated every year on the 4^th Saturday in September. This year marks the 25^th anniversary of National Public Lands Day and is also the first day of fall!
2. The National Park Service is one of the largest providers of volunteer opportunities on this day.
3. Some agencies and groups celebrate by providing volunteer and educational opportunities throughout September and October.
4. This day is organized by the National Environmental Education Foundation in partnership with several federal agencies including Bureau of Land Management, Department of Defense, National Park Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service.

So mark your calendars for September 22 and join American Rivers and our partners to help clean up our public lands and waters. Thinking of hosting your own cleanup? American Rivers offers free trash bags to anyone who registers their cleanup with us.

• Organize a cleanup with National River Cleanup, or sign up for an existing cleanup near you.
• Learn more about recycling with our National River Cleanup recycling guide.
• And more!

 

 

This guest blog was written by Dr. Jennifer Coulson. It is a part of our blog series on America’s Most Endangered Rivers® – Pearl River.

The lower Pearl River feels like home to me — I’ve been surveying it for over two decades.

My work involves searching for the Swallow-tailed Kite, a rare, breathtakingly beautiful raptor. The lower Pearl River Basin is one of its few remaining strongholds along the Gulf Coastal Plain. From a Cessna 150 (a small, two-seater airplane), a bald cypress full of roosting kites resembles a Christmas tree, where the kites’ white heads gleam in the early morning light like glowing ornaments.

A bird’s eye view from the airplane makes it easy to appreciate how the habitat changes with decreasing elevation. As we follow the Pearl River southward, upland pine and mixed pine-oak-hickory forests with their red, earthen bluffs, give way to flatter, seasonally flooded bottomland hardwood forests. Farther south, the bottomlands are replaced by lower, permanently flooded cypress-tupelo swamps. Where the elevation drops so low that it can no longer support trees, the grassy, freshwater marshes thrive. Nearing the coast, these are replaced by brackish and then salt marshes and open water.

Along our survey route, the Pearl River splits into several Pearls (East, Middle, West), as its braided system nourishes vast expanses of wetlands with life-giving nutrients, sediment and freshwater. The rivers of the Pearl eventually feed the fisheries present in Lake Borgne, the Mississippi Sound and the Rigolets. The Rigolets estuary is a particularly important nursery for fish, crabs and shrimp.

Although upstream, the proposed One Lake project’s dam and reservoir would disrupt the lower Pearl’s elevational gradient by reducing the downstream flow of freshwater and sediment. These losses would exacerbate the existing threats of subsidence, sea level rise and salt water intrusion. The end result would be degradation and loss of wetland habitats and wildlife.

Other problems are the low water sills and a defunct bypass, the Pearl River Navigational Canal. These structures impede the migration of 15 species of fish including the paddlefish, striped bass, several species of catfish, and the federally threatened Gulf Sturgeon. The proposed reservoir could further impact the ecosystem functions of the Pearl. Instead, we need to demand its restoration and protection.

Please join American Rivers and Gulf Restoration Network by September 6, 2018, in asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control and Drainage Control District’s new dam project.

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Author: Jennifer Coulson, Ph.D.

Jennifer Coulson, Ph.D., is the President of the Orleans Audubon Society whose mission is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of wildlife and wild places of the southeastern U.S. and to fostering an understanding and appreciation of nature.

On August 16, American Rivers won a huge victory in our lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to suspend the Clean Water Rule.

This was a tremendous win for protecting rivers, wetlands and clean drinking water nationwide. The court made clear that the Trump administration cannot ignore the law, science, or the views of the American people in its rush to undermine protection of rivers and clean water.

What’s the Clean Water Rule?

The Clean Water Rule is an Obama-era rule that protects the small streams and wetlands that are the drinking water sources for one in three Americans. Safeguarding these waters is critical, not only for our drinking water, but for flood protection and fish and wildlife habitat. The rule protects streams and wetlands from pollution, filling, and other degradation that would harm the environment and downstream communities.

The Court Ruling

The federal district court in South Carolina granted our motion for summary judgment, ruling that the administration’s attempted suspension of the rule failed to comply with the rulemaking requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Specifically, the court ruled that the administration failed to provide adequate opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed suspension and failed to consider the merits of the Clean Water Rule before trying to suspend it. The court said that, while administrations and regulatory priorities may change, they must comply with the law in making those changes. The court issued a nationwide injunction against the suspension of the Clean Water Rule because of the national impact on rivers and wetlands. The court cited my affidavit as American Rivers CEO, in which I listed the many different states where I have fished that would be affected by the suspension of the Clean Water Rule.

What’s next?

The federal district court’s decision is not the final word. The administration or industry will likely appeal the decision, other litigation is ongoing, and the administration will undoubtedly continue its efforts to repeal and replace the Clean Water Rule. Also, there are other injunctions in place from two other lawsuits brought by several states, blocking the implementation of the Clean Water Rule in 24 states. Ultimately, these issues will be resolved by the Supreme Court, by Congress, or by a future administration. But today’s ruling makes clear that the current administration, like any other, is bound by law in pursuing its effort to repeal and replace the Clean Water Rule.

Thank you to all of our supporters who make possible our ongoing work defending rivers and clean water. We are also grateful to the Southern Environmental Law Center which is representing American Rivers in this litigation.

Water in the West is inherently complicated. A complex web of laws, compacts, and a little thing called “prior appropriation” dictates how and when people and entities are allowed to use water in the West, such as cities and towns, farms and ranches, and industry. This ability is what we call “owning a water right,” and explains much of how the West has been settled over the last century, and how many of the economic forces that affect our daily lives are driven by these water rights. Listen in to learn more about how water law affects you and the rivers you love.

Prior appropriation is the backbone of our water law system. Perhaps you’ve heard of “first in time, first in right,” – this phrase refers to the water law system. Prior appropriation allows individuals or entities who first apply water for a beneficial use to be entitled to that appropriation into the future (and has priority over subsequent users). Holding a water right doesn’t actually imply ownership over the water (water in Colorado is “owned” by the people) but is instead the right to use the people’s water for a beneficial use like agriculture, municipal water, and now more recently, in benefit of the environment as in-stream flows.

Even if the term “water rights” leaves you scratching your head, and you call a western state your home, you still are impacted by them. There’s a fairly high chance that you use water connected to a water right, (unless you have your own well or diversion). Water running through pipes in cities and towns across the West are likely municipal water obtained through a water right held by city or town. Your community has to have a water right themselves to divert and distribute the water that ends up in your home. Agriculture, industry, and even our rivers and streams all depend on the legal structure managing our water.

Join us in this month’s episode of We Are Rivers as we navigate through the complicated nature of water law in the West, including prior appropriation, instream flow rights, and the history of water law.

This is a guest blog by Gregory Fitz.

In October of 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law. The legislation had been sponsored in Congress by Senator Frank Church of Idaho. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers system was conceived around the remarkable idea that some rivers were so valuable to the cultural and environmental legacy of a region that they, and some of their surrounding area, should be preserved as natural, free-flowing waterways for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. Since then, almost 13,000 miles of 208 rivers across the country have been protected. Six of those rivers are in Washington.

To celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, we’re going to spend some time over the course the year telling the stories of Washington’s designated rivers: Illabot Creek, the Klickitat River, the Pratt River, the Skagit River, the White Salmon River and the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River. Each is a unique part of Washington’s astounding network of rivers and each earned its designation in the national system through the hard work and foresight of advocates.

In this second installment of our series, we’ll take a closer look at Southwest Washington’s beautiful Klickitat River.

The Klickitat River

The headwaters of the Klickitat River originate in the Goat Rocks Wilderness on the east side of the Cascade Range. It flows south through the Yakama Indian Reservation and gains water from the glaciers of Mount Adams and Gilbert Peak along the way. In the heat of summer, those melting glaciers raise the flows and stain the water with till. The river is approximately 95 miles long and the watershed drains almost 1300 square miles. It joins the Columbia River near the town of Lyle, Washington.

The mouth of the Klickitat is upstream of the White Salmon River on the Columbia River and downstream of the historic Celilo Falls, which is now submerged behind the Dalles Dam. Along most of its route, it tumbles through a broad valley filled with dry pine forest. In its final few miles, the river constricts through a narrow, rocky gorge before pouring over Lyle Falls.

The river is named for the Klickitat people, the Shahaptian Tribe who inhabited the area before the arrival of people of European descent. The Klickitat people fished the river for generations, and like Celilo Falls once was, the river’s gorge remains an important site of Native American dip-net fishing.

National Wild and Scenic Rivers Designation

The final 10.8 miles of the lower Klickitat River were added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in November of 1986. This section of the river runs from the confluence with Wheeler Creek to the Klickitat’s mouth at the Columbia River. It, and the first section designated on the White Salmon River, were recommended for protection following the establishment of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

In the Environmental Impact Statements recommending Wild and Scenic designation for the lower Klickitat, the river’s fish habitat, dramatic basalt gorge and the cultural significance of the dip-netting fishery were listed as outstanding and remarkable reasons to keep the river free-flowing and protected. To gain further insights into the process, we spoke with Bob Ratcliffe at the National Park Service (NPS) in Washington, DC.

When the Klickitat was being considered for Wild and Scenic River designation in the mid-1980s, Ratcliffe was working for a company called Land and Water Associates. He was among the large team of advocates and researchers who would go on to complete the Environmental Impact Statement and draft the Management Plan for the Klickitat River. The team recognized that a grassroots effort and close collaboration with the local communities would be the best way to encourage investment and participation in the program. They held public meetings and met with local constituencies. Over the course of a couple years, they had conversations with tribes concerned about protecting fishing rights on traditional grounds, sport anglers, loggers, ranchers and other people living and working in the Klickitat basin.

Throughout the process, Ratcliffe and his peers looked to the “Partnership” Wild and Scenic Rivers in the eastern part of the U.S. as inspiration. That management model seeks to bring county land managers, private land owners, watershed groups and other vested communities into dialogue around rivers that would benefit immensely from protection and free-flowing status, but aren’t primarily encompassed by federal land. Those rivers depended on local partners and collaborators to opt to preserve the watershed in Wild and Scenic status and commit to co-manage the river with a combination of federal, state and local agencies.

In the end, the process was a success. After many hours of meetings and negotiations among user groups and local communities, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) accepted the management plan’s recommendation to designate the lower 10.8 miles of the Klickitat River as a Wild and Scenic River.

The Wild and Scenic Klickitat River: Today

The Klickitat River remains a beloved and well-traveled tributary of the Columbia River Gorge. Its proximity to Portland, Hood River and even Seattle means that it is a popular destination among kayakers, rafters and fisherman. It has great habitat and good water quality. There are a number of small communities along its length, but it also has long sections with little or no development in the riparian zone. Logging has been relatively limited in the river valley in recent years.

Summer and winter steelhead are native to the Klickitat. It used to host a strong native run of spring Chinook as well, but those populations are struggling, along with both runs of steelhead. Seasons for those species are truncated or closed. Hatchery produced summer steelhead, fall chinook and coho have been introduced to the watershed and are now successfully spawning, with mixed results in terms of intermingling with the wild fish populations. The river still supports a tribal dip-net fishery at Lyle Falls.

Popular with hikers and fisherman, a rail line between the towns of Lyle and Goldendale was abandoned by the railroad company in 1992 and soon reborn as the Klickitat Rails-to-Trail. It is a wonderful way to walk a long stretch of this beautiful Washington Wild and Scenic River.

Next month, we’ll be profiling the Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Pratt Rivers, two more of the six Wild and Scenic designated rivers in Washington.

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, we have teamed up with a number of partners and outdoor gear companies to collect 5,000 wild-river stories and to protect 5,000 more miles of such rivers nationwide. Share your story and learn more.

For the past two-and-a-half years, American Rivers has been actively participating in the Washington Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Baker To Bellingham Recreation Planning, a process developed with local community input and the help of a citizen-based recreation planning committee, with the end goal of developing a plan to guide hiking, mountain biking, river recreation and horseback riding on approximately 86,000-acres of DNR-managed working forests across the Whatcom County area for the next 10 to 15 years.

From now through August 26, 2018, DNR is accepting comments on the Draft Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan.

While the majority of this plan focuses on access to hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails, a two-acre river access site on the North Fork Nooksack River near the community of Maple Falls was identified and recommended by the planning committee, and included on the final concept map found in the draft plan.

This river access site was originally identified and recommended in the Upper Nooksack River Recreation Plan (UNRRP), which was finalized in March 2015. This process was coordinated by American Rivers with assistance from the National Park Service’s (NPS) Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program, and was the result of nearly 600 individuals and organizations, including landowners, tribes, land managers, businesses, paddlers, anglers, hikers, skiers and equestrians contributing to the development of the plan over a two-year period through an online survey, focus group workshops, and field tours.

American Rivers is working, along with a few key partners and community members, to develop a concept for the site that could provide paddlers and boaters an unimproved put-in and take-out along this popular stretch of whitewater with a small parking area for a few vehicles, trash reciprocals, and a portable restroom. Additionally, it could serve as a walk-in access point to the Whatcom Land Trust’s 110-acre Maple Reach property.

With the addition of the Maple Falls river access in the Draft Rec Plan, the boating, angling, and overall river community have a unique opportunity to enhance their connection to NF Nooksack watershed — an eligible Wild and Scenic river that we are working to protect — and in the process, grow our appreciation for this gem of the North Cascades.

Please take a moment and send your comments to the DNR, using these brief talking points in your own words that we’ve included below (If submitting comments by email, use “SEPA File No. 18-072701” for the subject line):

• State that you support the river access site identified in DNR’s plan – Objective D under North Fork Unit (pg 15)
• State that you’ve been tracking the Baker To Bellingham Recreation Planning Process and it is your understanding the committee has been supportive of river access and it emerged as a Tier 1 implementation project in the plan (pg 19-20)
• Please include SEPA File No. 18-072701 in all written comments

Comments should be submitted to the SEPA Center:

Email: sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov

Mail: DNR Sepa Center, P.O. Box 47015, Olympia, Washington 98504-7015